Happy at Home - Independent Evaluation

Cambridgeshire County Council is the local government body responsible for administering public services for a geographical area of approximately 1300 square miles bordering Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Cambridgeshire has a population of approximately 859,830.

Cambridgeshire County Council are implementing a 3-year programme called Happy at Home, which is aligned to the Local Authority's strategic objective to support people to remain independent at home for longer, itself in line with the regional and national vision for social care embraced by Social Care Future, that is: 'people living in a place they call home with the people and things that they love, in communities where they look out for one another, doing things that matter to those people'.

Happy at Home is the "umbrella" term under which Cambridgeshire County Council and local partners are mapping community-based care and support options for older people, often residing in small, rural communities. Some of these people may not currently be aware of the wealth of resources available in the form of local micro-providers, public services, voluntary and charity sector organisations and others. These local assets are being considered in conjunction with community navigators and the social prescribing link workers in Primary Care Networks, in an integrated way.

Through Happy at Home, the Council looks to establish an Asset-based Area in East Cambridgeshire, that will transform the way that local community services are delivered to ensure that the following is achieved:

In addition, Happy at Home plans to enable Individual Service Funds to be made available for all those with eligible care needs who seek more choice and control over how their personal budget is spent, with personalised Care and Support Planning to help them do the things they want to do, in the places they want to do them, and help in recruiting and managing one or more personal assistants. Those who are happy to direct their own care will continue to benefit from Direct Payments.

In summary, it is hoped that the lessons learned the data and evidence produced from the evaluation of Happy at Home will lead to more and better co-production and place-based commissioning going forward, with an integrated approach to health and social care in communities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough