Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHP) Team

We help identify alternatives to compulsory admissions under the Mental Health Act; working across local services and partners to support people and their families during this time of crisis, for the right support at the right time. If required we can make court applications for the safety of the person or the public to detain someone for hospital assessment and/ or treatment.

Roles in this team include:

• AMHP Business Support Officer

• Approved Mental Health Trainee

• Approved Mental Health professionals (Nurses, Occupational Therapist and Social Workers)

• Approved Mental Health Manager

Technology Enabled Care Team (TECS)

We provide monitored electronic equipment to help people gain urgent response from their chosen responder. The equipment can pick up when a person has fallen and/or can be worn by the person and pressed when they need urgent help. 

Responders can be a family member, friend, neighbour or an urgent response team (such as the falls team); dependent on why the person has chosen technology enabled care, and whether the responder requires specific skills to help the urgent need(s) of the person.

Roles in this team include:

• Telecare Advisor & Senior Telecare Advisor

Occupational Therapy

We enable people to maximise their potential and functional ability, to carry out usual activities of daily living, and wherever possible to remain living within their own home environment. By working with a person, assessing how they currently manage we can provide equipment, assistive technology, or home adaptations to enable independence and safety.

Roles in this team include:

• Business Support Officers
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Occupational Therapy Trainees
• Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists; Experienced Occupational Therapists; Occupational Therapists Senior Practitioners
• Deputy Manager Occupational Therapist
• Team Manager Occupational Therapist

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team

We ensure that people who cannot consent to their care arrangements in their own home or a care home are protected if those arrangements deprive them of their liberty. Arrangements are assessed to check whether they are lawful, necessary and in the person’s best interest.

Roles in this team include:

• DoLS Coordinator

• Best Interest Assessor Trainees

• Best Interest Assessors (Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers)

Care Act Assessment & Support Team (CAAsT)

Working closely with the Hospital Liaison Team and other adult social care teams, we provide timely preventative interventions in promoting independence and preventing hospital admission or re-admission.

Roles in this team include:

• Business Support Officers
• Urgent Care Coordinators
• Social Care Assessors and Senior Social Care Assessors
• Social Work Trainees
• Newly Qualitied Social Workers; Experienced Social Workers and Social Worker Senior Practitioners
• Social Worker Deputy Manager
• Social Worker Team Manager

Hospital Liaison Team (Integrated Discharge)

We work from Herefordshire County Hospital and Community Hospitals in market towns of Bromyard, Ledbury and Leominster, with health colleagues to plan timely and appropriate discharges that seek to maximise a person’s potential to return home either with or without support.

Roles in this team include:

• Social Care Assessors
• Senior Social Care Assessors
• Social Worker Senior Practitioner

Advice and Referral Team (ART)

Working closely with Hospital Liaison Team and the Care Act Assessment Team, we support adults not already known to adult social care, with advice and support to access the right services at the right time. We have a breadth of Herefordshire knowledge and can connect you to community services, professional partners, and we can make appointments for you to see an assessor in our locality teams and specialist occupational therapy team (Independent Living Service).

Roles in this team include:

• Customer Service Officers
• ART Pathway Controllers
• ART Team Manager

Locality Teams

We provide advice and support for people who have the appearance of care and support needs. Our duties include conducting a conversation to assess a person’s strengths and goals, putting together support plans and providing protection for those people who are at risk of abuse and neglect.

There are four teams locality based: Hereford supports people in the city; Bromyard, Leominster, and Ledbury support our market towns and rural communities.

Roles in this team include:

• Social Care Assessors and Senior Social Care Assessors
• Social Worker Trainees
• Newly Qualified Social Workers; Experienced Social Workers; Social Worker Senior Practitioner
• Social Worker Deputy Team Manager
• Social Worker Team Manager

The County Team (Complex Needs)

We provide advice and support to people with complex care and support needs.  Our duties include conducting a conversation to assess a person’s strengths and goals, putting together sustained management plans and monitoring of risks. We attend court with the person and support people whom require forensic interventions and pathways.

Roles in this team include:

• Business Support Officer
• Social Worker Trainee
• Newly Qualified Social Workers; Experienced Social Workers; Social Worker Senior Practitioners
• Social Worker Team Manager

Shared Lives

This CQC registered in-house service assesses people to be Shared Lives carers then supports them and monitor the arrangements they provide in their own home for adults with support needs. The team works closely with social care teams, accepting referrals and carefully matching individuals and Shared Lives carers.

A person living in a Shared Lives arrangements says: ‘Since moving in with (M) my life has completely changed. I have a stable home and also enough independence to work three days a week and go to the pub to play darts and meet up with my girlfriend.’

One of our Shared Lives Carers has shared their experience: ‘I hadn’t really had any experience of working in care before. I just felt I could care for others by giving them a stable home and I could do it while working from home….It’s extremely rewarding.’

Roles in this team include:

• Shared Lives Coordinators
• Shared Lives Registered Manager
• Business Support Officers

Safeguarding Adults Team

We work collaboratively with a person to prevent and minimise abuse and neglect where possible, supporting people with the appearance of care and support needs, whom appear to be, or are, at risk and unable to protect themselves.

Roles in this team include:

• Customer Service Officers
• Social Worker Trainees
• Newly Qualified Social Worker, Experienced Social Worker; Advanced Social Worker
• Social Worker Team Manager

Young Adults Team

We work with our teenagers and children known to children social care services, to prepare for adulthood. Co-working with the person, and their children’s social care services, we develop a personalised plan for before, during and after this transition.

Roles in this team include:

• Business Support Officers
• Social Worker Trainees
• Newly Qualified Social Workers; Experienced Social Workers; Advanced Social Worker Practitioner
• Social Worker Deputy Team Manager & Social Worker Team Manager

Welfare and Financial Assessments Team

We provide specialist financial assessment and support people accessing a Herefordshire adult social care team, determine how much they need to contribute to the care, and identify any welfare benefits they may be able to claim. We also provide advice and support to people in Herefordshire with department of work and pensions benefit’s issues and appeals; and provide training and support for the staff members in the adult social care teams.

• Financial Administration and Appeals Officer
• Direct Payment Officer
• Direct Payments Team Leader
• Welfare Specialists and Appeals Officer
• WFAT Team Leader

All Age Commissioning

Herefordshire Council’s All Age Commissioning Service is made up of three large and dynamic commissioning teams who work on a whole-life approach to commissioning:

• Starting Well
• Living Well
• Ageing Well

All three areas are responsible for a wide ranging and diverse commissioning programme of work, across our Community Wellbeing Directorate and Children & Young People’s service areas. From home care to refugees and asylum, from autism to dementia, from home finding to early intervention and prevention, the service is at the heart of everything the council and its partners do for people. It is about making the most of Herefordshire’s assets, knowledge and rich community resources to achieve the best outcomes for people of all ages and families.

The Service has ambitious plans for the development of an All Age Commissioning Strategy and for further development of integration with our health partners. The service aims to ensure commissioned services are of high quality; customer focused and deliver the strategic objectives of the Council and associated delivery plans, so that the best outcomes for individuals are achieved.

The Service has a range of roles and teams in order to deliver key functions and roles could include, leading on strategy development, commissioning services, co-production and engagement activity, quality assurance of services and contract management. Partnership working with key stakeholders and our communities is a key feature for the team.

All Age Commissioning is a supportive and collaborative service with regular support and team development processes. We are developing a robust, versatile and expert commissioning workforce, leading innovation and ensuring quality, efficiency and value.

Roles in All Age Commissioning include:

• Head of Service (Starting Well, Living Well, Ageing Well).
• Commissioning Manager
• Commissioning Officer
• Commissioning Support Officer

Starting Well

Focuses on commissioning and quality of services for children and younger people. Additional roles to Head of Service, Commissioning Managers, Commissioning Officers and Commissioning Support Officers include:

• Children’s Provider Quality Assurance Manager
• Quality Assurance Lead
• Quality and Review Officers
• Broker Non-Accommodation and Short Breaks
• SEND Engagement and Market Development Officer

Living Well

Focuses on commissioning for working age adults and quality of services for all adults. Additional roles to Head of Service, Commissioning Managers, Commissioning Officers and Commissioning Support Officers include:

• Housing Officer
• Adults Provider Quality Assurance Manager
• Quality Assurance Lead (Adults)
• Quality and Review Officers
• Partnership Board Assistant
• Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator

Ageing Well

Focuses on commissioning services for older people and brokering care and support services for all adults. Additional roles to Head of Service, Commissioning Managers, Commissioning Officers and Commissioning Support Officers include:

• Brokerage Manager
• Senior Broker
• Broker
• Partnerships and Better Care Fund Manager
• ICES Manager