Agenda and minutes
PDF 302 KBContact: Omid Nouri, Scrutiny Officer
Media
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Purpose of the item: To report any apologies for absence and substitutions. Additional documents: Minutes: Apologies were received from Cllr Chris Farr and Cllr Rebecca Jennings-Evans.
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 5 OCTOBER 2022
Purpose of the item: To agree the minutes of the previous meeting of the Adults and Health Select Committee as a true and accurate record of proceedings. Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Purpose of the item: All Members present are
required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as
possible thereafter:
I.
Any disclosable pecuniary interests and /
or II. Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting.
NOTES: ·
Members are reminded that they must not participate
in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary
interest. ·
As well as an interest of the Member, this includes
any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the
Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the
Member is living as a spouse or civil partner). · Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial. Additional documents: Minutes: Trefor Hogg declared a personal interest as a community representative for Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
Purpose of the item: To receive any questions
or petitions. NOTES: 1. The deadline for Members’ questions is 12:00pm four working days before the meeting (xxx).
2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting(xxx).
3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received. Additional documents: Minutes: None received. |
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SCRUTINY OF 2023/24 DRAFT BUDGET AND MEDIUM-TERM FINANCIAL STRATEGY TO 2027/28
Purpose of the item: Scrutiny of the Draft Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy.
Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses: Mark Nuti – Cabinet Member for Adults and Health Anna D’Alessandro – Director of Finance, Corporate and Commercial Rachel Wigley – Director of Finance, Insight and Performance Nicola Kilvington – Director of Corporate Strategy and Policy Wil House – Strategic Finance Business Partner for Adult Social Care and Public Service Reform Jonathan Lillistone – Director of Integrated Commissioning Rachel Crossley – Joint Executive Director for Public Service Reform Ruth Hutchinson – Director of Public Health Maria Millwood – Board Director, Healthwatch Surrey Key points raised during the discussion: 1. The Cabinet Member provided some opening remarks, noting the added investment into Adult Social Care (ASC) nationally and that the Council were embracing new forms of technology, as well as partnership working to mitigate the impact of increased demand and pressures on the directorate.
2. The Director of Finance (Corporate and Commercial) presented summary slides (Annex 1) on the corporate financial position. The draft budget had assumed an additional £15 million funding for ASC; however, the exact amount would not be known until the Local Government Finance Settlement which was expected on 21 December 2022. The Director explained four key options that could be utilised to close the budgetary gap and if alternative measures were utilised, there would be an alternative scrutiny process in January 2023.
3. In reference to slides on the capital programme, the Chairman asked whether there was any indication of what could be shifted. The Director (Corporate and Commercial) explained that the full capital programme was affordable, but they asked directorates to look at whether programmes were deliverable as well. The Chairman asked whether the programmes were RAG-rated. The Director explained that the programmes were monitored in-year and there was an assumption that they were all deliverable when set.
4. A Member asked how the plans for extra care housing were impacted by inflation rates. The Director of Integrated Commissioning explained that the current model of delivery was a design build finance operate model secured through a competitive tender process. Therefore, the risk of managing inflation was passed over to the delivery partner in the contract.
5. A Member queried how confident the witnesses were that residents understood the true cost of ASC and how that message was being communicated to residents. The Cabinet Member explained that he did not think that residents fully understand the role of ASC and as Cabinet Member, this was something that he wanted to change. As it was the largest area of spend in the budget, it was important to educate residents. There had been positive feedback from public engagement in past years towards spend on ASC. The Director of Integrated Commissioning shared that the consultation on the budget last year illustrated strong support for prioritisation spend on ASC and the pandemic had brought that into sharper focus. The Chairman noted that the economic climate had changed significantly since the consultation in 2021. The Director of Finance (Insight and Performance) explained that the Council conducted a cost-of-living survey in August ... view the full minutes text for item 49/22 |
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ASC COMPLAINTS APRIL - SEPTEMBER 2022
Purpose of the item: To provide a detailed summary of complaints, Ombudsman investigations and compliments in Adult Social Care for the period April - September 2022. Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses: Mark Nuti – Cabinet Member for Adults and Health Liz Uliasz – Chief Operating Officer, Adult Social Care Kathryn Pyper – Chief of Staff, Adult Social Care Maria Millwood – Board Director, Healthwatch Surrey Yasmin Broome – Involvement Lead, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Key points raised during the discussion: 1. A Member asked how officers were ensuring that ASC colleagues learnt from complaints that were upheld by the Ombudsman. The Chief Operating Officer explained that all complaints were monitored, and they aimed to respond within 20 days. The complainant would be contacted if the process would need to take longer. Team managers, area directors, and senior managers had oversight of complaints. There were lunch and learn sessions, whereby learnings from complaints were shared with teams. Trends and issues of complaints were also monitored. The Council would always promote the option for a complainant to go to the Ombudsman if not satisfied with the outcome.
2. The Chairman asked about the training offer and how much of it was mandatory. The Chief Operating Officer shared that she was the workforce lead in her new role and was going to go through the current training offer and decide what should be mandatory. The training offer would sit within the academy, and it would be much clearer. Attendance at training was tracked, however, managers could be firmer when staff do not attend.
3. A Member asked how ASC was working with other directorates and external partners to understand the nature of complaints and improve services accordingly. The Chief Operating Officer explained that the customer relations manager was part of a Southeast network and an Integrated Care System Network. The Chief of Staff added that internally they worked with colleagues in other customer relations teams, as there were often joint complaints.
Cllr Robert Evans and Cllr Abby King left the meeting at 12:58pm. 4. In response to a question on improving the timeliness of assessment processes, the Chief Operating Officer explained that they did not currently measure timeliness, as assessment could start later for a range of reasons and strength-based approach assessments would take longer. There were gaps in some teams. The Member asked if the process was being standardised. The Chief Operating Officer shared that it was part of the integration agenda and still needed to be done. The Chairman noted that the streamlining of record systems should have already happened. The Chief Operating Officer explained that it was a national issue and the Cabinet Member added that the tech was there, but the issue was around confidence from partners around the risks of wider access.
Cllr Frank Kelly left the meeting at 1:05pm. 5. A Member asked about urgent cases. The Chief Operating Officer explained that all Member and MP enquires were monitored and counted as formal complaints. They would be sent to the area director to deal with directly and Member enquires would be copied in. The Chief Operating Officer filtered the complaints which went to the Executive Director. ... view the full minutes text for item 50/22 |
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SURREY SAFEGUARDING ADULTS BOARD ANNUAL REPORT 2021-22
Purpose of the item: Scrutiny of the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2021-22. Additional documents: Minutes: Witnesses: Mark Nuti – Cabinet Member for Adults and Health Liz Uliasz – Chief Operating Officer, Adult Social Care Sarah McDermott – Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Manager Simon Turpitt – Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board Independent Chair
Key points raised during the discussion: 1. A Member asked about the nature of safeguarding training available for healthcare practitioners. The Independent Chair explained that all statutory agencies had a requirement for mandatory safeguarding training. There was a document containing the levels of training and what was expected which was checked monthly. Within GP practices, there was a named GP for safeguarding, who was responsible for ensuring that staff have access to safeguarding training. The training was also inspected by the CQC. Training had been delivered by webinar for GPs and this had resulted in greater participation, with the resources accessible at any time. In other organisations, there was a combination of face-to-face and virtual training offerings.
2. A Member queried the safeguarding training offer for ASC staff specifically. The Chief Operating Officer explained that there was mandatory training for all staff and specialist training was mandatory for those conducting safeguarding enquiries. This was delivered internally which means it can be monitored. Learnings from serious safeguarding reviews and homicide reviews were also fed into training. There was quarterly reporting to the Board and the leadership team at the Council on performance. The Chairman asked what happened if staff did not attend training. The Chief Operating Officer explained that this was reported to the manager, and they would attend at a different date.
3. In response to a question on raising the profile on unpaid carers and the impact that fatigue could have on cases of neglect, the Independent Chair explained that there was a focus on supporting carers in discussions with ASC. It was crucial to raise awareness of understanding the stress that carers are placed under. Sometimes carers worried that by voicing concerns, they could lose care over a loved one, thus, it was essential to support them in a way that makes them feel empowered.
4. A Member asked about work undertaken to raise awareness of safeguarding amongst residents, especially those who were isolated. The Independent Chair shared examples of a presentation in a shopping centre, information on the radio and on social media for national safeguarding week. There was also information in contact points, such as, hospitals, libraries, and GP practices. There was a misunderstanding of the meaning of the word, in the context of adults compared to children. The Board had established a Task and Finish Group to look into engaging with harder to reach communities. Members raised the issue of language barriers to accessing services. The Independent Chair shared that there were leaflets in different languages, however, the uptake of these were low. The Board Manager added that the Boards nationally had been looking into getting software to create more engaging resources beyond leaflets, such as YouTube videos, with subtitles in a variety of languages and British Sign Language. ... view the full minutes text for item 51/22 |
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RECOMMENDATIONS TRACKER AND FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME
Purpose of the item: For the Select Committee to review the attached recommendations tracker and forward work programme, making suggestions for additions or amendments as appropriate. Additional documents: Minutes: Key points raised in the discussion: |
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DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next public meeting of the committee will be held on 16 February 2023 at 10:00am. Additional documents: Minutes: The Select Committee noted that its next meeting held on Thursday, 16 February 2023. |