Developing our care
We are always looking to improve our care. Part of this is to produce strategies for individual areas that explain how we think we can improve things.
The council and the NHS in South Tyneside have jointly funded projects to help us develop our future strategies in two key areas below:
Intermediate care and reablement
We use the term "intermediate care" to describe a range of integrated services designed to maximise independent living by helping you:
- avoid going into hospital
- avoid going into long-term residential care before you need to
- recover quickly from illness
The term "reablement" covers short-term home care that seeks to rebuild the skills you need to live independently and reduce your need for ongoing homecare support. It is part of the work of intermediate care services.
In South Tyneside we have a range of intermediate care services that we have developed over recent years. We now want to make sure we have the right services for South Tyneside's future and to make sure they are effective and offer value-for-money.
Along with South of Tyne PCT, we have joint-funded a project for 18 months which will end in December 2012. This project will develop our strategy for ensuring for a systematic, comprehensive and cost effective service.
For more information see Intermediate Care Strategy project briefing[pdf - 292kb]
Dementia strategy
Dementia is a long term condition. Most people with dementia live at home with help from friends, family and some mainstream services. The different needs of people with dementia presents a challenge for health and social care in ensuring that they receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
South Tyneside Council is collaborating with its NHS and voluntary sector partners in addressing the challenge of improving services in line with the National Dementia Strategy, and of increasing demand due to an ageing population.
See the Dementia Local Action Plan[pdf - 212kb] for the what has been achieved and the plans for the future. Updates on progress with the local action plan will be available periodically. For more information see Dementia Strategy newsletter[pdf - 100kb]
This Local Action Plan is the response to the National Dementia Strategy. This was published by the Department of Health in February 2009.
