Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence and to note the attendance of any substitute members.

There were no substitute members.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting held on 14 June 2011.

Matters arising: Southern Cross Care Homes.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Panel held on 14 June 2011 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising:-

Minute 6, Southern Cross Care Homes

Zoe Johnstone updated the Panel.  Work at all levels had been ongoing to ensure that homes continued running to meet residents’ needs.  There were two homes in Maidenhead, housing five Bracknell Forest residents all of whom had chosen to remain.  From 31 October 2011 one home would be transferred to Care UK and the other to Windsor Care Company, both established providers.

Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, including the existence and nature of the party whip, in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest relating to any items on the agenda, nor any indications that members would be participating whilst under the party whip.

To consider the latest trends, priorities and pressures in terms of departmental performance as reported in the PMR for the first quarter of 2011/12 (April to June) relating to Adult Social Care.

Please bring the previously circulated Performance Monitoring Report to the meeting.  Copies are available on request and attached to this agenda if viewed online.

Panel Members are asked to give advance notice to the Overview and Scrutiny Team of any questions relating to the PMR where possible.

The Director of Adult Social Care and Health presented the PMR for the first quarter of 2011/12 (April to June 2011) relating to Adult Social Care.  This would be the last PMR in the current format.

Key activities included:-

• The approval of the interim departmental Service Plan.  Work was underway on contributing to the establishment of new Medium Term Objectives.
• The successful launch in July of the Autism Strategy.
• The refreshing of the Learning Disability Strategy, upon which the Panel had been consulted prior to approval by the Executive Member.
• A successful Carers’ Conference.
• A strong focus on safeguarding, featuring an Adult Safeguarding Partnership Board workshop that had been held to help determine priorities.
• Statutory returns had indicated about the same level of performance as last year.  However judgements were no longer being made on the returns.
• The establishment of the Autism Partnership Board.
• The I-Hub upgrade, enabling people to access advice and guidance through links to the Council’s and external websites.
• The submission of the Learning Disability Partnership Report to the Department of Health.

·         The piloting of a drop-in service at Heathlands Day Care Centre  to support carers who look after people aged 60 and over with memory problems.

Looking forward to :-

• The modernisation of older people’s services
• The implementation of phase 1 of the new Blue Badge regulations .
• The development of a Self Neglect Policy to provide guidance to staff working with people who may not want to co-operate with community care services but were nevertheless vulnerable and potentially at risk.
• The implementation of the new Emergency Duty Team operational model.
• Budget preparation and management.
• The development of the Advocacy Strategy.
• Improvements to Glenfield House.

There were no questions from members and the Chairman thanked the Director for an interesting presentation.

The 2010/11 Adult Safeguarding Annual Report is attached for consideration.

Zoe Johnstone, Chief Officer: Adults and Joint Commissioning, presented the Safeguarding Adults annual report for 2010/11.

She particularly highlighted:-

·         The review of the Berkshire Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedures.  The revised procedures would be web based which were easier to update than the previous hard copies.

·         The Care Governance Board which met monthly to agree how to work with providers.  This had proved to be a very successful and robust approach.

·         The wide range of groups involved in adult safeguarding.

Issues arising from questions:-

• There was a reciprocal arrangement with other local authorities, Berkshire NHS Trust, Berkshire Health Foundation Trust and the Care Quality Commission to share concerns about providers.

• Concerns were assigned flags depending on the risk involved.  A red flag would indicate high risk to people using that service  and no new packages would be commissioned whilst the concerns were being resolved.   A named contact at the Council would work with the provider to make the necessary improvements.  An amber flag indicated medium risk where there was a robust action plan and monitoring regime in place.  

• In relation to the  Anti-Exploitation Group, the age range was for younger adults up to about 28 years with delayed adolescent development.  The Group worked with providers to support the young person appropriately.  

The Chairman thanked the Chief Officer for an interesting report.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

To receive a presentation in respect of substance misuse with a view to commencing a review of the Council’s response, and that of its partners, to the Government’s requirements in its 2010 Drug Strategy.

Jillian Hunt, the Drug and Alcohol Team Manager and Commissioner, gave a presentation on the 2010 Drugs Strategy and payment by results. 

Some of the key points of the strategy were to reduce demand for drugs, intervene early, reduce offending linked to substance misuse, restrict supply, build recovery and drive towards localism in substance misuse services.

A three year substance misuse strategy, aligned with the government drugs strategy, had been developed in Bracknell Forest in consultation with partner agencies and service users.

The new strategy was an innovative way of delivering services with a clear focus on recovery.  Each person in treatment would be assessed and a Tariff set according to complexity of the case.  Personal Tariffs would be allocated to agreed outcomes.   The Local Area Single Assessment and Referral Service would monitor progress against agreed outcomes and would trigger payments.  That service would be independent of the prime provider and would be based within the Drug and Alcohol Team.  The Prime Provider would deliver or sub-contract all interventions.

Data modelling being undertaken nationally had slipped and Bracknell Forest had therefore undertaken its own data modelling.

Bracknell Forest had been chosen as one of eight national pilots for payment by results.

Issues arising in questions:-

• The incentive to achieve results was that payments were not made until the client was in recovery.
• There would also be incentives for getting people into treatment, eg, paying pharmacies for screening needle exchange patients who were not already in treatment.
• Patients from outside of the borough would not be included in the programme unless their home authority made the payments.
• A member asked if a drug seminar could be repeated for the benefit of new members but was informed that the DAAT budget would not stretch to that.  A suggestion was to investigate the possibility of including such a seminar in the member development programme.

RESOLVED that a working group be established to undertake a review of the Council’s response, and that of its partners, to the Government’s requirements in its 2010 Drug Strategy.  Jillian Hunt and Mira Haynes would lead on departmental officer input to the working group.  Councillors Virgo, Brossard and Blatchford agreed to sit on the group and they were asked to advise the Chairman, in due course, who would be the Lead Member.

A presentation in respect of the work and remit of the Emergency Duty Team will be provided.  The presentation slides are attached.

Abbie Murr, Head of Emergency Duty Services, gave a presentation in respect of the work and remit of the Emergency Duty Team.

The team actioned the statutory responsibilities of the local authority outside of normal working hours and were also the last EDT to offer some non-statutory services such as crisis loans.  They provided a service to all client groups across the Berkshire unitary authorities.

Information arising in the presentation:-

• Bracknell Forest EDT was –

Ø      the only one that had access to so many databases and systems;

Ø      the first one in the country to have access to the Health database;

Ø      the first one in the country to be able to access the local authority databases by GCSX.

• A Berkshire-wide Volunteer Appropriate Adult Scheme had been established to accompany young people and vulnerable adults in custody when being interviewed by the police.  On average there were two requests a night and they could be up to several hours duration.  Volunteers would be paid £15 expenses for each attendance.  There were currently 45 volunteers awaiting training.  Training would take about two weeks and then the volunteer would shadow on three occasions.

• EDT was subject to inspection each time one of the unitary authorities was inspected.  The same questions were asked on each occasion and the service had been found to be good on each inspection.

The Director of Adult Services and Health thanked the Head of Emergency Duty Services and her team for all their work with the other authorities.

To note an oral report on the outcome of the Carers’ Conference held on 7 September 2011.

Mira Haynes, Chief Officer: Older People and Long Term Conditions, gave an oral report of the Carers’ Conference held on 7 September 2011.  The conference was aimed at adult unpaid carers of adults of 18+ years.  The event gave carers the opportunity to give their feedback on what was working for them, what wasn’t working and what needed to change in the future.

84 people attended, most of them carers, and feedback received included:-

• Carers valued the carers’grant and respite care.  Some new carers did not know about these.  A member asked how these people could be identified.  Carers’ lunches were held four times a year and these services were promoted there.  The support of GP surgeries was required to signpost carers to the services available.
• Carers wanted GPs to understand their role.
• Carers wanted a counselling service, training support and to work more closely with GPs.

Feedback from the conference would help the Council to identify its priorities for carers for the next few years.  A consultation was also underway, via www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk, which would conclude on Monday, October 31.

The Director reported that he and the Director of Children, Young People and Learning were looking at how to engage with young carers.  They were working closely across the two departments on issues and early identification.

To receive updates in respect of:

a)      the implementation of recommendations contained in ‘Staying Safe’, the report of the review of safeguarding adults in the context of personalisation;

b)      progress achieved to date in respect of the roll out of the personalisation of Adult Social Care.

Zoe Johnstone, Chief Officer: Adults and Joint Commissioning, presented the report informing of the progress on the recommendations from the working group advising on safeguarding adults in the context of personalisation.  Annex 1 to the report updated the progress against the recommendations made by the working group.

The Panel noted the report.  Councillor Harrison referred to the excellent working group report and subsequent response  and made reference to the fact that in future working group reports and Executive responses to them would not have to be channelled through the Overview & Scrutiny Commission.

The Panel is invited to note its agreed Work Programme for 2011/12 and proposed new powers explained in the attached report.

The Panel noted:-

·         The work programme for 2011/12.

·         The proposed amendment to the Constitution to extend to the O&S Panels the Commission’s power to adopt O&S reports, the making of recommendations to the Executive, full Council and other organisations, and the consideration of responses to O&S reports.

The Chairman referred to a report to the Executive next week on modernisation of older people’s services.  He suggested the establishment of a working group to monitor this piece of work. 

RESOLVED that a working group be established to monitor the implementation of the modernisation of older people’s services. 

Councillors Mrs Temperton, Allen, Brossard and Harrison (subject to meeting times) agreed to sit on the group and they were asked to advise the Chairman, in due course, who would be the Lead Member.

To note the Bi-Annual Progress Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive on the Bi-Annual Progress Report was noted.

To consider forthcoming items on the Executive Forward Plan relating to Adult Social Care.

The Panel noted the forthcoming items relating to Adult Social Care on the Executive Forward Plan

The Director would add to the Forward Plan those decisions that would be referred back to the Executive after consultation in respect of the modernisation of older peole’s services.

A Member requested that the Panel be kept informed of progress regarding the local implementation of reforms to the Blue Badge disabled parking permit scheme.