Agenda and draft minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

To receive declarations of interest from Members.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive disclosures of prohibited party whips which a Member has been given in relation to the meeting in accordance with Section 78(3) of the Local Government Measure 2011.

(NB:  Members are reminded that, under Section 78, Members having been given a prohibited party whip cannot vote on a matter before the Committee.)

There were no disclosures of party whips.

To consider the Monthly Performance Report for Adult Services.

Documents:

·         Monthly Adult Services Performance Report

Discussion:

·         The Head of Service reminded Members that the service had invoked business continuity in March 2020.  The year had been unprecedented and the Head of Service wished to thank the staff who had worked tirelessly through the year and contributed towards an Inspection during the autumn which resulted in enhanced monitoring being stepped down.

·         The report was presented in a new style – the service had refined the measures and staff had greater access to the information provided

·         Assist, the front door to the service, was a statutory obligation and had seen a spike in demand since December 2020 which correlated to welfare calls made.  Increased demand will lead to additional work for operational teams.

·         Ask Sara, a virtual OT system, was working well and promotion of the service had resulted in increased demand

·         Safeguarding referrals had fallen during the pandemic with the service not being able to access care homes in the usual way.  Care homes and staff have been assured that the service was still available.  Cases had started to increase at the beginning of the year.

·         Daily, virtual meetings were being held across the service

·         Adult Services was working closely with Children’s Services in promoting services available for support for abuse, domestic violence and neglect.  Communications were particularly important during the pandemic.

·         Performance was stable and targets had been met

·         A number of new contact staff have been recruited

·         There needs to be greater consistency in the recording of Information, Advice and Assistance (IAA).  There had been a new cohort of staff who had not been able to access services from offices – this has been rectified by a review of forms to enable IAA to be recorded.

·         During lockdown the Welsh Government had an expectation that discharges from hospital would be speedy.  The service worked to discharge to rehabilitation and assessment wherever possible.  Clear standards and responsibilities were monitored monthly.  Patients were brought home rather that placed in interim settings although this was sometimes required whilst a package of care was finalised.  An Interim Bed Monitoring Group was established.

·         A new daily screening call was introduced to allow Team Managers to identify the best pathway for a client and reduce the stages in the process.

·         Regional working across borders had proved challenging as had conforming to both English and Welsh legislation

·         The WCCIS (Welsh Community Care and Information System), client management system, was hindering performance.  The system was proving unreliable and staff were experiencing considerable difficulties leading to poor morale.  The issue had been escalated to the Strategic Risk Register and discussions were ongoing with the provider and Welsh Government.  The Chair sought assurance that the issues were not compromising health and safety and was informed that the system was causing administrative difficulties and delays and that there is a risk caused by this which is why the matter has been escalated to the corporate risk register. The Chair reported that she has already asked for an update from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider the Adult Services Risk Register.

Documents:

·         Service Risk Register

Discussion:

·         Service risks are monitored through a joint Senior Management Team covering both operational and commissioning services

·         A review had taken place and five key risks identified on a themed basis

·         The inherent risk was the original scoring of the risk with the residual score representing the risk following mitigation

·         The budget risk includes potential risks arising from demographic changes, inflationary pressures, covid surges in demand, agency staff and continuing health care.  A protocol regarding CHC is to be applied appropriately and consistently.  The integrated budget planning cycle is one of the mitigating measures.  Early intervention and prevention is also key.  The service is reducing its reliance on agency workers and this is monitored regularly.  The service makes best use of Welsh Government funding including the Hardship Fund.  The Committee would be considering Q1 financial position and progress against cost reductions at its July meeting.

·         The service achieved an underspend at the end of the 2020/21 financial year.  88% of efficiencies had been achieved by February 2021. Grants received and contract reductions from services not delivered all led to the overall financial position.  The budget setting process will resume soon and will continue with the strengths-based approach. 

·         Transformation has continued despite the pandemic

·         WCCIS is a significant risk, but the service cannot mitigate the impact as it has no control over the system

·         There is uncertainty regarding future demand, particularly in relation to long covid.  The demand on the service may continue long after the demand on the health service has reduced.  This has an additional impact on workforce planning.

Outcomes:

·         The report was noted