Issue - meetings

To agree Project Initiation Documents / Task and Finish Groups

 

 

Meeting: 16/11/2010 - Cabinet (Item 65)

65 SCRUTINY REPORT ON MODERNISATION OF ADULT SOCIAL CARE pdf icon PDF 227 KB

To consider the scrutiny report of the Task and Finish Group.  See also agenda items 7, 8 and 9 below  

 

Councillor Ricketts, Chair of the Task and Finish Group, will present the recommendations of the scrutiny group.

 

Cabinet Member: Councillor Monahan

CMT Lead Officer: Director for Community Services   

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet Members received the Scrutiny Report of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Panel Task and Finish Group on the Modernisation of Adult Social Care. 

 

Councillor James, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, reported that the Management Board had approved the report of the Task and Finish Group on 27 October 2010 and that the Management Board had congratulated the Task and Finish Group on its work. 

 

Councillor Ricketts presented the scrutiny report, indicating that councillors had visited the facilities as part of the scrutiny exercise.  He submitted the following recommendations of the Task and Finish Group, for consideration, and thanked panel members for their work, the staff at the facilities and the users and their families for their assistance and contributions towards the scrutiny exercise.   

 

 (R1)  

The Task and Finish Group recommend to Cabinet that -

 

 

1.

the proposals regarding the decommissioning of the Welby Community Unit alongside the increased capacity at the Colwill Lodge facility are approved;

 

 

2.

further development of personal budgets and the re-provision of residential respite are approved;

 

 

(Subject to further consultation received before the end of the consultation period)

 

(R2)

the group felt that the Welby building was not fit for purpose and the costs associated with its maintenance were not value for money. It was accepted by the panel that the forward direction with relation to personalisation gave control to service users and their families and noted the enthusiasm for alternative respite arrangements as expressed through the extensive consultation process;

 

(R3)

the Task and Finish Group recommend to Cabinet that Disability Related Benefits are removed from assessable income and therefore the Disability Related Expenses are removed from the financial assessment process to reduce bureaucracy and simplify the process;

 

(R4)

the maximum contribution should not be set at 100% of the personal budget and a cap on contributions should remain;

 

(R5)

a transitional period of 12 months and support from social care officers should be implemented to help people whose contributions change;

 

(R6)

information provided to service users should focus on eligibility and charging and should be in simple terms and plain English. One to one advice must also be available for those service users whose contributions are likely to change;

 

(R7)

the consultation process had been extensive and properly carried out;

 

(R8)

the Task and Finish Group recommend to Cabinet that the future direction for residential care for older people is extra care facilities;

 

(R9)

facilities within Frank Cowl are outdated and the costs of keeping the building open are unsustainable and not value for money;

 

(R10)

it was considered that there had been sufficient consultation with users and their families but that Adult Social Care should provide them with a further opportunity to engage before the end of the consultation process.

 

The Chair thanked Councillors James and Ricketts for their presentations and Councillor Monahan (Cabinet Member for Adult Health and Social Care) thanked the Task and Finish Group and the scrutiny panel for their work.

 

The Chair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65

Meeting: 27/10/2010 - Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (Item 56)

56 To agree Project Initiation Documents / Task and Finish Groups pdf icon PDF 227 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Board considered the following task and finish group reports –

 

  • Modernisation of Adult Social Care
  • Review of Community Events and Road Closure Policy

 

With regard to the report on Modernisation of Adult Social Care, Councillor Ricketts reported that -

 

(i)

 

subject to Management Board referral, the report would be presented to Cabinet on 16 November, 2010;

 

(ii)

 

the task and finish group had looked at three big issues, namely –

 

·        Short breaks for people with learning disabilities

·        Fairer contributions policy, charging within a personalised system

·        Modernisation of Older People’s Services

 

(iii)

 

the review had received media interest with a number of articles having appeared in the press;

 

(iv)

 

a summary of all the consultation data received was attached as a supplement to the agenda. 

 

Whilst concern was expressed by some Members that the consultation might not have captured enough views and that individual care needs may not be taken into account, all Members were pleased to note that no permanent resident of Frank Cowl House would be forced to move, which was in line with Council policy.

 

With regard to the Review of Community Events and Road Closure Policy, Councillor Nicholson reported that –

 

(v)

 

the Council’s current mechanism for charging for community events and road closures was arbitrary and unfair;

 

(vi)

 

a large element of the cost charged related to the advertisement process.

 

In response to questions raised, Members were advised that –

 

(vii)

 

the allocation criteria for the Community Grants Scheme (CGS) would have to be checked but it was possible that it could be used as a funding contribution towards such schemes;

 

(viii)

 

some local authorities did not advertise road closures but this contrary to current legislation and those authorities were at risk of legal action.  Further investigation was under way to establish whether it would be possible to advertise on the website rather than have to place an advert in the local press.

 

The Chair asked that the Board’s congratulations be passed to both panels for the work undertaken in carrying out their respective task and finish groups.

 

Agreed that with regard to –

 

 

(1)

 

Modernisation of Adult Social Care, the report and its recommendations be commended to Cabinet;

 

(2)

 

the Review of Community Events and Road Closure Policy, the report and its recommendations be commended to the Cabinet Member for Transport.

 

(Councillors McDonald, Stevens and Wildy abstained from voting in respect of the Modernisation of Adult Social Care item).