As part of his Time to Talk campaign, Edward Mountain MSP is pressing NHS Highland to share details of how it will enhance the provision of home care in the region.
In a letter to the Chief Executive of NHS Highland, Edward Mountain MSP welcomed that the health board was supportive of the Time to Talk campaign, which aims to:
· Combat loneliness of those receiving personal care-at-home
· Change how NHS Highland commissions care-at-home packages
· Extend care beyond purely physical needs to include wellbeing
In the letter, Edward Mountain MSP wrote:
“I was therefore pleased to read your comments, published in the Press & Journal on 23 November 2020, that “NHS Highland has been actively looking at ways to allow us to move from function-based personal care provision, based on the time we require to undertake care tasks, to a more outcomes-based approach which is flexible to changing needs.”
“It is vital that enhancing care at home provision within NHS Highland is regarded as a priority. I would therefore be very grateful if you could confirm what actions are being taken to progress NHS Highland’s transition from a ‘function-based’ to a ‘more outcomes-based approach’? I would also be very appreciative if you could set out what further steps need to take place to complete this transition and if NHS Highland has a timetable for delivery?”
The Time to Talk campaign has already won the support of two of the region’s largest care providers, Highland Home Carers Ltd and Home Care Scotland.
Edward Mountain MSP commented:
“I am delighted that NHS Highland was supportive of the Time to Talk campaign at its launch.
NHS Highland’s current commissioning model means home care is often delivered in very short time slots – sometimes only twenty minutes – which gives carers time to meet the physical health needs of their clients, but little time to talk.”
We need to see a move towards a more personable approach, where carers have more time to talk and, therefore, can help to reduce the isolation and improve the wellbeing of those they look after.
If NHS Highland are as supportive as they say they are then enhancing their commissioning model should be a top priority and work should be underway to deliver it.
Home care providers and those they care for both want to see change. NHS Highland can make that happen and I will continue to campaign until they do so.”
