Minutes:
Witnesses:
Dave Sargeant, Strategic Director for Adult Social Care
Mel Few, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Independence and Wellbeing
Key points raised during the discussions:
1. The Chairman and the Board noted that the Strategic Director of Adult Social Care was retiring and praised and thanked the Strategic Director for the work he had done and appreciated the improvements realised.
2. The Strategic Director commented that he chaired the recent Better Care Board and that the section 75 agreements with the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups on pooled budgets were likely to be signed in late November or early December. The Strategic Director noted that the pace of change had increased. In light of this, the Board have sought a further meeting with the Better Care Board.
3. Regarding the Adult Social Care Reviews, the Strategic Director noted that audit had a difficult time using the AIS system as well as the IS with Liquid Logic. The Strategic Director informed the Board that officers were monitoring all 18,000 scheduled reviews and have decreased the number of cases with no review date to less than 5% of the total.
4. The Strategic Director discussed the Government’s Transforming Care agenda - the Government’s response to Winterbourne View. In Surrey, the Strategic Director noted that since 1983, bed spaces in psychiatric institutions have been continually decreasing as care moved into the community and that there were just 17 Assessment and Treatment beds today all provided by the NHS.
5. The Strategic Director noted that the Area Director for East Surrey had been on secondment for two days a week working on the Transforming Care agenda with the Local Government Association. There was also a small pot of funding available from the Surrey CCGs to develop Surrey’s response.
6. Additionally, the Strategic Director noted that he had been working with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Independence and Wellbeing as well as working with registered social landlords to develop alternatives to meet the needs of tenants.
7. The Cabinet Member noted that the Accommodation with Care and Support Strategy outlines the actions of the service following the closure of the six homes for older people. The Cabinet Member noted that they have been working with Human Resources regarding recruitment and retention which included initiatives such as recruitment of friends and relatives as well as further payment if employees have worked for a number of years.
8. A concern was raised that the contractors providing Adult Social Care Services were not paying the living wage to its employees nor ensuring that they were paid for travel. The Strategic Director assured the Board that the contracts request that workers were paid the minimum wage and recognised the travel time and that these conditions were regularly monitored. There was an admission that the demands of a living wage duty could stretch the sector.
9. A Board Member raised the concern over the occasional challenging behaviour of people with a mental illness and the subsequent safety of those around them. The Strategic Director commented that the number of people who needed treatment and were at risk to themselves and the people around them is low. The vast majority of cases do not need to be institutionalised, that treatment in the community with family, friends that would promote their independence and their mental wellbeing was most beneficial. Furthermore, admission to an institution could be harmful and escalate their mental illness.
Recommendations:
1. Democratic Services to organise a private meeting with the Better Care Board before the end of 2015.
2. An item on Adult Social Care’s approach to reducing Transforming Care (reduction of Assessment and Treatment beds) to be presented to the Scrutiny Board in 2016.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Board next steps:
None.