IMPOWER’s Heroes of 2019: 6 December

Alec Porter, Service Manager of Bradford’s Independence Advice Hub. Together with his managers and a committed team of advisers, Alec has transformed the conversations that happen when people first get in touch with the Council to talk about social care. Using a range of tools and techniques to help staff to focus on people’s strengths and assets, they have achieved a 40% increase in the number of cases resolved at the first point of contact – which has now been sustained for a year. Bringing about such a huge change can be tiring – the scale of the improvement is testament to Alec’s commitment to his staff.

Paul Swallow, Business Intelligence Lead, has also had a huge impact this year. With a cheerful manner and real determination, over the past 12 months he has helped the service to embrace a performance management approach, bringing data to life for teams. His team is now helping to ensure that from front line teams to senior management, staff have a clear understanding of their own performance and how this is contributing to the department’s overall aim of supporting people to be happy, healthy and at home. The impact he has had is a reminder of the contribution of the many teams that support staff working at the front line in adult social care.