Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10^th July 2019 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

The Board considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) on the Adult Social Care Annual Report and Key Areas of Improvement 2018/19 (Local Account) which detailed the performance of Adult Social Care and the progress made against the priorities for the year. It also provided specific examples of the operational activities to support service users and carers. The report was aligned around the Adult Social Care values and principles. A copy of the report was attached at an appendix to the report. The report was due to be considered by the Cabinet at their meeting on 8^th October. The issue had been discussed at length at the Board’s workshop which had taken place earlier in the day. 

The report indicated that it was considered good practice to produce an annual report as it provided the opportunity to be open and transparent about the success and challenges facing Adult Social Care and to highlight what was being done to improve outcomes for those who came into contact with Adult Social Care. The Annual Report had been structured around the ten themes that contributed to the Adult Social Care vision and provided a commentary on what had been done to make progress against each of the themes.  It also provided real life examples of how Social Care had impacted on individuals to improve their lives.

The production of the report had drawn on feedback and information gathered over the year from a range of sources including social care staff, Partnership Boards, Adult Social Care Stakeholder Reference Group, providers and people that had been in contact with Adult Social care.

Some of the key challenges being addressed included:

·  Increasing demand for services resulting from an ageing population.  Based on current forecasts in the next decade, by 2029, the City should expect to have an additional 8,900 people aged over 65 and an additional 2,000 people aged over 85.  This group of people are more likely to live with multiple health conditions that require support.

·  Increasing costs of care because of external factors including National Living Wage, increases to employer pension contributions and the increased complexity of the care and support needs that people are experiencing.

Taking action to address these challenges was a key focus within Adult Social Care and a set of activities were in place to make progress against this as well as achieving further service and cost improvement.  Therefore, as well as a summary of 2018/19 performance the Local Account included summary details regarding key areas of improvement by 2019/20, which had four key themes:

·  Deploying strength based social care approaches as standard practice

·  Ensure the Council’s promoting independence approach is applied for all people who come into contact with Adult Social Care.

·  Improve service productivity by focussing on improving the self-service offer so people can play a greater role in managing their own care and support needs.

·  Ensure delivery models are as effective as possible which includes making better use of what is available within communities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report of the Safeguarding Adults Board

The Board considered a briefing note on the Annual Report of the Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board 2018/19.  A copy of the Annual Report was set out at an Appendix to the briefing note. 

The Coventry Safeguarding Adults Board was a multi-agency partnership made up of a range of organisations that contribute towards safeguarding in Coventry.  The Safeguarding Adults Board was a statutory requirement under the Care Act.  The Safeguarding Adults Board was required to publish an annual report and business plan which enabled the Board to plan upcoming work.  The business plan was also included in the annual report.  In addition, the annual report included the performance data for the year which was monitored on a quarterly basis at full Safeguarding Adults Board meetings.  The annual report was a key way of raising awareness of the issue of safeguarding adults.

The report indicated that the Council carries out approximately 300 safeguarding enquiries as a result of concerns.  Concerns come from a variety of sources including professionals, the person themselves, and from family and friends of those who may be in need of care and support to keep themselves well and safe. 

The 2018/19 referral rate showed no statistically significant peaks and troughs throughout the year but was, overall, slightly higher than the previous year.  Roughly 15% of received referrals went on to become enquiries, slightly down from 17% in 2017.  Approximately 83% of referrals across the year were processed within 2 days.  The main category of abuse for adults in Coventry was neglect, with physical and financial abuse the second and third most prevalent categories.  Throughout the year, 10% of referrals were individuals already known to the Council.  In 91% of the cases, the risk to the individual was either reduced or completely removed by the end of their safeguarding enquiry.  In 7% of cases the risk was judged to remain and this related to adults with capacity making decisions that are risky for them but within their remit to make.  Making safeguarding personal had been a key focus for Coventry partners across the year and formed the basis of the adult Board’s development day in March 2019.  During 2018/19, the wishes of service users were either achieved or partially achieved in the majority of cases.

In conclusion, work with adults with care and support needs across Coventry in 2018/19 has been person centred and high achieving, as evidenced by the number of users who say that their desired outcomes from the safeguarding process were met.

The Board questioned the officers on a number of issues and responses were provided.  Matters raised included:

·  Child Sexual Exploitation – role of the Safeguarding Adults Board in relation to this and why this issue may not have been dealt with purely by the Safeguarding Childrens Board.

·  Joint working between the Safeguarding Adults and Childrens Boards.

·  The new Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board also being Chair of the Safeguarding Childrens Board and the benefits of this in relation to cross cutting issues.

·  Whether  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Board considered their Work Programme for the current year.

The Board made reference to discussions at the previous meeting regarding the realignment of liver and pancreatic services and requested that the matter be included on the work programme.  The Chair indicated that enquiries would be made with Andy Hardy regarding the availability of a report on this matter and, if appropriate, include on the work programme.

Following a nationwide increase in knife crime and stabbings, the Board requested that they look at Major Bleed Kits to see whether they are something the Board would recommend the Council invest in.

RESOLVED that:

1.  The Work Programme for the 2019/20 municipal year be noted.

2.  Enquiries be made in relation to the availability of a report on the realignment of Liver and Pancreatic Services and, if appropriate, the matter be included on the Work Programme.

3.  The review of Major Bleed Kits be included on the Work Programme.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

The Board referred to a cluster map that had been circulated to them and requested that a copy of the letter sent to the West Midlands Combined Authority Elected Mayor, Andy Street be circulated to members.