Coventry employee ahead of the game on social care shake-up
Mar 17 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post
A former Coventry City Council employee has launched an innovative board game to help care providers ensure that people have choice and control over the support they receive.
Gill Phillips, who spent 30 years working for Coventry City Council before setting up her own business, Nutshell Communications, has developed the game Whose Shoes? with expert assistance from Coventry University.
The game is geared towards supporting local authorities, universities and independent care providers in delivering the Department of Health’s Putting People First/Transforming Social Care vision by 2011 which looks at the “personalisation” of care.
The vision aims to ensure every person who receives care support will have choice and control over how money allocated to their care is spent, bringing huge challenges for front-line workers and managers.
Whose Shoes?, which can be used as part of a learning and development programme, has been devised with input from Coventry University’s Design Hub and Health Design and Technology Institute.
Whose Shoes? has already been snapped up by West Sussex County Council and Manchester Metropolitan University, which is leading research into personalisation.
The game explores the perspectives of service-users and carers, managers, staff, and providers and commissioners, who together build a “path to personalisation”.
“Personalisation is a complex agenda and this board game is designed to help professionals understand the reality of what this means for themselves and others,” said Ms Phillips. “It is ideal for anyone involved in social care training, and encourages professionals to be aware of other people’s perspectives.
“I believe that this approach will contribute hugely towards the personalisation agenda – and it’s certainly a lot more fun than using traditional training tools such as PowerPoint.”
More than 150 scenarios cover services such as transport, education and leisure, intervention and prevention, personal budgets and self-directed support, and the benefits of involving family, friends and the local community.
“I spent a year researching and developing themes through my own experience and by following debates in the media,” said Ms Phillips.
Ms Phillips praised Coventry University for helping bring her brainchild to market: “The Design Hub did the graphics for the board game and playing cards, and also referred me to a website designer.
“Then HDTI conducted a usability study which gave it credibility and independent endorsement, before undertaking some prototype development. I’ve also been through a business support programme at the University. As a growing business, I really couldn’t have asked for any more.”
