The panel will note the appointment of the Chair and Vice Chair for the municipal year 2014 – 2015.

The Committee noted the appointment of Councillor Mrs Aspinall as Chair and Councillor James as Vice Chair for the municipal year 2014/15.

Members will be asked to make any declarations of interest in respect of items in this agenda.

In accordance with the code of conduct, the following declarations of interest were made –

To receive reports on business which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be brought forward for urgent consideration.

There were no items of chair’s urgent business.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on the 3 April 2014.

Agreed that the minutes of the meeting held on 3 April 2014 be confirmed.

The panel will note the Caring Plymouth Terms of Reference.

The panel noted the Caring Plymouth Terms of Reference and requested that the membership is changed from 12 members to 11 members.

The panel to receive an overview of priorities from the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care and the Strategic Director for People.

Councillor Tuffin, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Carole Burgoyne, Strategic Director for People and Dave Simpkins, Assistant Director, Co-operative Commissioning provided the panel with an overview of the priorities for the next 12 months.  It was reported that –

(a)           one of the main key priorities for the forthcoming year was the Care Act and the fundamental changes for adults.  The act would affect the way the local authority responds to people’s needs and the challenging agenda to have everything in place by 1 April 2015;

(b)          this would be an exceptionally challenging year for adult social care, with the largest and most challenged budget within the council;

(c)           there was an increasing demand with people coming into care with very complex needs adding to the demands for both for the local authority and health;

(d)          there was a need for the local authority and health to work together with an absolute focus on the budget, transformation and performance;

(e)          there was an exciting programme of work over the next 3 years.  This panel to help the programme focus on the important issues, make the challenge and to provide support over the next 3 years;

Councillor Tuffin emphasised the importance of scrutiny on moving this work forward and to provide him with support in his new role as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care.

In response to questions raised, it was reported that -

(f)                       when services are co-commissioned this would ultimately have an effect on staff.  As part of the efficiency savings this would result in staff losses.  Support was being provided to staff with regular communications and consultations, and were clear and honest with staff on the reasons why this was taking place;

(g)          until services are brought together they were not aware of how many redundancies would take place;

(h)          there was a statutory obligation to provide needs assessment and to respond to those needs to provide the right support and package.  There was also a need to protect front line services who manage the statutory obligations and there were clear efficiencies to be made when the local authority merges with health, they would look at back office and management functions to make those efficiencies;

(i)           Caring Plymouth would be undertaking a review on 2 and 3 July 2014 looking at the more detailed business case and for officers to begin to describe the journey of travel;

(j)           they were working closely with the commissioning teams and the Dignity and Care Forum to ensure that care workers are of the required standard, by co-designing training provision and to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

The panel will receive a report on community services for the 21^st century.

Nicola Jones, NEW Devon CCG provided the panel with an overview on Community Services for the 21^st Century.   It was reported that the strategy sets out the proposed direction for community services and the views of public, service users and stakeholders were important to shaping community services for the 21^st century.

In response to questions raised, it was reported that -

(a)           there were no blueprint yet for the health and wellbeing hubs.  NEW Devon CCG were keen to have discussions with public health on what these hubs would look like.   There were examples of HWB Hubs across the country and they were working to capture what works;

(b)          the minor injuries unit at the Cumberland Centre would be bundled up into a wider service for urgent care.  This offer would go out to the market and we may have one organisation or an alliance putting in a tender to take on that service;

(c)           they have procurement expertise as part of the programme of work and all officers were up to date on the current legalisation.  There  would be future opportunity to scrutinise this work further on the procurement of the service model (review);

(d)          they were looking to reduce stays in the acute hospital and try to ensure that patients should not stay longer than they have to.  They were looking to commence the discharge process when a patient is first admitted and more use of technology in the provision of healthcare;

(e)          the Cumberland Centre was a well receive service which has led to capacity issues which reflects the high demand.

Agreed that –

1.         the panel send comments to the Lead Officer on the strategy so that a response to the draft strategy is prepared and the for the panel to look at on 2 July 2014 prior to submission to NEW Devon CCG on 8 July 2014;

2.         NEW Devon CCG to bring back the draft locality plan for health and wellbeing hubs to include the service model and procurement process to select community providers (once developed but before it is undertaken).  Timescale to be confirmed;

3.         provide further information about the adequacy of personalised budgets and regularity of reviews/assessments.

(Councillor Dr Mahony left the meeting at 2 pm).

The panel will receive a presentation on Integrated Health and Social Care.

Craig Williams, Interim Programme Manager for Integrated, Health and Wellbeing provided the panel with an update on integrated health and social care.  This is a joint venture across the council and the clinical commissioning group (ccg) with the aim of achieving efficiencies and how to work more creatively in the future.

In response to questions raised it was reported that -

(a)        the Better Care Fund (BCF) requires us to measure against 7 key indicators. These measures will be built into the programme and will measure the changes in activity that we want to see.  It was pointed out that this is not new money it’s about how we use existing money more creatively;

(b)          Caring Plymouth on the 2 and 3 July 2014 will look at Fairer Charging with the panel having the opportunity to undertake a deep dive and help co-design;

(c)           that money was the biggest challenge, with budget pressures on social care teams.  The more we start to think about the person and helping them as a whole person.  This is the right time for Plymouth to make the changes and to start the integration;

(d)          reducing health inequalities was important and public health were integral to this process.  The commissioners and public health need to be at the heart of this and we won’t achieve the changes if we do not involve public health. 

(Councillor Dr Mahony returned to the meeting at 2.50 pm).

The panel to discuss future items for inclusion on the Caring Plymouth work programme 2014 – 15.

The panel noted the work programme and agreed that the following to be added to the work programme -

·       Maternity Services review jointly with Devon and Cornwall;

·         CAMHS pathway to services;

·         Transformation – additional meeting in November;

·         Healthwatch Contract;

·         Imagining at Derriford Hospital – delays.

The panel is asked to note the dates of future meetings for the municipal year 2014 – 2015.  All meetings will commence at 2 pm –

Thursday 7 August 2014

Thursday 11 September 2014

Thursday 11 December 2014

Thursday 29 January 2015

Thursday 5 March 2015

Future meeting dates for the Caring Plymouth scrutiny panel in 2014/15 were noted as follows –

·      7 August 2014

·      11 September 2014

·      11 December 2014

·      29 January 2015

·      5 March 2015

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it (they) involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

There were no items of exempt business.