A new public health campaign is helping people get to grips with the variety of health and social care support available to them in Liverpool.
The first phase of Liverpool city council’s Care to Know campaign was launched last year. Its focus was on publicising an online resource developed to raise the profile of adult social care and public health services. By detailing all services in one place, people were able to get a clear view of help and support, giving them the tools to stay independent for as long as possible and to improve their wellbeing. Results show that during and after the campaign there was an increase in inquiries to Careline, the council’s 24/7 contact centre, and to other public health services.
Now, the second phase has been launched, centring on films promoting two of the council’s flagship adult social care services: The Lime, a day service for people with a learning or physical disability, and Sedgemoor dementia care centre.
Joy Wyche, senior behavioural insight and change executive in the council’s public health team, explains: “We know from our initial research that people can often feel confused about social care services. They can feel that asking for help is a last resort, believing that accessing these services may in some way take away their independence.
“In fact, the opposite is often the case, and this is what we wanted to convey in the films: good quality support can make a real difference to people’s lives, and also to the lives of the people who care for them. Support can really help people to carry on being active members of their community.”
Both The Lime and Sedgemoor, previously a care home and now offering re-ablement beds as well as being a day centre for people living with dementia, are longstanding Liverpool city council services which have been fully refurbished as part of an extensive transformation project.
Each of the films showcase the innovative features of both services and through interviews with staff, service users and their carers they highlight the benefits the services have brought to their lives.
The films also offer a creative way for the council to share information and advice with the public about its services, a requirement now formally set out in the Care Act.
Care to Know is also a timely resource. Pressure has increased on social care services across the country, but in Liverpool this has been felt all the more keenly in a city riven by health inequalities and hit by some of the biggest spending cuts.
Cabinet member for adult and children’s social care and health Cllr Roz Gladden says: “If we can raise awareness of what services are available to people who have low and moderate needs then this will help them to self-manage their health and keep well now.
“But, more importantly, it will help to prevent people from needing more critical care in the future, and this is so important as Liverpool’s central government funding has been cut by 58%.”
The two main films, as well as seven shorter films, some with extended footage of the interviews featured, are all available to watch via the Care to Know website. For six weeks they are also being broadcast on local channel Bay TV.
Content on this page is produced and controlled by Liverpool city council, sponsor of the adult social care hub
