To consider the Adult Services Performance Report for October 2018.
Minutes:
Documents:
· Adults Performance Report – October 2018
Discussion:
· The same report is provided to the Leader and Improvement and Assurance Board as well as being used for management purposes
· Adult safeguarding enquiries completed within statutory timescales exceeds 90% for the period in question. This statistic has been over 90% for several months and is to be welcomed.
· There have also been significant improvements in the number of calls answered by Powys People Direct (PPD) and in the supervision of staff
· An area of concern is the ability to broker new packages of care due to the limited availability of providers. The Authority does provide over 11000 hours of care a week but a number of domiciliary care agencies are experiencing recruitment difficulties. Technology enabled care and reablement are working to ensure that some clients will not require care. Officers are working with career fairs etc to encourage recruitment.
· The format of the report was similar to that for Children’s Services. It had been designed by Business Intelligence and was subject to ongoing review to ensure all measures were robust.
· Powys had been the first Authority in Wales to measure the Active Offer. This had been very low but was now up to 29% and increasing.
· Members were concerned regarding delayed transfers of care and suggested that there was a need for additional residential care spaces. The Director of Social Services was determined that there would be improvements but that increasing residential places was not the way forward. The figure for delayed transfers of care was half of that for October 2017. The aim was to prevent admissions to hospital in the first place and to ensure independent living at home. Most clients discharged from hospital go home but may need a package of care. Work is ongoing with GPs to keep people out of hospital. In the longer term residential care needs to be remodelled and reduced. Most older people do not want to live in residential care but there will be a need for dementia places and respite care. It is likely that there will be additional pressures over the winter, but the main thrust must be to reduce demand.
· A request was made for the Health Board to attend a meeting to discuss joint commissioning and a shared vision to take forward both health and social care
· The Regional Partnership Board will be taking some decisions in the future which have previously been taken by the Local Authority. Financing will also be directed to ensure this happens.
· Joint commissioning does take place in reablement, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists etc but there are opportunities to do more.
· Members asked whether the process for tendering for residential care was on track. The Head of Transformation confirmed it was – the tender was out with final bids due by 17 December 2018. This is a competitive tender with negotiations. Evaluations will take place by mid January at which point a preferred bidder would emerge and the authority will then move to negotiations. It is anticipated that there will be a transfer of staff by May 2019. The process has been scrutinized but the final contract will not be subject to scrutiny. The final decisions will be made by Cabinet.
· A new adult safeguarding form had been implemented and Members queried whether this had been embedded and what the impact had been – the form has been implemented and enquiries will be made of the Head of Operations regarding the impact
· The number of complaints from AMs and MPs seemed to be increasing – a number of these were enquiries and most related to provision of domiciliary care. The Portfolio Holder always responds to such queries.
Outcome:
· Consideration be given to inviting the Health Board to a future meeting to discuss joint commissioning
Supporting documents: