Meeting documents

 

 

 

Robert Cleland	Peter Crew
P Ruth Jacobs	David Jolley
David Shopland	Richard Tucker
P Liz Wells	P Roz Willis
P Deborah Yamanaka

 

 

P: Present

A: Apologies for absence submitted

 

Also in attendance: Councillors Dawn Payne, Jill Iles, Tom Leimdorfer, Ann Harley, Charles Cave, Georgie Bigg (HealthWatch)

 

Officers in attendance: Emma Calvert-Jones, Howard Evans, Rob Hepworth, Gerald Hunt, Hayley Verrico (People and Communities), Julia Parkes, Philippa Penney, Katherine Sokol (Corporate Services)

 

ASH 10

Declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (Agenda item 3)

None.

 

ASH 11

Minutes of the Meeting held on 28 June 2018 (Agenda item 4)

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting be approved as a correct record.

 

ASH 12

BNSSG Domiciliary Care (Agenda item 6)

The Head of Commissioning presented the report which proposed an action plan to mitigate the current risks in the domiciliary care market and scoped proposals for building resilience in the market longer term.

 

He responded to Members comments and queries as follows:

(1) how will the proud to care bonus incentive help and will the providers pass this on to the carers? The recruitment and retention of staff in the care workforce had been challenging as pay is low and perceived as low status. The bonus was intended to show workers that they are respected and appreciated. It was also to incentivise the workers to stay longer which in turn would give greater stability and continuity of care to service users. This would reduce safeguarding issues and reduce the number of agency staff required. Although the bonus was paid to the care providers, this would be passed in full to the relevant workers and would be audited accordingly.

 

(2) staff were not trained how was this being addressed? Training was underway and options were being explored in relation to apprenticeship schemes and adult education with the assistance of Weston College. Promotional videos about carers and caring were being introduced in collaboration with the Communications team. These training schemes would indicate to potential and existing workers that this would be a career path. Upskilling was recognised as being key to care provision.

 

(3) Use and cost of agency staff. Consideration had been given to access Local Authority and National Health Service bank staff. However, these were in great demand and would place pressure on the existing bank staff. There was recognition from Members that the incentives around recruitment and retention were intended to reduce the numbers of agency staff required.

 

Concluded: that the report be received and that Members comments be forwarded to officers in the form of the minutes.

 

ASH 13

North Somerset Annual Complaints Report 2017-18 (Agenda item 7)

The Head of Commissioning presented the report on behalf of the Complaints and Directorate Governance Manager.

 

He responded to Members comments and concerns as follows:

 

(1) areas of complaint had remained the same had lessons been learnt from previous complaints?

Members were assured that this was an improving picture and although there was no change in complaint areas, the number of complaints was very low. A Quality Assurance programme had been initiated in order to reflect on new ways of working to reduce the numbers of complaints in the same areas.

 

(2) the need for better communication Relatives expectations of involvement in their family members care must be managed and clear explanations given at point of entry, specifically for those affected by Deprivation of Liberty legislation. There were also some causes of complaint concerning the length of time requests for information could take. These were often caused by families requesting information they were not entitled to but not accepting this as an explanation.

 

Concluded: that the report be received and that Members comments be forwarded to Officers in the form of the minutes.

 

ASH 14

Month 5 Adult Care Budget Monitor (Agenda item 9)

A change to agenda order was agreed by the Chairman to consider item 9.

 

The Finance Business Partner presented her report. There was cautious optimism regarding budget stability, with the forecast projecting a small underspend in the adult social care budget. Members were encouraged to note the predicted underspend whilst still recognising the unpredictable landscape, and congratulated officers on their achievements in this area.

 

Members also discussed the issue of loneliness, and heard how voice activated technology such as Alexa, could help with this.

 

Concluded: that the report be noted and Members comments forwarded to Officers in the form of the minutes.

 

ASH 15

Housing with Support Strategy (Agenda item 8)

The Panel considered the report submitted by the Head of Commissioning.

 

A presentation (a copy of which was filed on the minute book) was given by representatives of the Supported Living team. They gave details of current and proposed projects which will supply supported living arrangements to people who were not previously able to live independently.

 

Members were extremely encouraged by the developments in this area, particularly in respect of the processes around the transition of young people in care to adult social services, and gave their support for the schemes approach to integration.

 

Concluded: that the report be noted and Members comments forwarded to Officers in the form of the minutes.

 

ASH 16

Performance Monitoring (Agenda item 10)

The Panel considered the report of the Head of Housing & Strategy. It was noted that the position in relation to targets was good and Members were pleased to see that no indicators were showing as red.

 

With regards to social care complaints, Members noted that although the percentage increase appeared dramatic, this was distorted by the small numbers involved. The Head of Commissioning agreed to provide further detail of the reason for variation.

 

Concluded: that the report be noted and Members comments forwarded to Officers in the form of the minutes.

 

ASH 17

Work Plan (Agenda item 11)

The Chairman invited the Assistant Director of the People and Communities directorate to update Members on the staff consultation regarding the Adult Social Care Workforce Proposal. The vision had been endorsed by the Executive in September, and considered a workable structure for Adult Social Care. It aimed at ensuring that adequate staff were focused in the right places to respond to demand, including capacity for addressing predicted demand increases. A number of approaches were being considered to remove unnecessary bureaucracy.

 

There were no plans to reduce staffing number, but there was potential for change to employee deployment and roles.

 

Members were optimistic as to the improvements that this new structure could deliver both to service users and to financial savings.

 

The Chairman referred to earlier discussions regarding training concerns around commissioned services and it was:

 

Concluded:

 

1. that a working group be established to consider the training that is provided and any gaps in the provision with a view to making recommendations for consideration by the Panel in due course and;

 

2. that the work plan be updated to include actions and proposals arising from the current meeting.

 

 

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Chairman

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