Working together for local people

Lisa has worked for Bexley since 2014, initially taking calls from the public on Council services such as waste, recycling and housing. In 2019 she joined the Council’s newly formed single point of contact team.

The single point of contact team was formed to simplify the referrals process for local people. It is a customer service team that deals with adult social care calls, as well as processing queries and referrals for health services such as district nursing and mental health teams.

The integrated team includes professionals from Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and the Council’s adult social care department. This means that residents can get help with multiple queries, rather than being passed to other departments or organisations.

Lisa says:

‘‘I have been with the team since it started. Every day is different, so we’re kept very busy. We get calls and emails from residents, family members, GPs, hospitals and other professionals. We are the first point of contact for those in the borough who need assistance from adult social care and local health services.

‘‘As we work in partnership with different support services, we offer a caller a more simplified and complete service, at what is often a difficult time for them. A resident might call us initially to speak with a district nurse about a healthrelated issue, such as difficulties with catheters, and may need social care help with everyday tasks at home, like getting in and out of the bath.

‘‘I love talking to local people and get a lot of satisfaction from trying my best to assist them. The fact that we can give them lots of different information and choices about the support services that they can receive in Bexley, without having to pass them to another organisation, is very motivating.

‘‘I have learnt so much whilst being with the team and every day brings new experiences. I love the variety that comes with working closely with other adult social care teams and with the district nursing teams who support us daily.’’

Tina Sofianos is a key worker in Family Wellbeing, Bexley’s early help service.

She has been in her role since 2015. Tina says:

‘‘I’ve always enjoyed working with children and their families. I love getting to know a family and finding out what they want help with.

‘‘We use the ‘Signs of Safety’ model in Bexley. Working in a solution focused way means we work together with families to help them help themselves, rather than dictate to them.

‘‘It is really rewarding to develop a plan with them that puts the help they need in place then to see that plan have a positive effect. It’s great knowing I’ve done a worthwhile job.

‘‘There’s a lot of variety in what I’m doing. As part of my role I also facilitate group work with families.

‘‘My team are amazing. When I have a lot going on it can be stressful and they help me manage this.

‘‘If you like thinking on your feet and have a passion for helping families to get good results, then working in Children’s Services in Bexley is for you.’’