Over the last few months, Community Catalysts has been working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, their coproduction group Our Voice and local people and communities to have a Big Conversation about social care. The work was supported by Social Care Future and recorded by New Possibilities.
We wanted it to feel like a genuine conversation, not just a tick-box exercise
Ed Lowe (Chair, Our Voice Co-production Group)
Nottinghamshire County Council know that everyone’s social care experience is different, and the system can feel complicated. They have adopted the Social Care Future vision and wanted this Big Conversation to help inform a rewrite of their Adult Social Care Strategy to show how social care in Nottinghamshire will change in future.
From 20 February to 22 March 2023, Community Catalysts, together with Our Voice and lots of local partners found ways to talk to local people with experience of social care. Together we ran 8 community events, held 11 meetings and developed 2 online surveys for people who couldn’t engage in person. We asked people who use social care and their carers about the vision, the challenges, and what they want in the future.
We heard from 542 people. People shared their experiences and ideas, their thanks and discontent, their hopes and dreams for the future. People were open and honest and trusted the process might help towards a better social care future. Despite many positives, it can’t always have been an easy listen for the Council but listen they did – and for that we applaud them.
Today, the resulting report has been published along with a strong commitment from Nottinghamshire County Council to act on the results. For us, the whole process has been a shining example of what happens when the public sector and…the public really come together. It has been a proper partnership – joyful and messy and blinking hard work – we have loved it! And we will love even more watching a new and better social care future emerge in Nottinghamshire.
We listened to people’s positive and negative experiences and learned a lot. We are committed to using the report to drive continuous improvement and create a social care system in Nottinghamshire where we value, support, and enable people.
Melanie Williams (Corporate Director, Adult Social Care and Health)
If you want to learn more about the approach Nottinghamshire County Council are taking contact workingtogether@nottscc.gov.uk.
If you are interested in Community Catalysts supporting a Big Conversation in your area contact info@communitycatalysts.co.uk