Social care in Liverpool is ‘excellent’

ADULT social care in Liverpool has been graded ‘excellent’ by independent inspectors.  In a glowing new report, the Care Quality Commission heaps praise on the “highly effective leadership” and “ambitious vision”.  It concludes that the council is performing “strongly” in providing services “that enable people to improve and manage their own health and wellbeing”.

The council has been scored as ‘excellent’ in 4 out of 7 judgment areas, while in three others it is graded as performing ‘well’.

Council leader Warren Bradley said:- “Over the last few years, adult social care has been completely transformed in Liverpool and this report reflects the incredible progress that has been made.  I am absolutely thrilled with this outstanding report, which puts us alongside the best in the country.  Our residents deserve the very best services – and that is exactly what we are giving them.”

Councillor Ron Gould, executive member for health, care and safeguarding, said:- “This report endorses the huge amount of hard work that has gone into placing the people who receive services right at the heart of everything we do.  Instead of imposing services on people, we now give them a choice and allow them to decide what they want and how they get it.  We have also developed a strong partnership with Liverpool Primary Care Trust which is enabling us to avoid duplication and confusion and make sure we make the most of our money.”

The local authority has received a grade of excellent for:-

Improved quality of life – Providing a good range of preventative services such as installing Telecare equipment in 900 homes, reducing waiting times for major adaptations, providing more support for carers and improving mental health services, home care and day services

Making a positive contribution – Giving people the opportunity to contribute to the design, delivery and evaluation of services such as the recent community services grants; involving people in comprehensive consultation and allowing local people to lead community initiatives

Freedom from discrimination and harassment – Ongoing effective engagement with hard to reach groups, having a strong corporate commitment to equality and diversity and reducing crime and improving community safety

Economic well being – The work of the Benefits Maximisation Team to help people claim money they are entitled to, providing financial advice to people who fund their own care and helping people find work

The council has been graded as performing well in the areas of:-

Improved health and well-being – Introducing a free over 60s Lifestyles leisure pass, reducing alcohol related admissions to hospital and delayed discharges from hospital

Increased choice and control – Getting over 1,000 people to sign up to manage their own social care budgets, increasing support for vulnerable groups and improving the procedure to deal with complaints

Maintaining personal dignity and respect – Strengthening adult safeguarding through the creation of a new unit and supporting front line staff and involving people in decisions about their care

Stuart Smith, executive director for children, family and adult services, said:- “I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those who work in our care services, who are absolutely key to this fantastic report.  Every day they go above and beyond the call of duty helping improve life for our most vulnerable residents, and this report is a reflection of their hard work.”

One of the reasons for the improved grading is the massive increase in the number of people who are now have able to improve and manage their own health and wellbeing. More than 1,000 residents now receive direct payments, enabling them to spend their social care budget as they wish.

Among them is Craig Lundberg, aged 24, who lost his sight 2 years ago. He uses his direct payments to employ a personal assistant (PA) to help him with his busy life running a property business and playing for the England blind national football team (see case study below).

Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of Liverpool PCT said:- “This is a wonderful achievement for Liverpool City Council and we would like to extend our congratulations to them.  Last month Liverpool Primary Care Trust and Liverpool City Council set out its intentions to work more closely together by signing a ground breaking agreement for the introduction of a new Integrated Adult and Commissioning and Personalised Care Unit.  I am confident that this agreement will not only ensure improved commissioning across health and social care but will also mean a much better quality of life for all vulnerable adults in Liverpool and this ranking will be the first of many for adult social care in the city.”

The Care Quality Commission report also highlights areas to work on, including developing an integrated approach to service delivery; providing a wide range of volunteering opportunities for residents and ensuring the timely completion of safeguarding cases.

An example  of this can be seen when looking at Craig Lundberg, 24, who lost his sight in 2007 whilst serving in Basra.  He was with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment on his 2nd tour of duty. Craig was referred to social services by the welfare officer at St Dunstan’s, the charity for visually impaired and blind ex-servicemen and women. He is one of more than 1,000 people in Liverpool who have chosen to be on direct payments for their social care.

Previously, he would have been offered fixed services such as going to a day centre or having a carer pop round to cook meals for him. Now, because the city council builds services around the needs of individuals, he is able to use direct payments to employ a personal assistant, who helps him with his busy life. This includes running a property business, playing football for the England blind national football squad and recently climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for Help for Heroes.

Craig said:- “The social worker who assessed me offered me the choice of direct payments, and they have given me back my independence. It has taken the pressure off my girlfriend and family in day-to-day activities by using my allocated hours when I need them.  It takes the frustration and pressure away from me knowing there is someone there to assist me with day-to-day activities such as keeping on top of my bills, dealing with paperwork, driving me to appointments, and meeting people - basically being my eyes.”

Makeover for Huyton Station

HUYTON Station is set to benefit from better passenger facilities, as part of a £880,000 refurbishment scheme jointly funded by Merseytravel and the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP).

With work due to start on site in early 2010, Huyton Station will receive a range of improvements that will directly benefit passengers and have a lasting effect on the quality of the station.  The planned works include a new canopy on the Liverpool-bound platform, a new waiting shelter on the Wigan-bound platform and a new DDA compliant toilet.  Improvements will also include modernisation of the outdated subway, better lighting, state-of-the-art CCTV and new seating areas.

Knowsley Councillor and Member of Merseytravel’s Integrated Transport Authority (ITA), Councillor Ken McGlashan, said:-  “This investment goes a long way to bringing the station up to date, providing the thousands of passengers who use it every week with new and improved facilities.”

Knowsley Councillor Tommy Fearns is also a Member of the ITA. He said:- “Huyton Station is a gateway and we want to make sure it reflects all that is good about the area. We want to help make passengers’ journeys more pleasant and this is another example of how partnership working can reap huge benefits for our customers.”

The scheme is 1 of 7 on the Merseyrail Network to receive funding through the NSIP.  Other stations benefitting are Liverpool Central, Hall Road, Hooton, Meols, Rock Ferry and Waterloo.

The National Stations Improvement Programme is a joint industry initiative funded primarily by the Department for Transport. It was introduced in 2007 as part of the Rail White Paper.  Earlier this year, Ormskirk station was the 1st station in the country to benefit from NSIP with an investment of £500,000, plus £200,000 from Merseytravel, as part of an overall £1.6m refurbishment programme.

GREATEST COMMENTATORS

THE legendary Murray Walker has been voted the Greatest Commentator of all time, according to a new survey of 8,879 people.  Famous for his boyish enthusiasm and commentating voice, Walker became known for his on-air gaffes – affectionately called 'Murrayisms' – which include, 'With half the race gone, there's half the race still to go' and 'here comes Damon Hill in the Williams. This car is absolutely unique - except for the one following it, which is identical'.

Walker has been broadcasting since 1948 and much of his career was spent working for the BBC.  His Formula 1 commentary began in the 1970’s and continued until his retirement in 2001 – Walker’s last race was the United States Grand Prix which took place in Indianapolis.  Walker did break from retirement this year to present for the BBC Sports website, and also provide his excitable commentary style to the loveable children’s programme, Roary the Racing Car, which debuts on air at 7:30am on 10 December on Five’s Milkshake!.  It also stars his good friend, Sir Stirling Moss as the narrator, and Peter Kay as Big Chris – who recently featured in the chart topper BBC Children in Need single, “The Animated All Star Band”.

Greg Lynn, Executive Producer on the hit show comments:-“Murray has such a distinctive and recognizable voice and his Murrayisms are classic.  If his involvement in Roary the Racing Car is anything to go by, I’m not surprised he was voted the World’s Best Commentator of all time – his performance with Peter Kay in the two new episodes are hilarious.  At 86, Murray Walker is still going strong!”

BBC Sports voice of football John Motson is voted the 2nd best commentator of all time.  After serving for over 35 years, the veteran decided he should retire from live TV before being labeled as ‘past it’.  Motson has covered 9 European Championships, 9 World Cups and 34 FA Cup finals since his first appearing on Match of the Day in 1971, and the footballing expert, also known as ‘Motty’, still appears on the programme and Radio Five Live.

In 3rd place comes former World tennis champion John McEnroe.  Famed for his ‘You cannot be serious!’ catchphrase, and for racking up 7 Grand Slam titles, the player finally retired from the professional tour in 1992 and went on to commentate on tennis.

Retired BBC horse racing commentator Peter O’Sullevan takes 4th place in the poll. The ‘voice of racing’ was the first sports broadcaster to be knighted by the Queen and is also a successful racehorse owner.  5th place goes to the celebrated Brian Moore who died at the age of 69 in 2001. The football broadcaster is fondly remembered by fans as a fantastic big match commentator.

Murray Walker comments on the survey findings:- “It is a huge honour to be recognised as the World’s best commentator, particularly against so many sporting greats!  I love what I do, I’m a car fanatic and each morning I wake up with a smile on my face, whether I’m commentating on the Formula One or at Silver Hatch racetrack in Roary the Racing Car.”

Commentators Martin Brundle, Sid Waddell, David Coleman, Bill McLaren and Richie Benaud complete the top 10.

TOP 15 GREATEST COMMENTATORS OF ALL TIME

1. Murray Walker (Formula 1 motor racing)
2. John Motson (football)
3. John McEnroe (tennis)
4. Peter O’Sullevan (horse racing)
5. Brian Moore (football)
6. Martin Brundle (Formula 1 motor racing)
7. Sid Waddell (darts)
8. David Coleman (football, athletics)
9. Bill McLaren (rugby)
10. Richie Benaud (cricket)
11. Dan Maskell (tennis)
12. Harry Carpenter (boxing)
13. Barry Davies (football, tennis)
14. Peter Alliss (golf)
15. Stuart Hall (football)