Issue - meetings

Purpose of the item: To provide a progress update on the programmes which make up the ASC transformation programme and to share the ambition for 2022/23.

Witnesses:

• Sinead Mooney – Cabinet Member for Adults and Health
• Liz Uliasz – Deputy Director of Adult Social Care
• Kathryn Pyper – Senior Programme Manager, Adult Social Care
• Sue Murphy – CEO, Catalyst
• Immy Markwick – Mental Health Lead, Independent Mental Health Network

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The Senior Programme Manager introduced the report and highlighted the scale of the Transformation Programmes, which covered seven areas of Adult Social Care (ASC). An overview of each of the Transformation Programmes was provided to the Select Committee Members. The Transformation Programmes were designed to deliver savings of £8.7 million in the 2021/22 financial year and it was expected that just over £5 million of those would be achieved. This was largely a consequence of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on care packages. ASC had bid for £3.3 million of funding which would be used to invest in achieving financial benefits of £13.8 million. The progress of each Transformation Programme was robustly monitored by the ASC Leadership Team.  

2. A Member asked whether other areas in ASC would receive reduced funding, in attempt to achieve the efficiencies which the Transformation Programmes were unlikely to fulfil. The Member also questioned whether the assumption of investment to produce financial benefits had been factored into the plans from the start. The Deputy Director of ASC explained that the focus was on remodelling delivery of services, rather than delivering financial cuts. The most appropriate outcomes for service users were the priority. The Cabinet Member for Adults and Health highlighted that the Transformation Programmes were about developing the Council’s offer through improving the quality of care and developing options for service users.

3. A Member enquired about how realistic the expected benefits were, given the continuing impact of the pandemic and high level of inflation, and what mitigations were in place to respond to those pressures. The Deputy Director responded that the savings were about purchasing care in the most efficient way. Fee uplifts had been factored in to ensure that the Council’s fees were sustainable. The ASC team worked closely with the NHS to support them and to plan for future impacts of the pandemic.

4. With reference to the table included on page eight of the report, a Member asked how the level of efficiencies would be achieved through the market management process. The Deputy Director emphasised that this was about the establishment of a different relationship with the provider market and having a dynamic purchasing framework. The Cabinet Member explained that the commissioning team had developed a consistent, and more digitally streamlined, approach. The commissioning team were to provide a more detailed written response to the Member in due course. The Deputy Director added that ASC now had a centralised brokerage team, which ensured that all care packages were sourced through one team.

5. A Member asked whether ASC was on track to deliver all 500 Supported Independent Living units by 2025. The Deputy Director reassured the Member that they were on track to deliver this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5