Prevention

Prevention requires a workforce that is skilled, with experts and specialists who can enable people to live as independently as they choose.

It can be argued that this is not a new idea. However, one of the key concepts of the Workforce Innovation Programme has been that what appears to be a 'new' model of practice in one part of the country is not necessarily 'new' in another. Whilst the impact of a particular way of working maybe well established in one locality, this does not mean that it is understood or properly implemented in another.

The range of material in this section is headed by two reports published in 2009 and 2010 - one on new and emerging roles in assistive technology within social care and one in the context of supporting people with dementia and their carer's.

Much of the knowledge and learning described in this section explores workforce development in relation to specific conditions that people may present to social care organisations.

The material includes;

• A detailed study on the role of food in people's lives and how proper training and education for staff in the preparation of food can have a significant impact on people's lives.
• The development of a dementia care career pathway and how improved training for workers can improve outcomes for service users.
• The impact of building a carer's community and how a carer controlled infrastructure to support carer's can impact on a carer's ability to care.
• The development of competencies for training in self management for people with long term health conditions and the confidence to remain independent that such training can bring.
• The place of assistive technology and the importance of insuring that workers undertaking a role where assistive technology is a key element of their work requires the right training, education, supervision and leadership in order to perform at their best.

Please click on the links below for more information on the test sites:

• NToW6 - Assistive Technology Norfolk
  Find out how a new type of worker - the assistive technology support worker helped bring independence to disabled and older people living in their own homes.
• NToW8 - The JackDawe service
  Read how the JackDawe service helped people with dementia receive person-centred home care.
• NToW19 - Creative arts and emotional wellbeing
  See how Barnardo's used this project to improve children and young people's emotional wellbeing  through creative arts.
• NToW22 - Dementia Care
  Jewish Care set up the Dementia Care Development Project to help provide new services to people with dementia. Find out more in this case study.
• NToW26 - Developing senior support workers
  Find out how Gateway Family Services developed a new senior support worker role to help vulnerable pregnant women.
• NToW41 - Holistic working in extra care housing
  See how an 'end of life care' learning resource pack helped care and support staff working with older people deliver care within over 1,000 extra care schemes across England.
• NToW53 - Learning disabilities day service
  When County Durham Care modernised its day services a range of job descriptions and person specifications were developed. Find out more in this case study.
• NToW63 - Mind Skills and Opportunities Centre
  Find out how the new role of volunteer listener helped to provide an outreach service for people experiencing emotional distress.
• NToW75 - Food Matters
  Can the type of food served in care homes have an impact on the mood and behaviour of the residents? And if so, how can lessons be shared? Find out in this case study.
• NToW105 - Self care pilot - community matrons team
  Read how a group of community matrons and teaching staff from South Tyne and Wear Health Authority produced a teaching resource for self care.
• NToW106 - Self care pilot - GP practices
  This project looked at how the principles of self care can be successfully incorporated into the work of GPs and primary healthcare staff.
• NToW107 - Self care pilot - home care workers
  Find out how a new training programme was developed to provide care workers with new skills to help them encourage people to become involved with their own self care.
• NToW117 - Sutton cooperative for recovery and peer support
  See how Sutton Mental Health Foundation established the role of peer support worker so that people who had  been treated for mental distress could help others going through the same difficulties.
• NToW129 - User led SUCH project
  This case study looks at the results of a project which developed a new role of holistic helper to provide support to other staff.
• NToW136 - Working together for wellbeing in dementia care
  This project investigated the impact of training within dementia care and in particular the impact of joint training with day centre and domiciliary staff at a centre in London.
• NToW138 - Your telesupport
  Having seen the benefits that home-based technology can provide, United Response undertook this project to train care staff to use the systems. Find out more in this case study.
• NToW146 - Self care pilot - Sandwell PCT
  Sandwell PCT wished to review the existing training for Self Care in the Social Care setting. The aim was to review the programme and assess whether it was suitable for delivery to community based health professionals.

Additional materials

NToW24 - Dementia care practice recommendations for assisted residence and nursing homes

NToW61 - Making a difference in dementia care

NToW65 - new and emerging roles in dementia care

NToW101 - Re-enablement worker sample job description