Launching our Maximising Independence (MI) video recently gave us the opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come on the journey towards embedding the approach within Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and when working with our partners.  

The MI approach is now embedded within our Strategic Plan as the core way of working for all of us in the HSCP across everything we do, rather than a standalone project or initiative. MI is our strategic change programme, and we can only realise its benefits by working in partnership with local community and third sector organisations.

MI means supporting people, who can and want to, to remain living at home safely for as long as possible with the right support in place for them, and for their carers if they have them. This doesn’t mean living without any support at all – it’s about living as independent a life as you can, making choices about the things that matter to you and to live as full a life as possible, with support when you need it.

We want Glasgow citizens to have strong and reliable health and social care not just now, but for future generations too. So, we’ve been listening, talking with and collaborating with our partners to build a sustainable way of supporting people, so that everyone can achieve their full potential for health, wellbeing and independence.

While MI is our overarching strategy, it’s built on a number of key approaches to the way we work with the people we support.

These include having a strengths-based practice and trauma informed approach, recognising people’s strengths, abilities and assets to help identify the areas where they need support, and always being aware of how previous and current traumas can affect how we achieve this to support people well. Work is underway to train and increase the capability of our workforce as we move to embed trauma informed and strengths-based practice approaches across our organisation.

The MI approach can be seen in practice across a number of projects, and as the video showed, it’s beginning to make a difference to people across the city.

You can see a full list of the MI projects, and a few are highlighted below:

•    our Helpful Hints With Home Technology drop-in sessions aim to help people use technology as one of the supports to live independently at home wherever possible. The project team is running a series of informal drop-in sessions for anyone who wants to learn more about what technical devices are available to help people to stay connected while living independently at home, and how to use them.
The drop ins are available for anyone who would like free, friendly face-to-face help and advice with everyday home technology for themselves or a family member.
Some of the most popular topics include how to get onto the internet to stay in touch with friends and family; make appointments; use smart phones, tablets and speakers, smart plugs and bulbs; pay bills or join in with things that interest you. The team has also helped with questions and support around doorbell cameras and technology devices that help people stay safe while living independently at home.

•    around 25 community groups came together recently for the initial information event  on MI’s community hubs project. The event brought together representatives from community and third sector organisations, Glasgow Life and our HSCP to discuss options and opportunities for developing the concept of community health and wellbeing networks across the city. Our ambition is to work in partnership across the city to develop our community health and wellbeing models as a ‘test of change’ pilot that will potentially include the hub in Parkhead later this year.

These community hubs would be linked to existing health and care centres to provide places where people could get access a range of health and wellbeing resources and meet others locally, with the aim of supporting people early to prevent more serious health conditions later on.

We plan to work with community organisations who are already providing valuable local services and who are keen to share ideas, develop relationships and opportunities to develop their services in partnership with other organisations across the city. The partnership approach recognises that experience of providing services within communities, and by those owned and delivered by community resources, can often be more effective in meeting the needs of the population than traditional health and social care services.

A number of gaps and opportunities were identified at the information event as a potential range of services that the hubs could offer. We’ll be developing these in partnership over the coming months, but as an example, themes included:

• getting information about what’s available in your community 
• sharing resources and information with others in the community  
• welfare and benefits information 
• food, nutrition and wellbeing 
• using technology at home to help health and wellbeing 
• managing long term health conditions and frailty 
• combatting social isolation and loneliness 
• crisis prevention
• respite and carer support
• mental health and recovery

•    we’ve been engaging with local communities in Haghill and Carntyne in the east end of the city, following an extensive engagement process by Glasgow Council for Voluntary Services (GCVS) and our HSCP.

Following an initial engagement with the Northeast Voluntary Sector Network to help link with colleagues and organisations active in the area, PEEK Possibilities for Each Kid Ltd, Horizon Housing, Halliday Foundation and Bluevale Community Club were funded to undertake the local engagement work.

The aim is to understand what local people need to help them to stay well, what their health and care needs are and how any future investment in communities can help people live independently and as happily as possible.

An important feature of the project is contacting people unknown to existing groups who may face barriers not of their making, stopping them from taking part in existing provisions. A final report will be shared with the recent Maximising Independence Project Delivery Board and the next steps agreed.

You can keep up to date with the latest news on Maximising Independence by signing up for our HSCP’s MI newsletter.

As ever, we’d be very pleased to hear your comments and questions at MaximisingIPT@glasgow.gov.uk.