Experts Together

Information about the North Lincolnshire Experts Together and the Vulnerable Adults Strategy.

The Experts Together is a stakeholder and reference group. The membership is made up of citizen representatives and partners from all adult workforce sectors and organisations. Read the Experts Together Terms of Reference – easy read version [PDF, 728Kb]

Experts Together Pledge

North Lincolnshire Council working alongside vulnerable adults to create Experts Together Pledge  [PDF, 2Mb].

The Pledge shares how people want to be treated by professionals. A wide number of stakeholders signed up to the Pledge and want to work with people in a manner that people are happy with. People shared that they want services to:

• ASK – what do people actually want
• LISTEN – hear what people are saying
• ACT – don’t presume or make decisions for the person, action plan to be made on what the person wants

The focus points are:

Independence

• Information and advice to enable me to be independent
• Enabled to make best use of technology to keep me independent
• Enabled to live independently in my own home
• Enabled to be as independent as possible in a care home
• Be in control of the care I receive
• Enabled to be in control of my finances
• The right equipment in community buildings to enable me to access services and activities.

Health

• Enabled to maintain or regain my health
• Information and advice to enable me to be healthy
• Enabled to make the best use of technology to keep me healthy
• Activities to support my wellbeing and help me stay healthy in my community.
• Access to healthcare in my community
• Access to support groups
• Supported to maintain good mental health
• The right equipment in community healthcare to enable me to access services.

Safe

• Information and advice to enable me to be safe. This could include information about:
  • Finances
  • Relationships
  • Technology / internet
  • House security
  • Safe neighbourhood
  • Safe services / support
  • Enabled to make the best use of technology to keep me safe
  • Supported to understand and manage any risks
  • Partners work together to maintain safe systems, pathways and transitions to protect me
  • Support me to identify my outcomes as part of ‘making safeguarding personal (MSP)’.

Connected

• Information and advice, in different formats, to enable me stay connected within my community and with friends and family
• Access to accessible transport (buses, taxis, etc)
• Enabled to take part in groups and activities
• Supported to be digitally enabled
• Changing places facilities
• Good disabled access
• Accessible and inclusive activities in my community
• Access to support groups.

Plan for Life Events

• Have the information and advice I need to enable me to plan ahead
• Enabled to make the best use of technology
• Enabled to live in a home of my own
• Enabled to share and achieve my aspirations and goals
• Enabled to plan for possible future care needs, maintaining independence
• Supported to develop and maintain relationships that are important to me.
• Enabled to plan for family changes.

Learn, Volunteer or Work

• Have the information and advice I need to enable me to learn, volunteer or work
• Enabled to make the best use of technology to support me to learn, volunteer or work
• Have accessible transport to enable me t access opportunities
• Support to access and maintain learning, volunteering or work
• Learning, volunteering or work environments and people that understand how to support me.

Finance

• Have the information and advice I need to enable me to make financial decisions and understand the financial contributions / subsidy for the costs of care
• Support with budgeting to enable me to manage my own finances (including bills, tenancies)
• Information regarding my personal budget / direct payments Information and advice to enable me to self finance my care needs
• Support to enable me to apply for appropriate benefits.

Stakeholders and citizen voice groups come together quarterly for the professionals to hear both the successes and challenges people in the citizen voice groups have faced and are able to offer additional support where necessary.

Vulnerable Adults Strategy

The partnership is responsible for developing, monitoring and reviewing the Vulnerable Adults Strategy and ensures that vulnerable adults, their families and carers are at the centre of all that we do.

• Vulnerable Adults live well for longer
• Vulnerable Adults enable to be involved in community life
• Vulnerable Adults have choice and control

North Lincolnshire Adults Partnership is committed to delivering the highest quality services to the communities they serve. It focuses on the collaborative work of agencies and services, helping to secure the added value of integrated working.

Working in partnership with adult representatives, the partnership seeks to ensure improved outcomes and reduced inequalities for:

• vulnerable adults in North Lincolnshire
• their families and carers

Collaborative working ensures that our vulnerable adults (and their families and carers) are safe and supported, and that their lives are transformed.

Some examples of the collaborative work undertaken are:

The Changing Places campaign

Changes Places are toilet facilities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and physical disabilities. The partnership was made aware that more accessible facilities were needed locally. Together with local campaigners, changes have been made. This means there are now nine Changing Places available locally with plans for more in the future.

“Changing places toilet facilities mean that we as a family are able to go out, knowing that our daughter’s toileting needs will be met in a safe, humane and timely manner. And with the dignity and respect that everyone else expects and deserves. They reduce stress on us as a family, give us the freedom to spend more time out, and ultimately means that my daughter can continue to participate actively as a member of society”

Lorna Fillingham, parent and local Changing Places campaigner

Raised awareness of dementia

The council has made a commitment to promote access and develop services for people with dementia. This means that the partnership shows its support for communities in North Lincolnshire to become more dementia friendly, whilst raising awareness of the needs of people living with dementia. As part of this commitment, each organisation in the Partnership has promised to establish and support a network of Dementia Friends Champions. This process will incrementally raise awareness, enabling staff to promote dementia friendly work places, communities and environments.