Agenda item

1.

Title of Item/Report

Scrutiny Review of Reablement Service - Final Report of Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee

2.

Record of the Decision

Consideration was given to a report that presented the outcomes of the Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee’s review of Reablement Service.

‘Reablement’ is a short period of rehabilitation which usually takes place in a person’s own home.

National evidence suggested that supporting early and safe discharge from hospital into a reablement-type service delivers better outcomes for individuals when compared to longer periods of hospitalisation or immediate transfer into care at home. It was also cost-effective for health and adult social care services, both reducing pressure on bed-capacity in hospitals and the need for large packages of ongoing community or residential or nursing care. Research had continued to evidence that most people prefer to remain in their own homes and communities.

Locally, the Reablement Service provided support for people with poor physical or mental health to help them manage their illness / condition by learning or re-learning the skills necessary for daily living (so that they can remain in the community). The service sought to ensure that people can maximise their independence when they need it, this can include both ‘step-up’ care (escalation of need for people already supported to live independently) as well as ‘step-down’ (to avoid hospital admission or ensure safe discharges). It also promoted and supported people to be more independent and reduce the need for long-term service provision for as long as possible.

The offer was provided free (as mandated by the Care Act 2014) for the person receiving support for up to a maximum of six weeks. A person with ongoing care and support needs following this six weeks would be financially assessed for their ongoing contribution to their care.

There were a number of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Powering Our Future (POF) projects that link to this review; ‘Supporting People to Live Independently’ and ‘Early Intervention and Prevention’. The final report produced by the Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee would be submitted to these workstreams for their awareness.

The aim for this review was to identify whether the Reablement Service offered by SBC was:

•         maximising independence for people being discharged from hospital and living in the community.

•         reducing the need for ongoing, more intensive support in people’s own homes and

reducing the need for admission into 24-hour care.

•         working effectively with NHS provision that supports people on a reablement pathway.

•         using technology as effectively as possible.

The Committee took evidence from key personnel from within the SBC Adults, Health and Wellbeing directorate, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB), North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (NTHFT), and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector (via Catalyst). Peopletoo, commissioned by SBC to assist in assessing the impact of current ways of working and analyse the best model for continuing to support people to maximise their independence, provided feedback on its own review of local services. The Committee also issued a survey to SBC Reablement Service staff, and other approaches in relation to this scrutiny topic were considered.

RESOLVED that:-

1.       The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENC ICB):

a)       provides a summary on the gap analysis of the NHS England good practice guidance for ICBs (commissioners and providers) titled ‘Intermediate care framework for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery following hospital discharge’ (2023), along with assurance on how it and its partners will be addressing any identified issues (e.g. a self-assessment by all relevant organisations within the health and care ‘system’).

b)       more explicitly outlines the role and importance of reablement services (within the context of the overall health and care ‘system’) in future iterations of its overarching integrated care strategy.

2.       North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (NTHFT) reviews its discharge processes to ensure that eligible individuals who are ready to leave hospital are made fully aware of local reablement provision and are referred to it upon discharge from hospital.

3.       Principal links / contacts for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC), NTHFT and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in relation to local reablement provision are identified / confirmed and shared in order to improve communication between key partners.

4.       SBC and NTHFT establish required person-centred information on an individual when a referral is made into the SBC Reablement Service.

5.       Regarding the future local reablement offer, SBC:

a)       provides a summary of any differences in the findings of the Peopletoo review and reablement-related commentary from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following its late-2024 inspection of SBC adult social care services.

b)       confirms further planned changes to existing service delivery (structures, workforce) and the funding required to support this, and provides assurance on appropriate training uptake for new and existing staff.

c)       explores whether any of its existing social care workforce outside the current SBC Reablement Service structure (e.g. Community Support Workers) can be utilised to increase staffing capacity for reablement provision.

6.       SBC considers cost-effective options (and the communication of these) for individuals leaving the SBC Reablement Service to ensure a smooth transition from this initial support.

7.       To increase public understanding of the Borough’s reablement offer:

a)       SBC and its partners assure themselves that they are adhering to the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) ‘Supporting client and family engagement with reablement’ (2024) guidance, utilising this resource to

effectively raise awareness and promote the Borough’s reablement offer.

b)       SBC undertakes a joint communications campaign (repeated on a periodic basis) with NTHFT and the VCSE sector around local reablement services, making it clear what they involve, how they are accessed (including contact details), and the principal benefits.

8.       Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees be asked to consider facilitating a public survey in 2026 to establish the availability of information on the local reablement offer for those who had spent time in hospital and the experiences of those who had received support from the service.

3.

Reasons for the Decision

This topic was included on the Scrutiny Work Programme for 2024-2025 which, following a pause in April 2025, continued into the 2025-2026 municipal year. The review is now complete, and the recommendations have been endorsed by the Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee for submission to Cabinet.

4.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None

5.

Declared (Cabinet Member) Conflicts of Interest

None

6.

Details of any Dispensations

None

7.

Date and Time by which Call In must be executed

Midnight, 19 December 2025