Name

Minute No.  and Subject

Reason

Interest

Councillor Gordon

26 Fairer Contributions Policy

Disabled former serviceman

Personal

1. proposals within the white paper were designed to radically overhaul the National Health Service, including the abolition of the Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities;

2. the paper suggested significant additional responsibilities for local authorities including a duty for Public Health;

3. proposals included the replacement of the statutory functions with regard to Health Scrutiny and the establishment of a local ‘Health and Wellbeing Board’;

4. there would be further detail in publications expected from the Department of Health by the end of July, panel members would continue to be kept up to date with publications and briefings.

1. the document was a refreshed Carers Strategy which had been in operation for three years;

2. the strategy reflected the ‘Putting People First Agenda’ which introduced a more sustainable and “person centred” system for social care;

3. the Carers Strategy priorities were based on ‘The Carers Compass’ (Kings fund, 1998) which set out a framework based on research which reflected the priorities expressed by carers;

4. the Carers Strategic Partnership and Planning Group had developed the strategy;

5. there had been a twelve week consultation period for the Carers Strategy and feedback had been received from a wide range of bodies from the community and voluntary sector along with some individual responses;

6. the Carers Strategic Partnership Board would monitor the implementation of the Strategy.

7. there were carers in the city as young as six years old;

8. concern was expressed that there was a large number of young carers in the city that were not known to the authority. Along with Children’s Services a joint approach was being developed to find them. This would include working with schools to identify possible young carers and the reasons why they were caring for others;

9. a new carers handbook was currently in draft form and being circulated to carers for comment. It was hoped that the handbook would be updated annually;

10. the service would be working with doctor’s surgeries, libraries and other universal services such as leisure services to increase the dissemination of information on services for carers. The Health Service used a different service provider for their carers contract and discussions are taking place to join up commissioning arrangements for carers;

11. the Carers Champion contract provides emotional advice, outreach and a point of contact for crisis and benefits information. The service commissioned St. John Ambulance to provide carers training. The service supported 2000 carers, provided a newsletter and administered a hardship fund.

1. a copy of the action plan implementing recommendations in appendix one and the ‘What we aim to do’ sections of the strategy is considered by the panel following the initial meeting of the Carer’s Strategic Partnership Board in September;

2. the information and advice strategy is distributed to members of the panel;

3. the panel would continue to monitor the action plan and work with the Carers Strategic Partnership Board to ensure that plans are sufficient for the needs identified.

1. the purpose of the report was to outline a period of consultation with users and carers on the alternative provision of services currently available at Frank Cowl House, Stirling House and Lakeside;

2. those residents who wished to move from Frank Cowl House into the new unit with the same level of care and support would be able to do so;

3. no long term resident would be forced to move as a result of the proposals.

4. there would be a 12 week consultation process on the proposals;

5. a number of consultation events were proposed for the area, there would also be an online questionnaire for consultation response and residents would receive one to one support from independent advocates. There would be an independent overview of the entire consultation process;

6. residents of Frank Cowl House would receive first choice of the extra care accommodation in Devonport.

1. Cabinet recommendations 26 (5, 8) of the 13 July 2010 are accepted and a Project Initiation Document on the Modernisation of Adult Social Care is prepared for forwarding to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board;

2. consultation events in Devonport are publicised in the Devonport Regeneration Community Partnership office.

1. the paper was a response to new guidance from the Department of Health that required a new way of charging to be implemented;

2. changes must be made although there would be discretionary elements which would be the basis of the statutory consultation period;

3. as recommended in the report, key questions would be whether disability related benefits should be removed from assessable income, whether the maximum contribution should be set at 100% of the personal budget, whether transitional support be put in place to help those whose contributions could change and how best to inform people of a new charging policy;

4. a comprehensive consultation process would take place, every person who was charged for a service would receive a letter explaining the proposed changes and have the opportunity to complete and return a questionnaire, there would be an office hours telephone line available to deal with queries and an online calculator to assess how changes might affect them. Consultation packs would be provided to community and voluntary groups and workshops were planned for early September.

5. the decision to include Disability Living Allowance and Disability Mobility Allowance as income was made in 2006;

6. the proposal could lead to a loss of income in the region of £320,000, the figure was the result of a desktop exercise based on a small sample of service users. There were, however, likely to be efficiency savings from improved processes relating to charging a more detailed analysis would be provided at the end of the consultation process.

1. Cabinet recommendations 27(1) of the 13 July 2010  are accepted and the proposal is added to the Project Initiation Document on Modernisation of Adult Social care being prepared for forwarding to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board;

2. a list of charities consulted would be made available to the panel.

4. recommendation six allowed for future consideration of who was best placed to deliver a specialist service. It was possible in the future that the local authority may consider commissioning an outside provider;

5. the standard of care in the service was very high, the proposals were not a reflection on the quality of care given but rather a response to the sub standard buildings and facilities at Welby.

1. a date for an update on the Dementia Strategy would be identified following consultation on the Lead Officer for the dementia strategy;

2. the panels revised work programme was approved.