Councillor Temperton to Councillor Birch, Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing
Heathlands was opened in April to ensure Bracknell Residents receive the Specialist care and attention they need. We all welcomed and celebrated this. August and the CQC inspection declared the rating Inadequate- not safe, not effective, not well led with improvements needed in care and in service response. The report was damning and concerned some of our most vulnerable residents. What has been done to ensure all the improvements are put in place within the time scale specified?
Councillor Neil to Councillor Harrison, Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection
In every area where we knock on doors, residents report blatant drug dealing, intimidation, unchecked anti-social behaviour, and so on. People used to report these issues but as nothing happens in response to their calls, they now tell us they have given up reporting in. What can the Council do to restore confidence in community safety and neighbourhood policing?
Councillor Bidwell to Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning
Presumably the Youth Centre in Braccan Walk is now open for all. What is being provided there? And what has been the uptake?
Councillor Brown to Councillor Heydon, Executive Member for Transformation and Finance
I recently met with senior council officers at the Priestwood Square Neighbourhood Shopping Centre to highlight the serious repairs required to the fabric of the buildings there. Considering the limited budget of £85K being made available for ‘tidying’ all of Bracknell’s neighbourhood shopping centres, what is the realistic cost to restore them all to a state of good repair?
Minutes:
Councillor Temperton asked Councillor Birch, Executive Member for Adult Services, Health and Housing the following published question:
Heathlands was opened in April to ensure Bracknell Residents receive the Specialist care and attention they need. We all welcomed and celebrated this. August and the CQC (Care Quality Commission) inspection declared the rating Inadequate- not safe, not effective, not well led with improvements needed in care and in service response. The report was damming and concerned some of our most vulnerable residents.
What has been done to ensure all the improvements are put in place within the time scale specified?
In response Councillor Birch stated that Heathlands delivers more than just dementia care and that the CQC inspection was only in relation to the dementia care element of the site and that the Council is not responsible for delivering dementia nursing care at Heathlands. However, Council officers and partners in the NHS had been undertaking detailed and intensive work to support the operator, that being Windsar Care, to make the necessary improvements.
Councillor Birch stated that Windsar Care, as the registered provider, are responsible for developing and delivering the improvement plan that they had agreed with the Care Quality Commission and that the plan outlines actions in response to each of the issues identified by the inspection. Council officers are providing support and advice as needed and monitoring the provider’s improvement journey. Delivery of each part of the plan has been overseen by a representative from one of the following teams – Care Home Quality Team, Medical Optimisation in Care Homes, Safeguarding, Community Mental Health and Commissioning. The plan is reviewed by Windsar Care initially and then shared jointly for the Council to assist.
Actions included in the plan include training, audits of practice and medication procedures, developing and auditing support plan, recruitment of skilled staff including a new manager and new deputy manager and many other things. Each action is validated before it is signed off with joint review meetings taking place on a fortnightly basis.
Councillor Birch explained that to ensure that people within the facility are safe the council had undertaken a range of specific safeguarding activities. These included reviews of staffing rotas and risk assessments, welfare visits, targeted medication training, observations, and individual safeguarding meetings. Weekly council meetings are being chaired by the Assistant Director for Commissioning to review progress, analyse risks, and to consider necessary actions.
Councillor explained that the CQC had re-inspected Heathlands in the first week of November and that the Council was awaiting the outcome of this inspection but, stands ready to provide further assistance to the operator should it be needed. Windsar Care as the operator will be the first to see the report and will then share it with the council so no comments regarding the outcome of that inspection could be shared at this time.
Councillor Temperton appreciated all that had been done and hoped for a positive outcome to the latest inspection. She asked whether the monitoring and support provided by council officers would continue after the publication of the report to ensure that the changes implemented were sustained.
Councillor Birch replied that it is the practice of the Council to monitor and provide assistance to all its care homes and that would continue as part of the Council’s normal, regular and rigorous monitoring of all care providers in the borough.
Councillor Neil asked Councillor Harrison, Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection the following published question:
In every area where we knock on doors, residents report blatant drug dealing, intimidation, unchecked anti-social behaviour, and so on. People used to report these issues but as nothing happens in response to their calls, they now tell us they have given up reporting in. What can the Council do to restore confidence in community safety and neighbourhood policing?
In response Councillor Harrison advised that it may not always be obvious to those reporting crime and anti-social behaviour that those reports are being acted upon. However, all reports are important as it helps police and partners develop a clear picture of where crime and disorder is taking place in the borough. This helps them plan their activities and prioritise resources according to highest levels of threat, harm and risk. If reports are not made, police and other agencies will be unaware of issues. Any information regarding the issue is useful and as much detail as possible is encouraged.
Councillor Harrison reported some local success stories around the reporting of anti-social behaviour that had helped the police respond to the issue. Highlighting Councillor Mrs Birch’s work in Hanworth around car meets and racing as well as Councillor McKenzie-Boyle’s work in Crowthorne bringing together different agencies to secure funding for youth outreach work in the area to tackle the causes of crime.
Councillor Harrison advised that he had raised issues of police resourcing in meetings with the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner to try and support the recruitment of Police Community Support Officers to bolster local community policing.
Councillor Neil thanked Councillor Harrison for his response and asked how Councillors could reassure residents around what is happening and how they are being supported.
Councillor Bidwell asked Councillor Dr Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Learning the following published question:
Presumably the Youth Centre in Braccan Walk is now open for all. What is being provided there? And what has been the uptake?
Councillor Dr Barnard advised that Braccan Walk Youth Centre became operational in April 2021 and that the Centre receives referrals from a wide range of sources and is actively engaged with schools, muti-agency partners, and stakeholders across the borough, working closely with young people and their carers.
Councillor Dr Barnard explained that the centre provides structured group activities and bespoke individual sessions for young people offering support and guidance in response to their personalised plans based on assessments completed by the youth workers and provides open access for young people over school holidays.
Councillor Dr Barnard advised that this model was designed based on the feedback from young people and partners and that the following groups were being run from the centre:
Princes Trust Employment Project
A 12-week programme supporting young people into employment, sessions provided for 12 young people daily.
Sexual Health Drop in
Drop-in sessions for young people who require information around positive relationships and sexual health. This session has a doctor present. 52 clinics have been held at the Centre since January 2022 with 151 young people having attended to date.
Young Carers Drop in
Sessions aimed at young carers aged 13+ to provide a safe space to explore their young caring roles and to have some free time away from their families. On average 10 young people a week attend the sessions. 6 young carers have successfully completed their First aid Certificate whilst attending.
Elevate
A team based at Braccan Walk to support young people who are not in employment education and learning. The sessions have on average 12 young people attending.
LGBTQ+ Drop in
The sessions are aimed at young people who require support and space to explore and discover themselves in a safe environment. As part of the planning and assessment for young people to safely access the group there is work completed with a youth worker prior to attending the group. There are 25 young people who regularly access the group.
College Drop In
To support young people with additional needs who have recently started college. The group provides young people with an opportunity to seek support from peers and to meet staff to support them with the transition to college and an opportunity to discuss issues with college, home, and relationships. 12 young people attending weekly.
Youth Work 1-1 Sessions
Youth workers provide bespoke individual sessions for young people based on specific needs using the 1-1 rooms regularly to meet young people open to the service. There are 35 young people regularly accessing individual sessions.
Youth Justice Team & Makesafe Team
Both teams are making regular weekly usage of the centre, independently meeting young people and providing ongoing support around criminal behaviour and exploitation.
SILSIP – (Say It Loud, Say It Proud)
The leaving care team and SILSIP are regularly accessing the building providing regular evening sessions and some holiday work.
The plan is to consolidate upon the programme and provide a broader range of activities working with our partners to broaden experiences and develop services further and with a broader reach across the borough.
Councillor Dr Barnard provided a general update around future planning and explained that work had recently started to look at the broader youth offer in Bracknell Forest with a view to ensuring that our offer meets the needs of all the children/ young people in the borough.
Councillor Bidwell thanked Councillor Dr Barnard for his response but, stated that he did not believe that his question had been responded to and further clarified that he was asking specifically about the uptake of the youth centre element of the Braccan walk site.
Councillor Dr Barnard explained that he had gone through, in detail, the number of young people attending each of the various services at the Bracknell Youth Hub.
and that the model of service offered was that of integrated delivery with the range of services available forming part of the wider youth centre offer.
Councillor Dr Barnard explained that a universal, all-access youth hub was not the delivery model designed but, discussions were being had about further expanding the services on offer in the future.
Councillor Brown asked Councillor Heydon, Executive Member for Transformation and Finance the following published question:
I recently met with senior council officers at the Priestwood Square Neighbourhood Shopping Centre to highlight the serious repairs required to the fabric of the buildings there. Considering the limited budget of £85K being made available for ‘tidying’ all of Bracknell’s neighbourhood shopping centres, what is the realistic cost to restore them all to a state of good repair?
In response Councillor Heydon advised that he had consulted officers on the meetings findings and understood that it had been explained to Councillor Brown that there were some items to be rectified but these were serious repairs and some of the items discussed were the responsibility of either the tenants or landlords and not the Council.
Councillor Heydon explained that all property is being moved into a corporate landlord model whereby property professionals take on responsibility for these matters. He explained that all Council property is subject to a five-year condition survey which establishes the quality of the estate and prioritises what work has to be done. This is then input into the annual Planned Maintenance and Routine Maintenance schedules, budgets, and capital budgets if necessary. This is continuously monitored as emergency and other repairs are frequently needed. Councillor Heydon gave the recent example of work undertaken at Priestwood Shopping Centre which saw the replacement of all the guttering.
Councillor Heydon explained that recent focus had been on the need to deliver the Lexicon and that following that attention was switching to the various neighbourhood centres across the borough. Councillor Heydon stated that to do both simultaneously would not have been possible in relation to both costs and resources.
Councillor Heydon stated that he felt ‘Tidying’ was an appropriate word in relation to this issue as it referred to small works needed to keep neighbourhoods in good repair. He explained that the total planned and reactive maintenance budgets for this were £2.25 million per annum across the Council’s estate, excluding Schools and that the £85k fund must be considered within context.
Councillor Brown explained that she did not think the issues she’s raised are superficial and asked whether Councillor Heydon considered sodden and black damp proof courses as not very serious?
Councillor Heydon replied that he did but that these were identified as part of the site condition survey and that a number of those issues were not the responsibility of the Council which had been explained the Councillor Brown at the time.