An innovative service that helps people live safely and independently in their own homes was recognised at the national 3rd Sector Care Awards in London yesterday (Wednesday 9th December).

Lincs Independent Living Partnership (LILP) was joint runner-up in the Collaboration (Integration) Award category for its role in the co-design and delivery of Lincolnshire County Council’s Wellbeing Service. The Service provides an efficient means of helping local people to live safely and independently in their own homes, preventing accidents and illness and avoiding admission/readmission to hospital and institutional care.

Four of LILP’s six specialist Lincolnshire charitable organisations are responsible for delivering the Wellbeing Service: Age UK Lincoln, Boston Mayflower, LACE Housing and Lincolnshire Home Independence Agency.

The 3rd Sector Care Awards, organised by Care Management Matters and held at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, celebrate and showcase the innovation and care excellence of the not-for-profit care and support sector. The Collaboration (Integration) Award recognises ways of delivering services collaboratively that otherwise would not have been achieved.

Mick King, Agency Director of the Lincolnshire Home Independence Agency, a lead partner for LILP in the co-design and delivery of the Wellbeing Service, said: “I am thrilled that LILP has been recognised in the national 3rd Sector Care Awards.

“The award represents a national endorsement of LILP and the Wellbeing Service – a prime example of third-sector innovation which can bring huge savings to the public purse while enhancing and even prolonging people’s lives.”

The news coincides with Lincolnshire County Council extending LILP’s contract to deliver the Wellbeing Service until April 2017, plus a glowing independent report of the Wellbeing Service by Rose Regeneration, an economic development business.

The Rose Regeneration report, which assessed the Wellbeing Service’s first year of operation from April 2014 to April 2015, concluded that the service is performing well and making a life-changing contribution to 4,442 people, including 3,706 who would not have been supported in any significant way without it.

The report also highlights how the Wellbeing Service has reduced the number of people needing acute health and wellbeing support. While the preventative impact is difficult to quantify, the report highlights that there are 60 instances where ambulance call outs and A&E attendance have been avoided – at a cost of £349 per call out, this alone represents a saving of £20,940.

The Wellbeing Service was recently acclaimed by Foundations with a ‘Better Together’ Award for Integrated Service Delivery at the National Home Improvement Agency (HIA) and Handyperson Services Awards.

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Wellbeing Service was commenced by the Lincs Independent Living Partnership (LILP) on 1st April 2014 and was commissioned by Lincolnshire County Council. The Wellbeing Service covers five of the seven districts in the county, excluding East Lindsey and North Kesteven where similar services are available via those district councils.
• Lincs Independent Living Partnership (LILP) is a consortium of six established and specialist local charitable organisations (Age UK Lincoln*, Boston Mayflower*, LACE Housing*, Lincolnshire Carers and Young Carers Partnership, Lincolnshire Home Independence Agency*, and St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice) which can together deliver a comprehensive range of high-quality, integrated services relating to the broad areas of health, care and housing – and help Lincolnshire’s residents to live safely and independently at home. The Wellbeing Service is delivered by four of the LILP partners (*).
• The collaboration enables LILP to pool knowledge, expertise and resources in order to respond quickly, effectively and efficiently to the needs of commissioners. LILP offers solutions which are uniquely flexible, cost effective, customer friendly and focused on the promotion of overall wellbeing and independence.
• LILP was the first consortium of local charitable organisations nationally to offer integrated, efficient, cost-effective and user-friendly services to commissioners of health, housing and social care services.

For media information please contact:
Jonny Hall
Shooting Star
01522 528540
jonny@weareshootingstar.co.uk
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