To consider the Market Position Statement and Powys Pledge.
Minutes:
Documents:
· Scrutiny covering report
· Market Position Statement
· Powys Pledge
Discussion:
· The Head of Commissioning reminded the Committee of the fragility of the domiciliary care market and of the issues experienced by the Authority five or six years previously
· The situation had improved dramatically over the preceding 18 months with the numbers of clients waiting for a package of care falling. The average time a client waited for a package had also fallen from 40-60 days to less than a week
· An additional 1000 hours per week were being provided compared to the previous year, demonstrating the commitment to supporting people at home
· The Market Position Statement is now a live document online and will help service providers
· The Powys Pledge has been considered by scrutiny previously. Its purpose is to identify the criteria a provider would need to meet. The Pledge sets a standard to be achieved - this year a Bronze Pledge is the goal, increasing to Silver next year. This will help to ensure the long-term sustainability of the market.
· The Chair asked where the service envisaged the medium to long term risks would be and what factors had led to a decrease in waiting lists. The Portfolio Holder noted there had been a lot of focussed work by officers including geographical challenges and the rural nature of the County. The Community Catalyst has also helped solve many issues. Technology Enabled Care (TEC) had also had a role to play and care packages had been ‘right sized’ and tended to be smaller
· Active, ongoing projects include quality assurance for micro enterprises, prevention though use of TEC etc and increasing capacity
· The Plan on a Page has been reviewed considering lessons learned during the pandemic
· The Health and Care Academy will develop bespoke training for those new to caring roles and for those wishing to return to work
· The Cabinet have agreed increased funding for domiciliary care and a means by which the terms and conditions of care staff are improved
· Officers were asked how the closure of the day centres had affected the service. There were still some areas of the County where it was more difficult to provide care and currently there is additional pressure from hospitals in Herefordshire. Demand has increased across Wales. It was also noted that some staff who had previously been employed in the tourism sector were now employed in the care sector. Day Centre staff have been redeployed to support clients in their own homes. It may now be possible to open day centres for shorter breaks, but staff are redeployed to other roles and are not available for day centres.
· Support from the Authority for care homes had been welcomed during the pandemic
· Members noted that residents needed clarity around the process for Continuing Health Care (CHC). CHC should be provided where a person has a primary health need which is regular and consistent. A multi-disciplinary team, using a decision support tool, provides a recommendation for either CHC or social care. This system is complex and has proved challenging for officers of both partners and the public. It was suggested that CHC should form the basis of a Member Development session.
Outcomes:
· The report was noted
· Continuing Health Care be suggested for a future Member Development session
County Councillor S McNicholas left at 12.15
Supporting documents: