The Headway Reablement service is a 12-month pilot. The service is commissioned with Headway Norfolk and Waveney to support people with an Acquired Brain Injury by offering them reablement support. It will test the benefits in supporting people prior to their Care Act Assessment.
The aim of this service is to bridge the gap between referral to NCC up to their Care Act assessment to help prevent, reduce and delay future needs. The service will be focused on reablement and maintenance of existing abilities with the aim to improve people’s wellbeing and support with increased independence.
Clients will be eligible for 6 weeks free support, either at a day centre or 1-2-1 outreach support. The aim is also to act as a pilot to look at Headway Norfolk and Waveney becoming a "Trusted Assessor" allowing Headway to deliver Care Act assessment and care plans, reducing usually lengthy wait times.
What’s the impact?
The project started in April 2023 and has taken some time to bed into both Headway Norfolk and Waveney and Norfolk County Council, however early indications have shown the project to be working and providing support for those currently waiting for Care Act assessments to meet long term support needs.
At the time of writing this, four clients have accessed the project with three more due to start shortly. Headway Norfolk and Waveney have be careful with the referrals, to make sure that they are eligible to meet Care Act funding, highlighting the knowledge of our highly trained Occupational Therapists. This has allowed us to start to build a good working relationship with Adult Social Services within Norfolk, as well as start conversations around best practice, increasing the knowledge regarding brain injury and working towards becoming a trusted assessor.
It is worth noting that only one other provider in Norfolk is a trusted assessor and this is a very new process for Norfolk County Council. Referrals are becoming more frequent and both parties are able to report and feedback to help the complicated processes to make the project run effectively.
The most successful aspect of the programme is that we have brain injury survivors accessing support much quicker which, although will require much further support past 6 weeks, allows them to start building in rehabilitation exercises into daily life, as well as get professional support via Occupational Therapists at Headway for free. We are hoping that the project will show that engagement with Headway services will lead to less supported needed from external organisations but also allowing clients to build peer support with other clients.
Although there is limited information on care act assessment waiting times (and this various between cases) we have experienced clients waiting over 6 months for an assessment, so the ability to get them 6 weeks support for free within a 2-6 weeks period is impressive.
We hope that by accessing this support, this will help provide a real positive impact on clients, and after the 6 weeks can continue if funded or wish to pay privately, whilst awaiting Adult Social Services assessment. This can also lead to Headway Norfolk & Waveney free support offers, which can be accessed beyond the 6 weeks, free of charge.
We are hopeful at the end of the project, we will be on the path to becoming trusted assessors. Norfolk County Council have been a huge advocate of this project, promoting across their network and have submitted the project as part of best practice and innovative working to the Association Directors of Adult Social Services. The fact that they have done this so early in the project highlights the relationship and commitment between both parties.
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