Profile: CIC Group's Neil Matthewman is not interested in complaining 'about the resources we don't have'

“There’s more opportunity than ever for providers to come together,” according to Neil Matthewman, the chief executive of not-for-profit care provider and registered charity Community Integrated Care.

The former NHS managing director, who joined CIC from NHS Blackburn in 2011, recognises the “significant challenges” the care sector faces today but insists “I do feel positive about it”.

On the ever-present issue of care funding, Mr Matthewman says that, “Cuts, combined with an increase in need, is compelling organisations and funders to consider how the services they deliver must change and adapt. Put simply, we can’t just keep on doing things the way we always have.”

He is clear on the way forwards, however, continuing: “The challenge for all care providers is to work differently; to recognise new policy imperatives and focus on what can be achieved within the current constraints, rather than complain about the resources we don’t have.

“We would rather focus our efforts on reviewing the way we do things, adapting where we need to and working with commissioners and customers to create positive solutions that benefit the people who most need our support.”

If care providers and health services can commit to working together, Mr Matthewman believes that the sharing of knowledge and expertise can allow professionals to “build solutions which respond positively to the economic challenges we all face”.

Asked if he has any strong views on the funding of care, Mr Matthewman says: “My views on how home care should be funded are somewhat immaterial really – what I do know though is that as the population increases and gets older, finances will have to work differently.”

He continues, “Qualifying criteria will start to change and more people will find that they don’t qualify for state-funded care. In response to this, if organisations like Community Integrated Care can construct services that offer value and help to enable people, then this will be the growth area.”

He goes on to explain why he feels that domiciliary providers will play an increasingly more prominent role, saying “I also think that as the Clinical Commissioning Groups begin to commission local services, home care is likely to be something they will value more. So that might be a market that will increase. I don’t ever expect home care to attract significant funding but I believe that where providers enable more specialist client groups, the price should reflect the specialist skills that the staff would require.”

Being able to impact on the well-being of the vulnerable was one of the key motivations for Mr Matthewman moving into social care, with the established provider CIC Group proving the ideal prospect.

On the charity he says: “Community Integrated Care has a long and successful history of delivering services to people with learning disabilities in their own homes, supporting them to lead full and independent lives. Over the last few years we have seen more and more opportunities to build upon this skill and expertise and extend our home care services to older people too.

“We all know that the demand for social care is increasing and as the older population gets bigger, and the drive to keep people in their homes for longer becomes increasingly important, the need for care organisations to be able to provide care at home is key.”

Pursuing consistently high standards of care, Mr Matthewman considers the suitability and professionalism of the care workforce itself to be crucial and sees on-going training as necessary in safeguarding the quality of provision.

He comments: “As a care provider we take learning and development extremely seriously and passionately believe the best carer is someone who has a value set that is compassionate, empathic and respectful and has the skills to be able to deliver the support properly.

“We equip our people with those skills – whether it be moving and handling, communications skills, medication or even specialist training for a particular client group, e.g. dementia.”

This philosophy is obvious in some of the CIC Group’s recent innovations, which has included the opening of the EachStep service in Manchester. This £5m dementia care service has been set up to provide holistic packages of support, carried out by team members trained in a specially devised BTEC Diploma in Dementia, which Mr Matthewman considers to be “world class”.

Looking forwards, Mr Matthewman believes the CIC group will see significant growth, saying: “We plan to grow the organisation by a third in the coming five years, and we believe that much of that growth is likely to come from being able to provide home care services to a range of client groups.

“We will also be reviewing our whole service offering to really make sure that we are focusing on outcomes, innovation and quality, so that the people we support have the best possible quality of life.

He concludes: “We are extremely excited about the future at Community Integrated Care, because we know that as the sector faces significant challenges we have an opportunity to really take a fresh look at things and shape the way we work, to offer truly innovative services and ensure we continue to thrive into the future.”

The CIC Group are currently registered as operating 17 home care branches, as well as 111 care homes – active throughout much of the UK but with a particularly heavy presence in the North of England and Scotland.

Interesting facts

What was your first job? A Hospital Porter in my summer vacations

What is your favourite book? ‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown

What is your favourite film? ‘Angels & Demons’

What is your favourite piece of music? ‘Money’s Too Tight’ by Simply Red

What is the best present you have received? A surprise weekend in Dublin

What was your last holiday? Two Weeks in Florida