Personal Support Advisor - Brokerage in West Bridgford

West Bridgford, Nottingham, United Kingdom £13.47 - £13.47 (British Pound Sterling)

Job Purpose

The post holder will be responsible for sourcing and negotiating care packages and placements that align with assessed needs, prescribed timeframes, budget, and quality standards. The role also involves collaborating with social care professionals, care and support providers, and the individual and their families/representatives to find the most suitable care package that effectively meets their specific needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Management of day-to-day allocated brokerage activity and the delivery of all aspects of the Council's brokerage function.
• Broker care packages and placements for adults ensuring the provision of personalised and tailored support.
• Identify and source suitable care placements for adults requiring residential and nursing care, in accordance with their individual needs and preferences.
• Negotiate with care providers to secure placements that meet the individual's needs and are within the allocated personal budget.
• Responsible for providing information, advice and guidance to operational staff, care providers and the public, regarding the delivery of services.
• Liaise with social care practitioners to confirm the service(s) required and the outcomes to be delivered are clearly specified.
• To liaise as appropriate with the person whose Care and Support Plan is being brokered / their family/representative, and the professionals and others supporting that person.
• Develop and maintain appropriate partnership arrangements including provider relationships and customer involvement.
• Proactively facilitate the timely discharge of patients from hospitals at the weekend or outside of normal working hours.
• To promote and apply safeguarding principles and use professional judgement to escalate where appropriate.
• To drive and embed a culture of continuous communication with providers to ascertain ongoing availability to take on new placements/packages.

Key Accountabilities

• To ensure that individual packages of managed care and support are brokered in accordance with prescribed timescales, within the allocated personal budget, are high quality and reflect accurately the requirements of the Care and Support Plan.
• To ensure that the needs of the person and carers are central to the production of support packages.
• To maintain clear systems and processes for monitoring individual packages of care.
• To keep up to date provider documentation and analysis data to inform commissioning and quality market management activity.
• To ensure information meets audit and procurement requirements.
• To provide clear and timely information to members of the public, operational staff, and providers.
• To alert the Senior Personalised Support Advisor of issues that could affect performance.

Person Specification

Education and Knowledge

• A basic understanding of the legislative and policy context of services for Adult Social Care, including safeguarding, the Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, and regulatory frameworks such as CQC.
• Level 2 and/or 3 NVQ or relevant professional experience commensurate with the role.
• Relevant work experience in purchasing, sourcing, contract management and/or financial management in the public or private sector.
• Evidence of continued professional development in social care, technology, housing or the third sector.
• Experience in commissioning/ brokerage/ purchasing.
• Good literacy, numeracy and IT skills including Excel.
• Knowledge of legislation relevant to the provision of social care.
• Knowledge of the principles and practice of quality monitoring methods and standards for social care.
• Demonstrable skills in negotiation and commercial awareness to secure appropriate, cost-effective services.

Personal skills and general competencies

• Able to analyse financial information.
• Ability to learn, retain and apply detailed subject knowledge and workflow processes.
• Excellent oral, written and presentation skills with the ability to tailor content to the needs of different audiences.
• Works efficiently and effectively and actively looking for ways of improving services and outcomes for customers.
• Ability to be flexible and responsive in prioritising work activity.
• Use transferable skills to meet demand and to effectively support brokerage colleagues and the needs of the service.
• Ability to recognise escalation points and appropriately report emerging issues to the Senior Personalised Support Advisor.
• Well-developed planning skills with the ability to use own initiative to plan, manage and prioritise own workload and projects.
• Good team working skills, including actively sharing knowledge and information to contribute to the successful delivery of the team priorities.
• Well developed research and analytical skills with the ability to understand, interpret and relay complex issues.
• Demonstrates creativity and innovation in problem solving and service improvement.
• Commitment to providing high quality services to best meet the needs of the people of Nottinghamshire.
• Understanding of equality's legislative framework.

Role Dimensions

Primary Purpose of the Role:

The main objective of this role is to effectively broker and negotiate care and support services that align with the individual needs and preferences outlined in Care and Support Plans.

Scale of Impact:

This role primarily serves individuals needing adult social care, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those with mental health conditions. The job involves managing a caseload of people, each requiring customised support packages within their assigned personal budgets.

Budget Management:

Key responsibilities include overseeing and managing the budgets for individual care packages to ensure the efficient use of resources while maintaining high care standards.