Agenda and minutes
PDF 59 KBVenue: Committee Room C, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN. View directions
Contact: Leah O'Donovan
| No. | Item |
|---|---|
|
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: Apologies were received from Caroline Nichols and Michael Gosling. There were no substitutions. |
|
|
MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 11 OCTOBER 2012
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Minutes: The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting. |
|
|
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: There were no declarations of interests. |
|
|
QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (26 November 2012). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (23 November 2012). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Minutes: There were no questions or petitions. |
|
|
RESPONSES FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE TO ISSUES REFERRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. It was reported to Committee that the Chairman had been in attendance at Cabinet on 27 November 2012. She had expressed concerns in relation to the Adult Mental Health Services Public Value Review (PVR), in particular to the number of young people making the transition to Adult Social Care with mental health issues. Cabinet were requested to pay further focus to what support could be given to young people in order to help their transition to Adult Social Care.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None. |
|
|
DIRECTOR'S UPDATE
The Strategic Director of Adult Social Care will update the Committee on any significant developments since the last meeting. Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Sarah Mitchell, Strategic Director for Adult Social Care
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Director of Adult Social Care gave an update on the developments in Adult Social Care, this included a summary of the work being undertaken as result of the Learning Disabilities PVR. There was an initiative in place looking at the cost of care with placements both in and out County. The Director of Adult Social Care reported that there had been some delay in achieving the savings identified, and that this was a result of difficulties around the recruitment of Social Workers. The work was now due to begin after December. This would involve matching a Social Worker with a colleague from Procurement in order to identify where effective savings could be made in the costs of both new placements and by reviewing long-term placements.
2. The Committee questioned whether the cost of the salary saved by not recruiting balanced against the cost of the savings not being made as a result of the work not being undertaken. It was reported that the cost of the savings outweighed any savings made by having not recruited to a post. The Committee heard of the difficulties in recruiting experienced qualified staff into posts. Feedback from Social Workers seemed to indicate that there was a growing preference for agency work.
3. The Committee were asked to consider reviewing the PVR in March 2013 as it would then enable them to be part of the budgeting process. The Director of Adult Social Care expressed that she wished to ensure that the Select Committee had ongoing involvement with the development of the work.
4. The Committee raised a question regarding the personalisation of Learning Disabilities services, and who looks after the clients’ interests in such instances. The Director of Adult Social Care reported that this was the responsibility of Surrey Mind Advocacy Services.
Recommendations:
None
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Select Committee Next Steps:
To review the work that has been undertaken as result of the Learning Disabilities PVR. |
|
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Dave Sargeant, Assistant Director for Personal Care & Support Shelley Head, Senior Manager, North West Surrey Mikki Toogood, Carers Practice Development Manager
Jane Thornton, CEO, Action for Carers
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Assistant Director for Personal Care & Support outlined that concerns around the support in place for carers had led to the setting up of a Members Reference Group, and subsequently the Carers Practice and Performance Group.
2. The CEO of Action for Carers reported that it was felt that there had been improvements made, and praised the development of a good ethos. Carers were still reporting some concerns about not having named practitioners, however the appointment of Practitioners with a Carers lead was highlighted as being a positive step.
3. The Assistant Director for Personal Care & Support described the work in place to break down team performance to a local level, in order to identify areas of good practice and areas for improvement. The Committee were informed that further recruitment was being undertaken and that it was an ambition of Adult Social Care to ensure that every carer had a named worker.
4. The Committee were informed that there was now a drive to ensure that every carer would be offered a joint assessment. Historically this was measured against the national local authority performance indicator N135, however the Carers Practice and Performance Group recommended six key performance indicators that would give a fairer reflection of the Council’s performance in relation to assessments. These were reported on a monthly basis, while reporting on N135 would be on an annual basis. It was also reported that there was an emphasis being placed on undertaking whole family assessments.
5. Members raised a question about the sixth performance measure, which set out to gather the views of carers in the form of a survey. It was reported that this was the first survey of its kind and it set a benchmark. There had been a 40% return so far and the results were looking positive. The Committee were informed that there was a large amount of qualitative data being returned. The survey was intended to be undertaken over a period of time in order to ensure outcomes could be effectively measured.
6. The Committee were informed that work was in place to improve the identification and support of young carers. Resources were being developed by the Carers Practice Development Manager. The Committee asked for further information on the process in place to link with schools around identifying the needs of young carers. The CEO of Action for Carers reported that they were commissioned to liaise with schools and outlined some of the work in place in relation to this.
7. The Committee discussed the development of a volunteer base to support young carers. Work was being undertaken to ensure that the profile of the volunteer base was being diversified, but that it also took into account the views of the carers in relation ... view the full minutes text for item 72/12 |
|
|
DIRECT PAYMENT REVIEW GROUP
Minutes:
Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
John Woods, Assistant Director, Transformation Caroline Jones, Senior Manager, Transformation Sarah Mitchell, Strategic Director for Adult Social Care Dan Wilson, Auditor
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Assistant Director, Transformation, outlined the findings of the Direct Payment Review Group. It was recognised that direct payments offered better outcomes and better value for money for clients, however there was also a need to ensure regular scrutiny and audit processes were in place. The Committee were informed that there was a national drive towards using Direct Payments and that Adult Social Care recognised the benefits of this.
2. The Committee were informed that a dedicated Direct Payment Review team had been set up as a result of an internal audit report, and work was being undertaken to tackle the number of overdue reviews for individuals in receipt of direct payment. The intention was that the review process would be embedded within the Locality Teams in the future, rather than the responsibility of a dedicated team. There would be a review of the Direct Payment Review team undertaken in March 2013. There was also work in place to streamline the review and business processes in order to prevent future backlogs of work from being created. This was joined up with the Adult Services Business Process Review and would be one of the focuses of the Member Reference Group.
3. The Committee were informed that there were now clear definitions of fraud and misuse in place, and that the emphasis had shifted from defining use to an agreement of desired outcomes with clients. Regular reviews would also ensure that underspend was being identified and direct payments being adjusted appropriately.
4. The Committee discussed the difficulties caused by recruitment in relation to the Direct Payment Review Team. These were a result of the provider failing to provide suitable staff in a timely manner. It was further compounded by the general difficulties encountered by Adult Social Care in recruiting and retaining staff. The Director of Adult Social Care outlined the measures in place to address these issues. These included changes in the recruitment and exit processes in order identify what factors influence recruitment.
Recommendations:
1. The Service is thanked for responding positively and quickly to the concerns identified in the audit report;
2. Recognising that further improvement is required, the Committee encouraged the Service to strive for a rating of “Effective” for the follow-up audit;
3. The Committee remains concerned about the ability of Surrey County Council to recruit sufficient personnel in order to further the success of the Direct Payments scheme and asks for a report on this in future to indicate progress.
Actions/Further Information to be Provided:
None.
Select Committee Next Steps:
None. |
|
Purpose of Report: Scrutiny of Budgets
The Committee will scrutinise the most recent budget monitoring information. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Paul Carey-Kent, Senior Finance Manager, Change & Efficiency Sarah Mitchell, Strategic Director for Adult Social Care
David Holmes, Managing Director, Ashcroft Mark Packer, Chief Executive, Welmede
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee were presented with the budget monitoring information for October 2012. There was a reported overspend of £3.9 million for the year. The Senior Finance Manager outlined that this was partly attributable to an unexpected increase in volume which had prevented efficiency savings from being met.
2. The Committee were informed that there were difficulties in delivering £28.4 million savings required for 2012/13. The budget was being managed with the intention of decreasing the level of overspend; £12 million of one-off savings had been utilised, however it was emphasised that these measures were one-off and not a year-by-year saving. It was highlighted that further savings were proposed as part of the Medium Term Financial Plan for 2013/14 and Adult Social Care would experience significant difficulties in achieving these.
3. The Committee raised concerns that the increase in volume had not been anticipated by Adult Social Care and asked what measures were being put in place to improve this going forward. The Director of Adult Social Care acknowledged that some of the increase had been a result of improvements in the delivery of Adult Social Care. It was highlighted that there was an increase in the number of people identified with early onset dementia, and that this had been in part as result of Adult Social Care initiatives to increase awareness of the illness.
4. The Committee were informed that the increase in the number of people remaining in a constant residential placement within the Local Authority area was having a positive impact in terms of quality of the service delivered, but had a potential negative impact on spending.
5. The Committee raised a question as to the capital expenditure budget and its current rate of spending, which was less than had originally been budgeted for. It was outlined that many of the capital costs were committed and would be more accurately reflected by the end of the financial year. It was suggested that the budget report broke capital expenditure figures into the following three categories: authorised, committed and spent. Officers agreed to do this.
6. The Committee discussed the need to look at volume and price calculations in order to get a true reflection of the run rates involved in Adult Social Care. This was agreed as being something that would be shown in the figures for January 2013.
7. The Committee were given a presentation by the Managing Director, Ashcroft and Chief Executive of Welmede outlining the current budgetary pressures being experienced by service providers. It was acknowledged that the providers and County Council were closely aligned in terms of common objectives; however, there were concerns about the level of savings providers were being asked to implement.
8. The Committee were informed of the significant growth pressures being felt by providers, ... view the full minutes text for item 74/12 |
|
|
SOCIAL CARE DEBT UPDATE
Purpose of Report: Scrutiny of Services
The reduction of Social Care debt was identified as a priority for the Committee which will scrutinise the current position. Minutes: Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Paul Carey-Kent, Senior Finance Manager, Change & Efficiency
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Senior Finance Manager outlined to Committee concerns that the level of Social Care debt had increased in September 2012. There were a number of factors that had contributed to this: issues relating to the ICT systems, a period of sickness amongst staff and a series of external factors. A review is under way to identify what changes in process might be required in order to prevent any further increase.
2. The Committee queried the decrease in Direct Debit payments between August and September 2012. It was explained that there were a small number of cancellations which were usually offset by a number of clients choosing to pay by direct debit. Shared services have a record of cancellations for those who are still receiving a billed service and will use this information to identify whether there are any possible trends in the causes of cancellations.
Recommendation:
1. Officers are requested to report back the results of the internal audit, the updated position and figures on the take-up of Direct Debits to the next meeting.
Actions/Further Information to be Provided:
That future reports show a trend line of both two years and six months.
Select Committee Next Steps:
The Committee will be presented with a brief update in January with a more detailed update on 14 February 2013.
[Committee stopped for lunch at 12.50pm. Reconvened at 13.35pm] |
|
|
PREVENTION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of Interest:
None.
Witnesses:
Melanie Bussicott, Assistant Director for District and Borough Council Partnerships
Key Points Raised During the Discussion:
1. The Committee were provided with an update on the work being undertaken by Adult Social Care to develop partnerships with District and Borough Councils. This included a short DVD designed as a promotional tool for telecare services.
2. The Committee were informed that 11 local plans were in the process of being developed and would be completed by the end of December 2012. These were intended to assist in connecting services between the County Council and District and Borough Councils. The Committee were also asked to note the work underway to develop four Wellbeing Centres by April 2013.
3. The Committee had a detailed discussion around the development of telecare services. The feedback regarding telecare had been positive, and Adult Social Care would be promoting telecare on a local level. It was suggested by the Committee that this needed to be promoted to Local Committees, Parish Councils and other interested parties in order to effectively communicate the benefits of the service. This would also assist in identifying any specific gaps in the promotion of the service going forward. The Committee was informed that the long-term intention was to have a locally facing individual in each of the District and Boroughs who would make the appropriate links and effectively liaison between the respective parties.
Recommendations:
1. The Service is encouraged to think of innovative ways of promoting telecare across the County, such as a “Wellbeing Bus” that can act as a roving hub;
2. The Service is encouraged to take this report and the DVD to the local community services committees, the Local Committees and potentially to the Parish Councils due to its crossover issues with District and Borough joint working; and
3. The shadow Health and Wellbeing Board and Surrey Fire & Rescue Service are requested to comment on their involvement with this important cross-cutting area of work.
Actions/Further information to be provided:
None.
Select Committee Next Steps:
None. |
|
|
COMPLETED INTERNAL AUDIT REPORTS
Purpose of Report: Scrutiny of Services
The Committee will review the most recent completed internal audit reports that indicate a Major Improvement Needed. Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
Sue Lewry-Jones, Chief Internal Auditor Debbie Medlock, Assistant Director for Service Delivery Paul Goodwin, Senior Accountant Finance
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee were given a brief update as to the actions identified as part of the internal audit report on Residential Care Homes – Managing Residents’ Monies. The Chief Internal Auditor indicated that the feedback had been positive with regards to the implementation of the Management Action Plan, and that there were no major concerns. It was also highlighted that the training put in place was being tailored to specific residential homes based on the findings of the audit.
2. The Committee thanked Internal Audit for their work.
Recommendations:
1. The Service is thanked for responding quickly to the concerns raised in the audit report.
Select Committee Next Steps:
None. |
|
|
RECOMMENDATION TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
The Committee is asked to monitor progress on the implementation of recommendations from previous meetings, and to review its Forward Work Programme. Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses:
None
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee were asked to review the Forward Work Programme and Recommendation Tracker. There were no further comments.
Recommendations:
None.
Select Committee Next Steps:
The Committee will review the Recommendation Tracker and Forward Work Programme at the next meeting.
|
|
|
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Committee will be held on 14 February 2013. Minutes: The Committee noted that the next meeting would take place on 14 February 2013 at 10am. |