Private sector care homes and carers in Stoke-on-Trent will benefit from a new online portal to refer their clients to social care services from next month.
The streamlined service – to be launched on November 4 – will replace telephone calls, face-to-face meetings and visits.
It will enable professionals to submit online requests directly to Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Adult Social Care services without the need to call up and wait to speak to an officer .
Each referral made will go straight into the social care system for the correct department to pick up and take forward, making it a quicker and easier way to send referrals.
As well as boosting the referral process for health and social care professionals by removing the need for paperwork, it will increase information accuracy, improve and encourage collaborative working and enhance data security.
The portal is one of the first initiatives to be rolled out as part of a citywide campaign to help adults live independently for longer. It is the first in a series of roll outs, which will also see a Public Self-Assessment portal launched before the end of the year.
The campaign called Live Life to the Max, signposts residents to helpful digital technology, telecare facilities, direct payments, a bank of care professionals, the city’s network of community lounges and an app library that supports fitness, mental health and wellbeing.
It has been launched by a new strategic partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council, stakeholders in the health, social care and wellbeing sector and the private and third sectors.
Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for adult social care, said: “This portal is an important tool for professionals in the health and care sector and great news for residents too.
“It is the first in a series of online portals that will be introduced to make it easier and quicker to get people the care and support they need and emphasises a caring and kind approach to health and wellbeing.
“It is just one of the exciting initiatives that will be introduced as part of the citywide Live Life to the Max campaign, encouraging residents to take responsibility for their own wellbeing and that of their families, friends, neighbours and colleagues.”
- Read the Daily Focus story about the launch of the Live Life to the Max campaign here.
