East Sussex County Council has launched an exciting new website which will help people find the care, support and wellbeing services they need.
Need to find a lunch club, home care agency or personal assistant in your local area? Then East Sussex 1Space can help with those and much more. The directory offers people of all ages who need help – and their carers and families – information about care and support in East Sussex, all in one place.
Developed by the County Council’s Adult Social Care department, the easy-to-use website was developed together with people who get social care, carers, the public and service providers. It gives clear, user-friendly information about the quality of services and how to decide if something is suitable. You can also leave feedback about your experience of any service you’ve used.
It also gives people much more choice and control over how their needs are met. For example, if you have difficulty washing and dressing, you could use East Sussex 1Space to find someone to help you in your home, or equipment to make it easier for you to dress and wash independently; it’s all about what would suit you best.
The directory is also a great way for local businesses, organisations and other community groups who offer care, support and wellbeing services to promote what they can offer. It’s free to register on the directory and the range of services available is growing steadily.
Councillor Bill Bentley, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, said: “East Sussex 1Space helps people to choose care, support and wellbeing services that suit them. We are facing financially challenging times so the website’s also a great opportunity for groups, organisations and businesses that can help to promote their services. The plan is to grow the content of the website to cover as many types of help that people living and working in East Sussex need. We need people to spread the word to get more local information on the directory”.
Individuals and organisations that provide care support and wellbeing services should contact the Council by going to East Sussex 1Space and registering, either by attending a workshop, or by following the guidance provided. Registration includes a checking process. If you are interested in attending a workshop or have any questions please contact: 1spaceadministrator@eastsussex.gov.uk
East Sussex 1Space has the following benefits:
- information and signposting to all local residents – this is what we call the ‘universal offer’ available to everyone
- allowing and helping choice and control by providing fast and easy access to a wide range of local care and support options that people can buy, either with their social care Personal Budget, their own resources or a combination of the two
- giving clear, user-friendly information about the quality of services and ways to judge this, including visible online feedback about personal experience of the services people have used, and easy-read ‘shopping tips’ that explain the various ways to make judgements about quality
- linking to the Council’s Support With Confidence scheme run jointly between Adult Social Care and Trading Standards. Over 100 local providers have been through quality checks and training to be on the scheme and many more are awaiting approval
- helping local businesses and organisations market their services for free to residents in East Sussex, their carers, family members and people working with them.