Through peer-led research, Connected Care, Turning Point’s model of community-led commissioning, is working hard to reach the heart of fragmented communities in order to build social capital and develop new solutions to health and social care problems. Connected Care enables the community to tackle the root cause of poor outcomes for service users.
The inverse care law states that the people who need social care support the most have the most problems accessing it. Connected Care aims to tackle this injustice by calling for the voice of the community to be central to the design and delivery of all services. Central to the project is the recruitment and training of local people to work as Community Researchers. They have access to the marginalised groups most in need of help; those with complex needs and those who don’t access or engage with services. The Community Researchers live in the area they research. They often have links with, or need for, the local health and social care services. This gives them unique access to the people most often missed by social services. Working for Connected Care often gives them a new direction and confidence in starting something new. In return, the Community Researchers give their time, energy, passion and, importantly, access to the hardest to reach members of the community. Connected Care also works with frontline staff and commissioners who are committed to redesigning services based on the needs of communities.
Connected Care programmes have been carried out in ten areas across the country. 164 community researchers have been recruited and trained, reaching community populations of 130,000. Connected Care has helped different agencies to work together in partnership with these communities. The vision is to create a movement of community leaders coming together to tackle social problems in their own area, with community engagement being integral to service design and delivery of local services.