Clare Smith, Suffolk County Council Development Manager, will outline an innovative approach to embedding and commissioning Assistive Technology. She will explore Council outcomes; why they moved away from the traditional Commissioner/Provider model and instead engaged with the market to ultimately establish a joint Community Interest Company with ‘Community Voice Careline Response Ltd’ to provide county-wide consistent services including mobile response and equipment provision. The workshop will give an insight in to how the council went about looking for and selecting a compatible provider; the challenges faced; the notable successes the partnership has achieved and the further challenges & opportunities the partnership has been able to address. We will also hear from Victoria Shead, CEO of Community Voice, as to why they chose to enter the partnership; how the service was designed; the challenges faced by the provider and the positive aspects of entering such a partnership. Followed by a question and answer session.
