Adult social care is a vital service delivered by local authorities in the UK, providing practical support to residents with long-term illnesses, disabilities, and mental health issues allowing them to live as independently as possible within their community. However, with a forecasted overspend of £200m in the 23/24 financial year, the service is simultaneously in need of radical innovation and unable to dedicate resources for much needed innovation.

THE SANDBOX MODEL

The sandbox approach took place in 3 stages

Immersion

An immersive theatre experience highlighting the stories of two residents and the challenges they face, requiring participants to take on various roles through the residents' journey and move the stories along. This event brought together stakeholders from across health and social care to view the system beyond their siloes, and shifted the conversation to real, human experiences that needed to be improved.

Design

We used the pain points highlighted during the immersion day and ran design sprints over the course of 3 months. These design sprints brought together members from the NHS, local authorities, charity sector, and suppliers in structured sessions that moved us from identifying pain points to brainstorming opportunities to building prototypes.

Showcase

The showcase event will take place on January 29th, with a view to demonstrate the prototypes designed through this process and highlight the impact they could have on the experiences of the two residents we began the journey with.

OUTPUTS

The goal of this project was to serve as a proof of concept for an approach like this in local government. So far, it has resulted in the only comprehensive map of the health and social care systems, 6 prototyped solutions ranging from apps to volunteer networks to care templates, and a shift in the conversation around health and care among the 80-odd participants. 

You can take a look at some of the outputs by clicking on the links below.