Edinburgh Social Work Contact Point Praised

A new single contact point for inquiries to Edinburgh’s social care services has been hailed in an independent survey. Social Care Direct was set up last year to provide a first point of access to all adult users of social services across the city.

A recent independent mystery shopping exercise found that residents were highly satisfied with the new system.

Among social care users, the rating of “very good” rose from 11 per cent to 53 per cent. Perceptions of “professionalism” rose from eight per cent in 2005 to 73 per cent in 2006.

Council leader Ewan Aitken said: “The introduction of a single contact point has proved successful in providing a better service to everyone in the city and I congratulate staff on their success in handling these important calls.”