ContrOCC Health Check at Cheshire East Council A local authority viewpoint
Lee Hudson, Service Manager for Adult Social Care and Health (part of Business Support and Finance) at Cheshire East Council, spoke to us about the Council’s experience of a ContrOCC Health Check.
Each council we work with has different business processes. We are experienced at working with our customers to ensure that they derive the most value possible from our social care finance software.
Why did Cheshire East arrange a Health Check?
As long established ContrOCC customers (over 6 years) Cheshire East Council felt that some of their ways of working might have evolved over time. They had the following goals when requesting a Health Check:
– analyse whether there was any additional functionality they could be utilising
– eliminate workarounds and do away with manual processes
– optimise their use of ContrOCC and maximise team efficiency
What was Cheshire East’s experience of the process?
OCC’s consultant began by analysing in depth what Cheshire East wanted from a Health Check. OCC then reviewed the council’s system and conducted an on-site visit for two full days to meet with Cheshire East’s staff and discuss their business practices.
The result of the Health Check was a detailed report including recommendations with example screenshots, links to the user guide and a detailed narrative on how improvements could be achieved. OCC’s consultant later got in-touch to find out how the council was getting on.
What were the key outcomes?
The main outcome for Cheshire East was increased confidence in their processes.
“In the main, we were using the system how it was intended. However, there were 20 actions that included tweaks to charging profiles, understanding how to use one-off claims, using pension credit calculators, and updating the grouping of items in the Online Financial Assessment (OFA) that ensures we are maximising the system.
Advice for other local authorities having a Health Check
“We would encourage other local authorities to have a Health Check, particularly if you have had a system for several years. There may be a host of system functionality that you are not aware of. Also, make sure you are prepared with the resources available to achieve your goals. We would do it again in the future.”
Cheshire East found that having the right people in the room for the Health Check discussions was essential. Also, ensuring dedicated resources were allocated to make improvements. The council also found that the people who were onsite for the Health Check meetings saw the most benefits work together with OCC’s consultant.
“We found that breaking the report down into quick wins and process changes that require more work to be an effective strategy to implement the Health Check recommendations.”
Next Steps
For more information or to enquire about a ContrOCC Health Check, please contact your OCC Account Manager, or email us at info@oxfordcc.co.uk.