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Leeds Neighbourhood Networks: Keeping care in the community
The cost of caring for Britain's ageing population has left councils facing a growing financial headache. However, a system launched in Leeds may offer a solution for the rest of the country to follow.
Grant Woodward looks at the quiet success story of Neighbourhood Networks
Back in 1948 when the ravages of the Second World War were still fresh in the memory and food rationing was a part of everyday life, the average life expectancy in Britain was just 66.
Today that figure has climbed steadily up to 78, with better diets and improved healthcare helping more of us to live longer.
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For the first time there are more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 18 in Britain and ours is an ageing population, with the average age now hovering around 40 compared to 37 in 1998.
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Since 1840, the highest average life expectancy has improved by a quarter of a year every year, leading experts to predict that 100-year-olds will become unexceptional within the lifetimes of people alive today.
These extended lifespans may be great news for those of us who hope to live long enough to see our great grandchildren and perhaps even our great, great grandchildren, but at the same time they pose difficult questions for society as a whole.
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Decisions over pensions, healthcare, and other social needs all enter the equation with more and more of us needing to be looked after for longer.
A national report – Under Pressure, published by the Audit Commission – warns that many local councils will struggle to cope with the financial challenge this brings.
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It says most councils don't know enough about the costs of their ageing population and warns they may also miss out on the savings that could come from preventative services and better work with other organisations.
But the report also highlighted initiatives it described as "innovative, thoughtful and cost-effective".
They include Neighbourhood Networks in Leeds, which cover 36 schemes run and used by older people with council support.
These community self-help groups operate right across the city, with schemes up and running in east, west, north east, north west and south Leeds.
They support older people and help them to stay living independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
They organise help with gardening, DIY, shopping, exercise, classes, housing and money advice.
Most involve events such as social activities, exercise classes, trips and holidays as well.
They also act as gateways to other services and provide information and advice on a wide range of topics, such as benefits and filling in forms, together with practical support with things like handyperson services, gardening, home security and transport.
Costs are kept low using volunteers, and where possible schemes share resources, skills and best practice.
The total cost to the council is nearly 2m a year.
In November 2009, 30 of the schemes estimated that they had a total of 17,950 members, and 1,362 volunteers.
The council provided funding to help with the initial set up of the networks in 1993 and, along with NHS partners, have continued to fund them on an annual basis ever since.
The schemes accept referrals from adult social care and health services, and can be accessed by any older person.
Neighbourhood Networks currently provide support to around 25,000 older people in the city. The council and its NHS partners have pledged to continue to invest in the networks and the older people they help by spending over 1.7m a year for the next five years.
An additional 360,000 has been put into the neighbourhood network budget for the next financial year.
Armley Helping Hands (AHH) was one of the very first groups to join the scheme and it has gone from strength to strength on the back of this investment.
"We offer one-to-one support, activities and other services for older people in the Armley and Wortley area," said Dawn Newsome, founder of AHH.
"With the support of Leeds adult social care and the NHS we've gone from being a small project to a well-established organisation delivering five-day-a-week services."
Initially the Neighbourhood Networks scheme gave the group funding over two years, but now the assurance of long-term cash makes it easier to secure extra funding from other sources too.
"The money comes through Neighbourhood Networks has to be matched and that means finding other funding streams," said Dawn.
"Now that we've got a guaranteed five-year contract with Neighbourhood Networks we know AHH will still be here in five years which makes it easier to secure outside funds because those bodies can see that we won't disappear in a year's time.
"It's a great model and it's the same template across the city, but because we're locally-based it means we can deliver the services people in this community really need."
Councillor Peter Harrand, executive board member with responsibility for adult social care, said councils were having to react to the challenge of people living for longer.
"Don't let anyone tell you they have the answer because no one has," he said.
"Everyone I know is old or intends to be and it is going to be difficult to pay for on the present levels of expectation. But Leeds is the best in the country when it comes to Neighbourhood Networks and I'm their biggest fan.
"It's the best solution we have found so far to look after people who want a local service run by local people who know what they are talking about.
"A lot of older people don't need someone telling them what to do, they will go and do it themselves and these schemes help them to do that.
"Neighbourhood Networks look after 25,000 people and that is massively bigger than anything we are going to be able to provide and represents extremely good value."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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