Team of the Year, Adult Services

The number of delays in patients being discharged from hospital is never far from the headlines these days, and in 2017 Shropshire Council – a middle performing authority at the time – was told to improve its figures by 60% – or risk not receiving extra funding.

The Shropshire Integrated Community Services team rose to the challenge and by putting in place some innovative ways of working, managed to exceed the target. They achieved a 75% improvement by September 2017, and a 97% reduction in delayed transfers of care between May 2017 and May 2018 – some of the best figures the county has ever seen.

The team’s success is due largely to their “home first” ethos – they are committed to working compassionately with the people they support to maximise their strengths and enable them to return home safely and maintain their independence, wherever possible.

This approach is clearly valued by the people on the receiving end, with one service user, who was supported to return home after a hospital admission for chronic lung disease, putting it quite simply: “For this team, it’s not just a job…it’s about people like me being able to work with someone who is always ready to listen and respond.”