Agenda item

IMPROVING QUALITY AND OUTCOMES, INCREASING CHOICE AND CONTROL - THE MODERNISATION OF ADULT SOCIAL CARE SERVICE PROVISION

The Director for People will submit a written report updating and seeking agreement to the continued direction of travel for the modernisation of the Adult Social Care service. 

In particular it proposes five key strategic projects that will deliver “Improved Quality and Outcomes and Increased Choice and Control”

  • Improving the community meals service through a trading model
  • Improving the social care reablement service
  • Improving the quality in dementia care
  • Delivering a new model for short break provision
  • Improving the choice and control in day opportunities.

Minutes:

The Director for People submitted a written report updating Members and seeking agreement to the continued direction of travel in relation to the council’s ambitious plans for modernising the Adult Social Care Service. 

In particular it proposed five key strategic projects that would deliver “improved quality and outcomes and increased choice and control” –

 

  • improving the community meals service through a trading model;
  • improving the social care reablement service;
  • improving the quality in dementia care;
  • delivering a new model for short break provision;
  • improving the choice and control in day opportunities.

 

Councillor McDonald (Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care) presented the report and referred to the trade union protest before the meeting, in relation to these proposals. She also thanked staff for their work.

 

In response to questions, Cabinet Members were advised that safeguarding was essential and that the monitoring of contracts would be key to ensuring high standards of service.  The Assistant Director for Joint Commissioning and Adult Social Care indicated that robust contract monitoring was already in place for existing contracts.      

    

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

 

As set out in the report.

 

In order to improve quality and outcomes and increase choice and control, the five key programmes of work that will fundamentally transform the way the council deliver services are supported and the following recommendations are agreed -

 

Strategic Project

Recommendation

Timeline

1.

Improving community meals service through a trading model

 

 

Transfer provision of the existing community meals service to the education catering service and consult with staff about this.

 

 

January – April 2013

2.

Improving the social care reablement service

 

 

Re-tender all existing domiciliary care services in the independent sector totalling £13m per annum to include the in-house reablement service

 

February - August 2013

Begin consultation with staff about the transfer of this service to the independent sector.

January/February 2013

Once the results of the consultations in relation to programmes 3, 4 and 5 are known, a further report will be submitted to Cabinet for a decision:

 

3.

Improving quality in dementia care

 

 

Consult with residents of Lakeside Residential Care Home and their families (using advocacy services where appropriate) and dedicated social work professionals about plans to improve residential provision in the City for service users with dementia and the future use of Lakeside Residential Care. Their views will be taken into account regarding any decisions concerning the de-commissioning of Lakeside Residential Care Home and the re-provision of alternative services

 

 

January – March 2013

Begin consultation with staff about the use of Lakeside Residential Care Home

 

January – March 2013

4.

A new model for short break provision

 

Consult with people who use Colwill Lodge, their carers, families, staff and stakeholders to explore alternative provider models of service delivery such as mutuals, cooperatives and social enterprises, with the intention to continue to provide as a minimum the same level of facilities and services from the same premises.

 

 

Autumn 2013

5.

Increasing choice and control in day opportunities

 

 

Consult with people who use Plymouth City Council managed day service their families and carers (using advocacy services where appropriate) and dedicated social work professionals about the future of day opportunities in the City and the use of in-house building based provision. Their views will be taken into account regarding any decisions concerning reducing the number of building based centres managed by the City Council.

 

 

February – April 2013

Begin consultation with staff about the proposals for day opportunities.

February – April 2013

 

(During consideration of this item, the meeting was adjourned for a fire alarm).

Supporting documents: