Agenda item

Councillor Brian Mattock, the Deputy Leader of the Council and Vice Chair of Cabinet and Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, was in attendance and presented a detailed report summarising progress and performance in respect of each of the following service areas within his portfolio of responsibility:

·        Adult Services (older people, people with a learning disability, physical disabilities, and mental health);

·        Adult Voluntary Sector Contracts;

·        Implementation of Care Act 2014;

·        Adult Local Safeguarding Board;

·        Public Health – Adults;

·        Supported Housing;

·        Learning Disability Partnership Board;

·        Maintaining links between the Council and partner organisations in the Health Services;

·        SEQOL Client Lead Member;

·        Health Improvement;

·        Sexual Health;

·        Specific Strategic Projects (Wichelstowe).

At the request of the Chair, Councillor Mattock, in his presentation of the report, commented specifically on those elements within his portfolio which he felt had been most successful, those where a different approach might have produced better results and the lessons that might have been learned as a consequence, and the challenges he expected to be faced by the Council relation to these service areas in the coming year and beyond, particularly in relation to on-going budgetary constraints.

Following his presentation of the report, Councillor Mattock responded to members’ specific questions and observations on the following topics:

·        The vetting of adverts featured on the “MyCare MySupport” advice and information website and legal responsibility for the legitimacy of those adverts.

·        The reasons behind the significant increase in the number of allegations of abuse made to the Local Safeguarding Adults Board and the validation of the suggestion that this is more to do with improved awareness, reporting and recording than socio-economic factors.

·        The levels of support offered by the Swindon Advice and Support Centre during its first year of operation.

·        The significant numbers of people using the Citizen’s Advice Bureau for advice on debt and finance issues and the resultant claims for additional benefits.

·        The Harbour Project and the impact of increasing numbers of asylum seekers and refugees on Adult Social Care and other services.

·        The participation of General Practices in supporting the Swindon Dementia Strategy and the delivery of dementia services in Swindon.

·        The composition, terms of reference and agreed objectives of the Dementia Steering Group.

·        Housing and Adult Social Care joint solutions and the retention the housing allocation function within the Council’s housing services’ function.

o   The distinction to be made between the responsibility for meeting the cost of providing dementia care services for individuals and the cost of meeting and managing the housing need of each particular service user.

·        The Council’s work with its health partners and providers of residential and domiciliary care to reduce the delayed discharges from hospital and future objectives for reducing delayed discharges.

·        The complex health support problems of individuals and the implications of these support issues for discharge to Adult Social Care.

o   The additional capacity allocated by the Council to SEQOL to expedite requests for service and care packages in order to facilitate quicker hospital discharges. 

·        The Cabinet Member’s assessment of the ability of Adult Social Care to respond to any increase in the demand for services as a result of, and proposed increase in, the numbers of asylum seekers entering the country.

·        The adult physical activity data in the appendices to the report and the availability of comparative data for children.

·        The “Get Swindon Active Strategy 2015-20” and the possibility of promoting the strategy via the Localities.

·        The details of the key priority for 2015/16 of “reshaping and development of supported housing options for older people, those with learning disabilities and young people, so people are able to live locally with appropriate support and improved access to employment”.

o   The Cabinet Member’s assessment of the action required to fully achieve this objective and the numbers of service users likely to be directly affected by reshaping in the current year.

·        Adult Safeguarding and the LGA report that 150 cases of adult abuse are being reported every day.

·        The on-going issue with the provision of the Memory Clinic Service in Swindon and the current waiting list for that service.

·        The availability of health checks for people with learning disabilities. 

·        Support for the Learning Disability Partnership Board in co-ordinating the Joint Health and Social Care Self-Assessment Framework.

·        Hospital discharges and the availability of data relating to planned operations and re-admissions.

·        The pre-planning of hospital stays and care packages in order to reduce the number of delayed discharges.

o   The “shift” of resource allocation from acute hospital operation to preventative action.

o   The benefits of enhancing the Better Care Fund and the integration of health and adult social care services.

o   Swindon specific initiatives in support of preventaive action.

o   “Circles of Support” provided for individual service users via the Localities Team.

·        The Mental Capacity Act and the use of only registered service providers.

·        The status of proposed supported housing schemes.

·        The timeframe for the registration of carers.

·        Additional supporting information that the Cabinet Member might consider including in his next progress report to the Committee.  

Resolved – (1) That Councillor Mattock be thanked for attending the meeting to present this performance report and for his full and open responses to members’ questions and observations on the issues raised.

(2) That information requested by members during the course of the Committee’s consideration of this item be forwarded to members via the Committee Clerk.

(Councillor Carol Shelley made a non-prejudicial interest regarding discussion about the Citizens Advice Bureau, in her capacity as a volunteer at the organisation.)