Agenda item

Purpose of report: Scrutiny of Services and Budgets

At the request of the Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee, this report provides an overview of the role Friends, Family & Community Support in the budget of Adult Social Care.

Declarations of interest: None.

Witnesses:

Anne Butler, Assistant Director for Commissioning, Adult Social Care

Paul Carey-Kent, Strategic Finance Manager – Adult Social Care, Public Health & Fire

Mel Few, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Cabinet Member outlined the savings required of Adult Social Care in the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). He informed the Committee that £15.5 million of savings had been allocated to Family, Friends & Community Support in 2013-14, and expressed the view that he believed £.5.5 million of these would not be achievable within the financial year. However, he stressed his confidence in the initiative, highlighting the role of 3 recent Rapid Improvement Events and the development of a model office in increasing efficiencies.

2.    The Committee commented that the report was encouraging, though it was recognised that there were significant difficulties in measuring to what extent the principles could be scaled up. Members asked whether a greater upfront investment would accelerate the speed and scale of the benefits that could be realised. The Cabinet Member acknowledged it was an interesting challenge and agreed to explore it with officers.

3.    The Committee asked what provision was in place to ensure that community resources were identified and fully utilised. The Cabinet Member highlighted the Surrey Information Point as a resource for practitioners and encouraged Members of the Committee to make use of it and share their own local knowledge.

4.    Officers commented that the principle behind Family, Friends and Community Support was around re-framing the assessment process and improving engagement with the Voluntary, Faith and Community Sector (VCFS). The Committee queried how the Directorate would ensure a consistency of quality in the local voluntary offer, and what measures were in place if voluntary partners failed. Officers commented that the Directorate was supporting VCFS partners through safeguarding training and similar efforts. There would also be a setting of general standards through service level agreements and the grant-awarding process that would ensure that the quality of local offers met with the appropriate quality standards. It was also recognised by officers that VCFS organisations could be considered vulnerable to market failure, but that safeguards were in place to ensure continuity of service in such instances.

5.    Members queried what efforts had been made to identify whether there were potential capacity issues within the VCFS, and how the Directorate would ensure an equality of service. Officers explained that the Directorate would work with all partners to ensure that the needs of the individual were being met through an asset-based approach.   

6.    The Committee had a discussion about the impact of the Care Bill. It was highlighted that this would increase statutory responsibilities to provide advice and guidance, alter eligibility criteria for support, and most likely increase service demand. The Committee was informed that the Surrey model for assessing the financial impact of the Care Bill was now being used for a national survey.

7.    The Committee asked what role the Public Health agenda and Health & Wellbeing Board played in supporting a Family, Friends & Community Support. The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care recognised that there was still work to be done both locally and nationally to improve integration around health and social care functions, and that the Health & Wellbeing Board would be a key factor in improving this. The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that work was currently being done to identify how Integration Transformation Fund monies could be utilised to ensure the best outcomes for Surrey residents.

8.    The Chairman summarised the Committee’s discussions, commenting that there seemed to be a lack of clarity as to whether the Family, Friends & Community Support approach was relying on untapped capacity within the community, or whether it required investment to build further capacity. It was also highlighted that the Committee recognised the value of the approach, and that it reflected the changing service requirements as result of the Care Bill. The Committee also commented that it would be asking officers to identify where these reductions in expenditure were being made, both within Surrey and if there were examples elsewhere nationally.

Recommendations:

·         That the Committee receive an update report regarding the implementation of Family, Friends & Community Support.

Actions/further information to be provided:

None.

Committee Next Steps:

The Committee will receive a further report on the implementation of Family, Friends & Community Support in 6 months time.