How portals enable more personalised and cost-effective care

By Chris Sweeney, social care lead, System C

Integrating technology into public services is about more than efficiency and cost savings. It’s about putting the user – the member of the public or the professionals involved – at the heart of digital progress. 

The government’s framework on digital social care, What Good Looks Like, says: “A person-centred approach to the design and use of digital technologies can improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing and support independence.”

We believe that, with online portal functionality, we can enable people to share information and realise productivity savings for local authorities. As the Local Government Association (LGA) has said, “improving every council’s ability to transact online with its residents is an important step towards reducing costs and improving efficiency”.

So, how do portals provide services built around the user and deliver good value?

Portals help shape care around individual needs 

Meet Sarah*, a determined adult navigating life with physical disabilities. Sarah is embracing the power of portal technology to shape her personal care journey.

Sarah uses the local authority portal to undertake a self-assessment. She identifies the challenges she faces daily, along with what she can do for herself, and what she needs to help her live at home.

Sarah uses an online financial assessment calculator to estimate the contribution she will need to make towards her care, similar to the one used by Surrey County Council.

This online tool allows her to submit supporting evidence, which is more convenient for Sarah and shortens processing timeframes. Finance staff use the time previously spent travelling to check her claim and give Sarah helpful advice on her benefits.

Sarah’s information becomes the foundation of her case, now available electronically to those involved with her care.  Rather than phone, Sarah decides to meet the social care team to explore her needs and identify possible services available in the area.

Following the meeting, Sarah designs a personalised package of support that includes home care to help her get dressed in the morning and intimate personal care that relatives are reluctant to provide. If her needs subsequently change, she can use the portal to give the local authority any information necessary to support such a change.

Sarah uses a direct payment to contribute towards her care, which she manages via an online finance portal. She gives her sister access to help check that bills get paid on time.

The local authority uses portal functionality to ensure that the direct payment is spent on appropriate services that meet Sarah’s needs. Those service providers use portal technology to process payments and to integrate these with the social care finance system, saving significant time and resources for providers and councils, as Norfolk County Council is witnessing.

Previously, much of Sarah’s care would have required multiple paper forms and several in-person visits from social care professionals. Now, online portal functionality allows local authorities to empower individuals like Sarah with services that are more efficient and convenient for everyone involved.

Portals support a collaborative approach 

Portals don’t just help people like Sarah. They help safeguard adults and children, simplify multi-agency collaboration, and help prioritise the delivery of responsive, high-quality care.

For example, a portal can streamline safeguarding. If a schoolteacher or member of the public has concerns about a child, they can use the portal to make a referral without having to phone a contact centre. The local authority can review this against case notes and instigate any support required.

Photo: David/Adobe Stock

If multiple agencies are involved in the care of an individual, local authorities can use a portal to collate information from those agencies and get the bigger picture on an individual’s case. As Wirral Council is seeing, portal technology, together with electronic reminders, can avoid problems such as paper forms getting lost or forgotten.

Timeliness is a massive benefit of digitisation. When an individual or carer fills out an online assessment, the council can stratify risk and prioritise a response for those most in need.

It can signpost to local organisations or arrange home adaptations, providing the individual with suitable care that helps prevent them breaching critical thresholds.

Portals are part of a broader solution

Portals do not work in isolation. Information must be integrated into a suitable case management system to provide a central reference point for an individual’s care. Local authorities must ensure they combine the technology with in-person contact, and processes may have to adapt to make the most of these digital tools.

However, with the current pressures on budgets, there are compelling reasons to embrace the power of portal technology.

Here at System C, we provide a portal toolkit, tailored to specific local authority needs, as part of our Liquidlogic case management solutions for adults and children.

Contact us for a demo or to speak with an expert.

*This is a hypothetical scenario.