Uncertain future for 'at home' dementia service ran by Northamptonshire County Council

A consultation is set to be held over the future of an '˜at home' dementia service run by Northamptonshire County Council.
The county council says the at home dementia service is being underutilisedThe county council says the at home dementia service is being underutilised
The county council says the at home dementia service is being underutilised

The consultation will ask whether the service should continue to be provided in-house by Northamptonshire Adult Social Services, or whether the customers should receive these services from other providers.

Cabinet agreed to the consultation on Tuesday, after a report on the service said: “The service has a maximum capacity to support 90 customers and currently is supporting 35, so is currently significantly underutilised.

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“While we can redeploy these staff to support other services in the short term, a longer-term decision is required, particularly as there are other services and challenges where staff could be deployed to drive efficiencies and better outcomes.”

The specialist dementia domiciliary care service has been part of the in-house service for a decade, and is provided by Olympus Care Services. It supports customers with personal care, medication management and attending medical appointments.

The authority says that it is being underutilised as ‘there are now more providers who deal with a range of care and who may be able to deliver care more cost-effectively".

The report adds: “This presents potential alternative options about who delivers dementia domiciliary care support to the current customers of the service and in future and the cost that the service pays for this care.

“It also provides an opportunity to consider how existing staff might be better deployed to greater effect in some of our most challenging areas of cost and need.”