Connecting Care Service of the Month - September

My name is Mohammed Hussain and I am the Connecting Care service manager. I have worked within the organisation across different services for more than 10 years and feel it is the ideal place to work, to provide the best support for clients in all areas of their lives. 

Our team of Community Caseworkers work across the district in both Connecting Care Hubs, which are based at Waterton Hub in Wakefield and Bullenshaw Hub in Hemsworth.

Within these hubs, Age UK Wakefield District work alongside NHS and local authority services, together with other voluntary sector organisations such as the Alzheimer’s Society and Carers Wakefield.

The service responds to practical, emotional, social and financial issues and works with other integrated care services to ensure our clients receive a holistic assessment and person centred package of support. Our main aim is to help people remain independent for longer, whilst receiving health and social care in their own home and to always make life for the over 50s in the Wakefield District, a positive and, wherever possible, an enjoyable experience.

We help anyone aged over 50, living in the Wakefield District and/or who is registered with a Wakefield GP. Below are some of the types of support we provide:

• Help with benefit forms and appeals
• Blue badge applications
• Falls assessments
• Support with housing issues
• Aids and Adaptations
• Help arranging domestic and personal care

We also respond to urgent cases, providing visits within 24 hours for people without access to heating or food.

Our Community Case Workers have recently been awarded the Quality of Advice Standard (QAS) certificate after passing all the required assessments by the national Age UK charity.

The Age UK Quality of Advice Standard (QAS) shows that we offer a quality assured service. It demonstrates our commitment to providing consistent, relevant and effective advice; to customer care, and that our service has clear and relevant procedures in place to manage the delivery of good quality information and advice to clients.

The impact of our Connecting Care service provision has allowed us to meet demand from service users for welfare benefit uptake and has secured  benefit uptake £3.2 Million of additional benefit income into service user households in 2023-24. This achievement has helped meet pressures on older people facing increased costs of living around fuel bills, food and care support at home as the majority of case work is focused on disability benefits associated with chronic ill health and multiple long-term conditions.

Falls Assessments

A fall can be a marker for various conditions (onset of frailty, new or worsening health condition) triggering a possible downward decline in independence and affect quality of life. Approximately 200 to 300 falls attend the emergency department currently per week. Falls can be prevented and managed by organisations working in partnership.

Our Community Case workers are able to carry out Falls Assessments to identify falls prevention strategies and to create the most appropriate action plan. Such actions from these assessments would be:

• Providing a walking stick and demonstrating how to use it safely without causing further injury
• A referral to the My Therapy service within the Connecting Care hub to assist with a in depth Physiotherapist falls assessment
• A referral to the GP to carry out further health investigations

Our role is very rewarding as we see how the support we offer can improve client’s circumstances and help them have a more positive outlook on life. This may be our teams helping to maximise their income, referring them for aids around the home to increase their independence and sometimes just having a chat with people, to let them know how we can help if they need us in future.

Service User Feedback

“It's a brilliant service all round. Selim did an excellent job - he did everything he could possibly do - and he regularly checked back.”

“Everybody I've spoken to has been very good.”

“I want to say how marvellous you are, how you have listened to and offered empathy. I think you are wonderful and a credit to Age UK Wakefild District”

"My wife and I would definitely recommend the service. You were perfect and I cannot recommend you highly enough. We will be using you the next time we need some forms filling in. You're all wonderful. Thank you!"

Everything was done. Shelly was only at the end of the phone. She was brilliant - lovely. She was understanding with my dad who has dementia."

Staff Feedback

“I enjoy accomplishing what I set out to achieve as it makes the role seem very worthwhile, especially when people don’t know they are entitled to what we are claiming”

 “I enjoy giving information and advice to service users which contributes to making a big difference to their daily lives”