SCRUTINY COMMITTEE (SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH)
Minutes of a meeting held on 20th
April, 2009.
Present: Councillor Miss. S.J.C.
Williams (Chairman); Councillor Mrs. V.L. Ellis
(Vice-Chairman); Councillors Mrs. S.M. Bagstaff,
Mrs. M.E.J. Birch, J. Clifford, Mrs. V.M. Hartrey, Mrs.
M. Kelly Owen, J.W. Thomas and Ms. M. Wright.
Also present: Councillors N.P.
Hodges, Mrs. M. Randall and Cabinet Member Mrs. D.M. Turner.
994 APOLOGY FOR
ABSENCE -
An apology for absence was received from
Councillor S.C. Egan.
995 MINUTES -
RESOLVED - T H A T the minutes of the meeting
held on 9th March and the extraordinary meeting held on
23rd March 2009 be approved as a correct record subject
to it being noted that under Minute No. 857 (Progress Report on
Implementing the Action Plan produced in response to the Complaint
by Mr. R.) the Ombudsman had recently advised that he was closing
the case.
996 DECLARATIONS OF
INTEREST -
There were no declarations of interest
received.
997 REVIEW OF
SAFEGUARDING ARRANGEMENTS IN LOCAL AUTHORITY AREAS IN WALES (REF)
-
Cabinet had on 1st April 2009 been
informed of the findings from a recent self-evaluation exercise
conducted in the Vale to assess the effectiveness of local
arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of
children. In light of the shortcomings that had been exposed
by the death of Baby P. and issues that had been highlighted
further in the subsequent review of Haringey’s Children Protection
Services, all Directors of Social Services had been required by WAG
to review their arrangements for safeguarding children within their
authority and to report the findings. At the same time, the
Chair of the Vale of Glamorgan Local Safeguarding Children Board
had also been required by WAG to co-ordinate a collective joint
agency response based on discussions with all statutory partners on
the LSCB in which the effectiveness of local arrangements to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children were to be
evaluated. Cabinet had also been advised that the CSSIW would
be undertaking a programme of verification across Wales in respect
of the safeguarding audit completed by local authorities and LSCBs
and Inspectors would be visiting every local authority and the
fieldwork for verification would take place between 23rd
March and 22nd May 2009. Each individual local
authority report would then be published at the end of July and an
overview report in September 2009 and the Vale of Glamorgan was to
be one of the first local authorities within the
programme.
In his report the Director of Social Services
acknowledged that the Vale of Glamorgan was beginning to work more
consistently to a good standard in key areas, but also he
acknowledged continuing inconsistency in applying policies and
procedures, the considerable pressure on staff and elements of
professional practice in respect of assessment which could be
overly optimistic. The Council was also making changes with
actions that had been already taken to improve performance in the
areas and the fact that a new Head of Children’s Services was in
post would increase the pace of change and ensure that reforms were
embedded. The Council would continue to be expected to
demonstrate political, corporate and departmental commitment to the
work needed for consolidating the many acknowledged strengths and
for dealing with the shortfalls that had been identified. The
report had been used as a way of setting out the actions required
for improvement.
The report of the Chair of the LSCB, who was
also the Director of Social Services, was attached at Appendix 2 to
the report for Members’ consideration.
At the meeting on 1st April 2009
Cabinet had resolved (Min. No. 413)
(1) T H A
T the safeguarding reports submitted to the Welsh Assembly
Government by the Director of Social Services and the Chair of the
Vale of Glamorgan Local Safeguarding Children Board be noted.
(2) T H A
T the report be referred to Scrutiny Committee (Social Care and
Health) for consideration.
(3) T H A
T the arrangements set out in Appendix 3 to the report for linking
the LSCB to the relevant planning partnerships within the Vale of
Glamorgan’s overall framework for partnership working be
approved.
In considering the reference from Cabinet the
Scrutiny Committee questioned officers in respect of the Change
Plan and requested assurance in relation to whether staff were
actually acknowledging ownership of the Change Plan
themselves. The Head of Service for Children’s Services
advised that one of his main tasks would be to continue the vision
for Children’s Services and incorporate it into team and service
plans. Members queried the role of the new position of
Business Manager for the LSCB and were advised that it was intended
that the role of Business Manager would take an overview approach,
consider all aspects and bring policy, training and practice
together, which would enable an increased pace of change and
development. In view of the Head of Children’s Services
comments at Committee, Members expressed the wish to receive a
further report on any improvements made within the Children’s
Services section to a future meeting.
Having considered the reference, the Scrutiny
Committee
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the resolutions of Cabinet be endorsed.
(2) T H A
T a further report be presented by the Head of Children’s Services
in respect of improvements made to the service area to a future
meeting of the Scrutiny Committee.
Reasons for recommendations
(1) That
the Scrutiny Committee was aware of the findings from the
evaluative exercises and that the structure of partnership working
in the Vale of Glamorgan enabled the LSCB to deliver its statutory
responsibilities.
(2) In
order that the Scrutiny Committee are apprised of all improvements
made.
998 TELECARE SERVICE
(DSS) -
As a direct result of a site visit to a
demonstration facility run by Rhondda Cynon Taff on Telecare
provision, Members of the Scrutiny Committee had requested an
update report with regard to the development of Telecare services
within the Vale of Glamorgan. The report advised that
Telecare was a means whereby care and support could be provided to
people through the use of telecommunication and technology within
their own homes. The use of Telecare was intended to reduce
the speed at which people ascended the pyramid of care and to
reduce the number of inappropriate or unnecessary admissions to
hospital, especially as the result of falls or other accidents in
the home. Within the Vale the development of Telecare
services was being undertaken as a two stage process:
(i) TeleV which
offered a basic system with smart sensors that automatically raised
an alarm in the event of an emergency such as fire, flood or an
abnormal temperature being detected. These packages could be
provided quickly and without a formal assessment to anyone who
wished to receive the service and pay the appropriate charge.
(ii)
TeleV Plus was a more specialised service that could manage a
number of incidents including the risk of falls, medication
mismanagement or accidents due to dementia and was based on an
assessment of need and risks to independence. The
introduction of this service would improve services within the Vale
by:
(a)
reducing the level of home care support required and admissions to
residential care
(b)
reducing the number of responses to emergencies and
(c)
enabling the development of a cost effective way to manage risk in
the community.
The Telecare service had been stimulated by
Welsh Assembly Government capital grant. The uptake of the
TeleV packages had steadily grown since September 2008 and at the
beginning of March 2009 136 TeleV packages had been installed
within homes throughout the Vale. The Council had purchased
the following pieces of equipment:
· 200 basic
packages
· 200 safety
packages
· 150 security
packages
· 100 lifeline
units and pendants.
In addition, there were 700 lifeline units in
stock which could be used to support basic TeleV packages and it
was anticipated that this was sufficient stock to support
installations for a two year period.
Members were advised that initial contact in
the Council for a TeleV package was dealt with by Contact OneVale
and installations are made by Care and Repair on behalf of the
Council and all assessments for TeleV Plus packages are undertaken
by a social worker. Discussions were currently taking place
with the Local Health Board to maximise the use of the Telecare
service to support individuals with chronic conditions and to
enable safe hospital discharge. The Council charged £19.50
per month for the basic Telecare package which could be paid for on
a monthly or annual basis. The report highlighted that the
basic TeleV package was available to everyone within the Vale of
Glamorgan.
Members were further advised of the dedicated
team within the OneVale Contact Centre who had been trained to deal
with initial calls and there were also certain staff who had more
detailed knowledge in relation to the service provision with
monitoring of the service being undertaken via a service level
agreement. Further publicity work would be undertaken in
relation to advising the public of the service and its
benefits. Information had already been printed and forwarded
to doctors’ surgeries, libraries and every few months further
promotional activities are arranged. Articles had also
appeared in Vale Waves and details were available on the
website. The Department had set up a demonstration facility
within the Ty Jenner complex and all Members were invited to view
the facilities if they so wished. Members also suggested that
community halls be another avenue where presentations could be made
to outside organisations and the community on the benefits of the
service.
Having considered the report, the Scrutiny
Committee
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the work being undertaken to deliver the Telecare service within
the Vale of Glamorgan be noted and endorsed.
(2) T H A
T the Committee receive a further progress report in 12 months on
the take up of the service and the impact on the Council’s
budget.
(3) T H A
T further promotional activities be undertaken and opportunities
for further promotion be identified throughout the Vale of
Glamorgan, in particular at community halls, to highlight the
benefits of the Telecare service to the public.
Reasons for recommendations
(1&2) For Members’ information.
(3) To
promote the benefits of the service throughout the Vale.
999 DAY CARE SERVICES
FOR ADULTS IN THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN (DSS) -
The report outlined the work that was
currently being undertaken with regard to the review of day
services for adults within the Vale of Glamorgan. In
undertaking the review day care information had been collected from
a number of different sources and the current providers of day
service opportunities had also been asked to forward information
regarding their services including:
· aims of the
service being provided
· summary of
service provided
· number of
individuals accessing each session provided
· access criteria
for the service
· age group of
individuals accessing the service
· beneficial
outcomes for service users
· cost of the
service
· unit cost of
the service
· sources of
funding.
Members were advised that all organisations
had responded positively to the request for information and a
workshop had been held on 25th February which had
brought together people from a broad range of organisations who
provided day services to adults. The purpose of the workshop
had been to start to develop a vision for adult day services and to
identify areas of further development. A copy of the paper
detailing the work of the workshop was attached at Appendix 1 to
the report. All social work teams within Adult Services had
also had input into the review via focus groups and the Vale’s
Carers Forum had also been facilitated to look at adult day
services. Members were further advised that as a result of
the current review, the common issue that been raised was that day
services should be more community based and better use of
facilities be made available in the Vale. In order to develop this
issue further, discussions were currently taking place with other
services managed by the Authority and Health Services.
Examples of best practice have also been identified during the
review. Members requested that any gaps in service provision
within the rural Vale also be considered within the review.
The Director reassured Members that a fundamental concern of the
review was to ensure that all service users were listened to.
Having considered the report, the Scrutiny Committee
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the progress made in relation to the review of day services and
adult services be noted and welcomed.
(2) T H A
T the report on the review be presented to the Scrutiny Committee
as soon as possible after completion.
Reason for recommendations
(1&2) To provide Members with
information on the review undertaken.
1000 ADULT SERVICES SERVICE PLAN
2009/10 -
The Head of Service presented the report to
Committee advising that all in-house provision had been reviewed,
substantial savings had been achieved and the department was
currently tackling issues as a result of the reviews. In
respect of CCH/A18 - Design, implement and build Extra Care Units -
Members’ requested an update on progress and were advised that any
extra care schemes would be funded through the Social Housing Grant
which could not be drawn upon until April 2010. A
meeting had been arranged to consider sites for an extra care
facility and Members expressed their wish that the matter be
addressed as a matter of urgency in order to secure the finance
within the next 12 months. In relation to L814 - average
number of working day shifts per FTE - Members further requested
that the percentage be made available in future monitoring
reports. With regard to out of county placements Members were
assured that all placements had received their necessary statutory
reviews and were further assured that every case was considered on
a case by case basis.
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the Service Plan and the progress to date be noted.
(2) T H A
T the actions reported as completed be endorsed and the reasons for
the Service Plan actions not completed be accepted.
Reasons for recommendations
(1&2) To have regard to the context
of the Plan.
1001 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND
INNOVATION SERVICE PLAN 2009/10 -
The Head of Service advised that it was the
first service plan that incorporated the changes that had taken
place as a result of service reconfiguration. Members queried
whether the arbitration case had been completed and were advised
that a directions hearing had been held a few weeks previously with
a further hearing scheduled for September / October 2009.
They were also advised that to date no other care home had made an
application for arbitration at this stage. In relation to
SPC/A3 - predict future demand and needs based on demographic
evidence - Committee was advised that the demographic evidence that
had been collated in relation to the day care services review would
be used to advise service reconfiguration.
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the Service Plan and progress made to date be noted.
(2) T H A
T the actions reported as completed be endorsed and the reasons for
the Service Plan actions not completed be accepted.
Reason for recommendations
(1&2) To inform Members.
1002 SCRUTINY FORWARD WORK
PROGRAMME 2009/10 (DLPPHS) -
The Scrutiny procedural rules contained in
Part 4(E) of the Council’s Constitution required that Scrutiny
Committees determine work programmes for each financial year.
Members were advised that the Work Programme would be used to
inform the Scrutiny Annual Report 2008/09, which would be presented
to Full Council in June 2009.
Each political group had been consulted
individually on possible items which Members considered appropriate
for inclusion within the five Scrutiny Committees’ Work
Programmes. The report also informed Members that pro-formas
for suggestions for topics for consideration had been published and
were available for the public and Members to complete via the
Council’s website and the Scrutiny and Committee Services
Section.
In considering the Forward Work Programme for
2009/10, Members were asked to also have regard to the issue of
resourcing scrutiny support. Given the reduction of staffing
levels within the Improvement and Development Team (IDT) and the
ongoing competing responsibilities within the Scrutiny and
Committee Services Section, the report indicated that areas such as
Task and Finish Group work would, out of necessity, be dealt with
on the basis of new work commencing only when other work had been
concluded. Attention was also drawn to the fact that, from
1st October 2009, local authorities would have
responsibility for scrutinising crime and disorder matters and that
WAG was in the process of developing legislation which would
further impact upon local authorities in terms of scrutiny
responsibilities. In addition, details were presented
relating to various improvement studies, which were part of the
Council’s Regulatory Plan to be undertaken by the Wales Audit
Office in liaison with the IDT during 2009/10; those studies would
be reported to the relevant Scrutiny Committees during the life of
the Plan. Details of National Studies applicable to this
Committee which would require consideration by the Council were
also included within the report.
The Scrutiny Committee understood that the
Scrutiny Chairmen and Vice Chairmen Group would be asked to
prioritise those priority 1 work programme items identified by each
Scrutiny Committee given the resourcing issues identified within
the report.
RECOMMENDED -
(1) T H A
T the Work Programme for 2009/10 comprise the items contained
within paragraphs 4 and 8 of the report together with the
improvement and national studies to be presented when
available.
(2) T H A
T the issue of resourcing scrutiny support be kept under
review.
(3) T H A
T the Committee wish to express thanks to the Clerk.
Mrs. K. Bowen, for her hard work and commitment
throughout the year, especially considering the pressures on the
service.
Reasons for recommendations
(1) To
confirm the Committee’s Work Programme for 2009/10.
(2) To
have regard to the ongoing situation.
(3) To
recognise the invaluable contribution made.
1003 TRACKING OF RECOMMENDATIONS
(DLPPHS) -
Members were informed of progress in relation
to recommendations made by the Committee between July 2008 and
March 2009. Their views were requested in relation to
progress against each recommendation and where further action may
be required to ensure the required action was taken. With
regard to Minute No. 678, the clerk advised Committee that the
Director of Legal, Public Protection and Housing Services would be
presenting a report to CMT and to the Scrutiny Committee in May
2009.
RECOMMENDED -
T H A T the actions detailed as completed
below be agreed:
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12 January 2009
Min. No. 673 - Minutes -
Resolved
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That the minutes of the meeting held on
15th December, 2008 be approved as a correct record, the
Director of Social Services confirming in response to a question
that issues relating to the local legal search and legal covenant
on Bryneithin were being researched. Members requested
that a report be submitted to this Committee once the position had
been clarified.
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Position clarified by Director in meeting of
5th February 2009.
Completed.
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Min. No. 675 - Occupational Therapist
Task And Finish Group (REF) - Recommended
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(1) That Recommendation (8) be
redrafted to read “THAT Public Sector Housing review the way in
which adaptations for Council tenants are delivered and submit a
further report to this Committee and Cabinet on the matter”.
(2) That the recommendations as
amended above be inserted into the report of the Task and Finish
Group and, as agreed at the last meeting, the report of the Task
and Finish Group be referred to Cabinet for consideration.
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(1&2) Report submitted to
Cabinet on 21 January 2009 who subsequently “RESOLVED - T H A
T the recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee (Social Care and
Health) be agreed subject to the Director of Finance, ICT and
Property Services confirming that there were no cost implications
as a consequence of abolishing means testing below £8k. for a
disabled facilities grant (recommendation 6).” (Min. No. C288).
Committee will also be receiving a progress
update on the recommendations at its meeting in July 2009.
Completed.
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Min. No. 677 - Programme for Changing
the Structure of the NHS in Wales (DSS) - Recommended
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That Mr. Paul Williams (who has now replaced
Mrs. Lloyd) be informed that the Committee, whilst having
regard to the progress made in the course of the initial
discussions which had taken place,
·
endorsed the goals of the Council in respect of NHS reorganisation
as detailed at Appendix 4 to the report; and
supported the Council’s position on the
consultation and emphasised the need for equal representation.
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It was considered appropriate to wait for the
cabinet’s comments in order that a joint submission could be made
by the consultation date of 25 February 2009.
Report presented to Cabinet on 11th
February 2009 and Cabinet resolved -
(1) That having considered further
representations, the key objectives be endorsed.
(2) That strong representation be
made to the Minister regarding the appointment of Local Authority
representatives, so that any Local Authority representative on the
Board be nominated directly by the Council and not through the
public appointment process.
Completed.
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05 February 2009
Min. No. 762 - Consultation in
Relation to Bryneithin Residential Care Home (DSS) –
Recommended
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(1) That all representations
received within the agenda for the meeting be forwarded to the
Director of Social Services for inclusion and response at the
conclusion of the consultation process.
(2) That all late representations
received and views expressed at the meeting be forwarded to the
Director of Social Services for inclusion and response at the
conclusion of the consultation process.
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Forwarded by Clerk to DSS.
Completed.
Forwarded by Clerk to DSS.
Completed.
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09 March 2009
Min. No. 856 - Revenue and Capital
Monitoring for the Period 1st April 2008 to
31st January 2009 (DSS) - Recommended
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(1) That a site visit by Members
of the Scrutiny Committee take place at Woodlands Day Centre.
(2) That the Committee note the
position in relation to the review of Day Care Services and that an
update report on the review be presented to the April meeting.
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(1) Arrangements made for Members
to visit four day care establishments on 11th May
2009.
Completed.
(2) Presented to the meeting on
20th April 2009.
Completed.
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Min. No. 857 - Progress Report on
Implementing the Action Plan produced in response to the Complaint
By Mr. R. - Report Upheld by the Ombudsman (DSS) -
Recommended
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(1) That should a further report
be received by the Council from the Ombudsman, a copy be presented
to the Scrutiny Committee for consideration.
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All Members advised that the Ombudsman had
recently confirmed that he was closing his file on the case and as
such no further reports would be received.
Completed.
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23 March 2009
Min. No. 943 - Cardiff and Vale
Coalition of Disabled People - Recommended
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(1) That the work of the Cardiff
and Vale Coalition for Disabled People be referred to the
Directorate of Learning and Development with the view that the work
of the Coalition be considered for promotion within schools within
the Vale.
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Recommendation e-mailed to Director of
Learning and Development for action.
Completed.
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Reason for recommendation
To maintain effective tracking of the
Committee’s recommendations.