Agenda and minutes

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

Disclosure of interests – Chris Holley, Sue Jones and Alyson Pugh

To receive the notes of the previous meeting and agree as an accurate record.

The Panel agreed the notes as an accurate record of the meeting.

Questions must relate to matters on the Agenda and will be dealt with in a 10 minute period.

No public questions were asked

Alex Williams, Head of Adult Services

Mark Wade, Housing

Alex Williams, Head of Adult Services went through the report highlighting the main issues and answering questions.  Mark Wade, Housing also attended the meeting for the Disabled Facilities Grant item.

Discussion points:

·         Much further forward with multi-disciplinary team triage function.  All professionals are now sitting at the Front Door including district nurses.

·         Anticipatory care being led by Health.  Progress is dependent on the regional approach and funding

·         Internal Homecare – new senior management structure put in place and this approach appears to be working.  Issues with working rotas still to be addressed.  Hope to pilot this during this year.

·         Reablement Review is in progress.  Still issues with recording of data.

·         Pathways of people through hospital – on site social work support has reduced delayed transfers of care due to social work assessment issues.  Panel would like information on how many hospital admissions have been avoided due to the acute clinical response service.

·         Ombudsman case prompted full review of policy for stock control in Community Equipment Store and Telecare.  Panel pleased there is a high recycling rate for community equipment store.

·         Disabled Facilities Grants – There is one indicator for this area which is going down so progress is being made.  In terms of occupational therapists, the waiting time has reduced for processing of the grants.

·         24 hour working – This is part of the Western Bay Optimum Model.  Panel would like to see detailed analysis.  

·         Proposing to pilot 7 day working of occupational therapists.  Some opposition to this.  Going to do consultation on it. 

Actions:

·         Department to provide information to Panel on hospital admissions avoidance due to the acute clinical response service

·         Department to provide Panel with a copy of the Western Bay Optimum Model

Steve Davies, WCCIS Implementation Manager

Tracey Bell, WCCIS Product Specialist

Steve Davies, WCCIS Implementation Manager and Tracey Bell, Product Specialist attended to give a presentation on the workings of the system and to answer any questions.

Discussion points:

·         It is a national system but is implemented locally and can be tailored to meet local needs. 

·         The system is currently being used for community services only.  It will be a number of years before it is used for primary care.

·         Bridgend Council was the first organisation to go live with the system in Wales.  It is not currently live in Swansea.

·         Management of the system – there are local, regional and national administrators.  Each ‘live’ organisation has administrators.

·         Each organisation signs up to a data access agreement before going ‘live’.

·         Once all local authorities are ‘live’ will be able to compare data locally and across Wales.

Mark Child, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Dave Howes, Chief Social Services Officer and Alex Williams attended for this item and answered questions.

Discussion points:

·         Current situation is very challenging.  Initially £23 million of savings to be made in 2018/19, this has gone up. 

·         Adult Services £3m over budget last year. Projected to be £4m over budget next year.  Adult Services has to change the service model. Panel feels overspend was not controlled last year. 

·         Panel is concerned over savings not being achieved this year despite being told they could be.

·         Majority of increase to budget is made up of inflationary pressures particularly wages, overspend last year and investment to make savings.

·         There is a discrepancy in the figures – Panel told budget for Adult Services next year had been increased by £3.5 million.  However on page 118 on the budget proposals it says £2.7 million and on page 182 on the budget proposals it equates to £4.5 million.  Need clarification of the correct figure.

·         Panel was concerned that despite over 70% of consultees being opposed to the new charges for day centres, the recommendation is to go ahead and impose them.

·         Panel grateful for information provided on the analysis of unit cost of day services requested at meeting on 16 January and for confirmation at today’s meeting that there is no cross over of staff between residential and day services

·         Safeguarding / wellbeing is the only line in proposed budget which reduces.  Panel wants clarification of what this is

Based on its discussions the Panel agreed views and recommendations to make to Cabinet on the budget proposals in relation Adult Services.

Following on from this meeting:

The convener will feed in the views of this Panel, along with the conveners of the other panels to the Service Improvement and Finance Panel which meets on 14 February.  The convener of the Service Improvement and Finance panel will then attend Cabinet on 15 February to feed in the collective views of the scrutiny performance panels and write a letter to the Cabinet member.

Work programme received and considered by the Panel.

Actions:

·         Move Commissioning Review  - Domiciliary Care and Procurement Update from March meeting to January / February 2019

·         Add Local Area Coordination Update to the future work programme (date to be arranged)

·         Day Services Review and Residential Care Review, which are going to Cabinet in April, to be scheduled for pre decision scrutiny.

·         Review of Community Alarms to be scheduled for pre decision scrutiny at a future date

·         Scrutiny Research Officer to produce a brief for panel members for the Cabinet Member Question and Answer session in March.

a) Convener’s letter to Cabinet Member (19 December 2017 meeting)

b) Convener’s letter to Cabinet Member (16 January 2018 meeting)

Letters received and considered by the Panel.