Adult social care and support

Surrey's Information and Advice Strategy about care and support 2021 to 2026

Introduction

Providing the right information and advice about care and support at the right time and in the right place is a key part of our approach in Surrey.

The Care Act 2014 requires organisations working across health and care services, including voluntary community and faith networks, to pro-actively signpost people to preventative and early intervention services and the wide range of local options available to keep them independent, safe and well.

Our strategy sets out how Surrey County Council, the NHS and other providers of information and advice in Surrey will work together over the next 5 years supporting residents to be aware of, and understand how to, access information and advice about care and support to help them make informed choices and take control of their lives.

Our ambition in Surrey is that residents experience a consistent and quality information and advice service wherever they turn to, and that professionals and volunteers are knowledgeable about the most appropriate support in local communities.

Our strategy was co-designed with many partner organisations and is endorsed by the Adults Leadership Team. Surrey County Council's Prevention and Wider Determinants of Health Board has also identified the critical role that information and advice plays in delivering the priorities of the local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

We encourage all key partners in Surrey to sign up to this strategy and join with us to work together to ensure residents can access the information they need in a range of settings, at critical times in their lives and are signposted appropriately.

For further information email asc.engagement@surreycc.gov.uk

Summary of the strategy

Our refreshed priorities

We have identified 4 key priorities which are summarised below and create a focus for our planned approach:

  • Maintain an effective public information service, signposting residents to local support.
  • Commit to improving information and advice in health settings and provide greater access to community support.
  • Work with key agencies to commission and deliver quality information and effective signposting that represents value for money.
  • Deliver opportunities to increase resident self-service and self-care using digital channels to support people's wellbeing whilst managing demand on services.

Our key principles

We shall adopt and share some key principles:

  • Embedding an effective information and advice service in preventative pathways is critical to reducing demand on the local care system.
  • There is 'no wrong door' to access information and advice.
  • All agencies commit to work together to improve the local offer to residents and invest in gaps and priority areas.
  • Agencies acknowledge residents' legal right to receive good information and advice where and when they need it, particularly at key trigger points and in particular environments.
  • Agencies must review their own resources and processes in relation to accessible information provision and signposting, and training.

Our objectives

We will work in partnership to deliver the following objectives:

  • Make information and advice about care and support easier to access particularly at key points in the care pathway such as hospital discharge, GP settings, planning long term care, bereavement and in the community.
  • Support residents, carers, and their families to access information, advice, and guidance to make informed decisions about the care and support they need, whether eligible for social care or not.
  • Provide regular promotion of the local community support available to direct people to find support for themselves or others.
  • Ensure greater access to key digital skills to improve digital literacy in the community and help people self-serve.
  • Ensure that people who require more personalised support or accessible information can access this.
  • Map and review information and advice services locally with commissioners to ensure residents have good access to local services where they live.
  • Develop and deliver training for health and social care professionals to ensure a consistent quality service for residents, highlighting the benefits of information, advice, and guidance in helping people make better decisions and stay independent, safe, and well.
  • Promote healthier lifestyles and behaviours to help people stay well and independent.

Files available to download

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