There is a growing desire across care and health to develop more efficient and person-focused services that are fit for the modern age in which we live. However, the reality is that for many people, navigating or receiving support with care and health needs can be extremely complex with processes and services often designed around the needs of organisations – not the people who are using them. The services we provide to people should be based around their needs so that the advice we give, and the support that is provided serves to assist people during what can often be difficult and traumatic times.
Service design is about working with users to deliver better services. A growing number of public and private sector organisations are using this user-led approach to rethink how services are shaped and delivered.
Through this support offer we aimed to support local councils to design and deliver better care and health services – providing them and their partners with the expertise and practical support to assist in this service design.
See how design thinking is being used in practice to develop people-centred care and health services in the case studies below.
We partnered with service design agency Snook to support 10 councils to use design thinking to redesign adult social care services around three key themes.
This programme encouraged teams to approach the problem they are trying to address differently and ensure that solutions are both practical and user-focused.
This took the form of four interactive and practical training sessions in London between the start of October 2018 and end of April 2019. In between sessions, councils apply the learning in practice to the problem they have identified and are supported by three on-site visits by the LGA and Snook.
The themes for this year’s programme are:
Theme 1: I have the information I need to help me stay independent within my home and community (early intervention and prevention)
Theme 2: The people and organisations helping me are joined up around my needs (integrated care and/or hospital discharge)
Theme 3: The care I receive values me and enables me to do the things I want to do (long-term care and support)
We are supporting 10 councils in 2018/19 to use design thinking to redesign adult social care and health services around three key themes.
Theme 1: I have the information I need to help me stay independent at home and within my community (early intervention and prevention)
Suffolk County Council
Problem statement: How might we enable people with current and future care needs (and their communities) to support themselves and each other?
Suffolk discovery report
Suffolk - final report
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Problem statement: How might we improve people’s experiences of accessing information and advice through multiple different access points?
Southend discovery report
Southend - final report
London Borough of Lewisham
Problem statement: How might we better prepare people to make decisions about their life and support after leaving hospital?
Lewisham discovery report
Lewisham - final report
Buckinghamshire County Council
Problem statement: How might we help people in their 50s / 60s access services and information that can help improve their health and wellbeing?
Buckinghamshire discovery report
Buckinghamshire - final report
Theme 2: The people and organisations helping me are joined up around my needs (integrated care and/or hospital discharge)
Birmingham City Council
Problem statement: How can we help young people to achieve their goals as they move into adulthood?
Birmingham - final report
London Borough of Lambeth
Problem statement: How might we offer joined up care at home that empowers people to feel in control of their life?
Lambeth discovery report
Lambeth - final report
Newcastle City Council
Problem statement: How might we help people with moderate to severe frailty to receive joined up care that supports them to live at home?
Newcastle discovery report
Newcastle - final report
Theme 3: The care I receive values me and enables me to do the things I want to do (long-term care and support needs).
Halton Borough Council
Problem statement: How might we improve people’s experiences of receiving equipment at home?
Halton - final report
London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
Problem statement: How might we improve people’s experiences of and involvement in the planning of their life with care?
Barking & Dagenham discovery report
Barking and Dagenham - final report
Leeds City Council
Problem statement: How might we help people living with mild frailty to manage and have more control over their health and wellbeing?
Leeds discovery report
Leeds - final report
