We provide a wide range of social care services in the community, in hospitals, and at home, to a range of adults including those with physical disabilities, mental health needs, sensory needs, and older people.

What is Healthcare?

A healthcare need is related to the treatment, control, or prevention of a disease, illness, injury, or disability; and the care or aftercare of a person with these needs.

Healthcare focuses on providing medical care to individuals and communities. The healthcare system can be classified into three different sectors:

  • Hospital care, which covers a complete range of medical specialities and long-stay care, implemented during psychiatric care, and prolonged nursing care.
  • Primary care, refers to basic medical treatments and non-hospital care including family practitioners (GPs), home nursing, therapies, dentistry, optics, and pharmacy.
  • Public health, deals with preventive medicine and certain areas not associated with traditional health services such as housing, water supplies, sewage, and food hygiene.

 

What is Social Care?

Social care deals with the daily activities of living which not only include feeding and basic hygiene maintenance, and also involves maintaining a person's independence, promoting social interaction, protection from vulnerable circumstances, and coping with complex relationships.

Social care involvement starts with a strengths-based assessment. Depending on your care needs, outcomes, and goals you wish to achieve, you may be offered a range of support:

  • What is Social Caresignposting to other services and information
  • guided self-help
  • telephone support
  • face-to-face support
  • community support
  • day centre access
  • equipment to enhance your independence
  • home care
  • residential care
  • recognition of carers and carer support
  • safeguarding adults and children

 

Who provides Social Care Services within the Trust?

Social care is provided by a range of professionals including, but not limited to:

  • Social Workers
  • Social Care Assessors
  • Navigators
  • Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs)

Social Work apprentices and students are also valued members of our Social Care workforce.

 

Social workers with young womanAdult Mental Health Social Care teams in Staffordshire support adults of working age with care and support needs that arise from their mental health. The teams work in an integrated way with the Community Mental Health Teams.

Social Workers take a lead role with individuals who are identified as having complex, high risk or long term support needs, and who require a Social Work assessment under the Care Act 2014, and also for those who are Section 117 entitled as a result of being detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Social Workers will carry out a strengths-based assessment of anyone who appears to require care and support, regardless of their likely eligibility for state-funded care, where the appearance of need arises from a mental illness.

Mental Health Social Workers within our Trust, pride themselves in working with a person, as opposed to doing for or to that person. They promote social justice, empowering others, and focus on people's strengths. The focus of the assessment is on the person's needs, how those needs impact on their daily wellbeing, and the outcomes they want to achieve. This approach is known as 'care co-ordination' meaning care is managed by one person who is identified as a 'keyworker'.

Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) hold responsibility for undertaking 'a range of functions' under the Mental Health Act, which lays down the legal framework in which people can be compulsorily admitted and detained in psychiatric hospitals and AMHPs play a key role in this. AMHPs have to undergo specialist training, and have an in-depth knowledge of law, not just of mental health legislation, but other legislation such as the Mental Capacity Act and the Human Rights Act.

Approved Mental Health Professionals ensure that:

  • the rights of someone being assessed under the Mental Health Act are protected
  • they consider all requests for Mental Health Act assessments
  • they arrange and co-ordinate assessments which could result in formal admission (i.e. under 'section')
  • the patient's nearest relative and carers are involved and supported, including referral or signposting to carers services

 

Contact the Adult Social Care Pathway by email socialcarepathway@mpft.nhs.uk

 

Mental Health Personalisation and Social Inclusion

Mother and daughter sitting with social workerThe Personalisation and Social Inclusion Team operates across Staffordshire and works in conjunction with Social Workers inline with the Social Care Pathway and is informed by the Care Act (2014).

The service is delivered in accordance with the principles of:

  • Recovery
  • Social Inclusion
  • Five Ways to Wellbeing

The service seeks to empower individuals to take control of their lives by:

  • putting them at the centre of everything we do
  • recognising the rights of all individuals to gain access to:
    • valued roles
    • relationships
    • activities and facilities within their local community.

 

What does the service offer?

It offers you support to build on your strengths, build your resilience and skills, and develop your interests. We can help you to make the best use of your social networks and local community.

 

What happens after being referred to the service?

You will be supported by a member of the team who will enable you to achieve your personal aims and aspirations. They will encourage you to take control of your mental and physical wellbeing by increasing your knowledge, confidence, and independence. A strengths-based assessment will be completed. With our support you will create a Personal Development Plan and set achievable goals. These will be reviewed and updated with you regularly.

We can provide you with information, advice and guidance, assist you to navigate Social Care, health, and other support services, and support you to connect and maintain connection with your community.

 

Contact Us

North and West Staffordshire: 0300 303 3457

East Staffordshire: 0300 303 3452

Service Manager: david.bradbury@mpft.nhs.uk

Social worker with old disabled man in wheelchairOur Social Care staff are based within teams working alongside Community Nursing and Allied Health Professional staff, providing assessment, care and support, safeguarding, and rehabilitative service for individuals across Staffordshire. Staff are also based within hospital settings to support discharge, both from hospital to rehabilitation, and from rehabilitation to home.

With the aim of improving wellbeing, developing individual strengths, and optimising independence alongside the support provided to carers, we facilitate a variety of support mechanisms including:

  • information and advice
  • referral to other statutory, voluntary and third sector organisations
  • carers support
  • assistive technology
  • direct payments
  • domiciliary support
  • residential and nursing accommodation

Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our older people and physically disabled citizens is a core function within all teams.

Similarly, supporting individuals during End of Life Care, and again working in partnership alongside a wide array of professionals, we undertake a vital role facilitating access to assessment and support services such as:

  • continuing health care provision
  • palliative care nursing
  • carer support
  • domiciliary care provision

 

Contact Us

For all new referrals:

 

For adults already known to the Adult Social Care Team:

Stafford
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Cannock
South Staffordshire & Seisdon
Lichfield
Tamworth
East Staffordshire
Staffordshire Moorlands

Cheerful woman wavingThe Sensory Team offer specialist information, advice, guidance, and support to people who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deafened, or Deaf-blind, and people who have a visual impairment.

We aim to help people stay independent, and to make everyday tasks easier and safer in the home, and in the wider community. The service covers the whole of Staffordshire.

Further information can be found on our specialist Sensory Team page.

Service Leaflets and Information

Social Care Contact Details

During normal working hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00) we have a dedicated phone number and email address for all adult social care services:

 

Outside of these normal office hours:

  • Telephone: 0345 604 2886
  • Mobile (for SMS / text only): 07773 792016

 

If you are in need of urgent help, please visit out Urgent Help page.