Agenda and minutes

The Board stood for a minute’s silence to mark the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 6 July 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Matters Arising

Minute 4 – Adult Social Care reforms

The Board noted that officers were working to identify dates for workshops on (i) Transformation of Mental Health Services and (ii) revised discharge processes.

Minute 5 – Adult Social Care Quality Assurance and Market Failure Plan

The Board noted that their comments on the above had been submitted to the Cabinet Member for Adult Services and were considered at the meeting on 13 July 2022.

Report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing on the Adult Social Care Annual Report 2021/22 (Local Account).  The report would also be considered by the Cabinet at their meeting on 11 October 2022.

The Adult Social Care Annual Report (also referred to as the Local Account) described the performance of Adult Social Care and the progress made against the priorities for the year.  It also provided specific examples of operational activities to support service users and carers.

Although there was not a statutory requirement to produce an annual report, it was considered good practice as it provided an opportunity to be open and transparent about the successes and challenges facing Adult Social Care (ASC) and to show what is being done to improve outcomes for those that come into contact with our services. The production of an annual report is part of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) approach to Sector Led Improvement.  This approach was launched following the removal of national targets and assessments for Adult Social Care.  This assessment framework is changing and from April 2023 Adult Social Care will be subject to oversight by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The production of the 2021/22 report had drawn on the pool of feedback and information that was gathered over the year from a range of sources including social care staff, Partnership Boards, Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group, providers, partner organisations and people that have been in contact with Adult Social Care along with their families and carers. It reflected the performance and activities as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and the end of domestic restrictions.

The Local Account also looked forward to 2022/23 and included summary details regarding key areas for development. These were improvements the service intends to make in order to improve service delivery, improve outcomes for people and support our ability to operate within the resources available.  The priority was to improve care and support services for adults and to create a stable provider market for the City.

The Board welcomed the report, acknowledging it was not a statutory requirement but noted the value of its content in its depth and breadth of detail about the successes and challenges facing Adult Social Care.

Having considered the report and presentation, the Board made the following comments:

·  They supported the work being undertaken to promote ASC services to the City's diverse population to ensure services were available where needed.

·  That the impact of growth in demand be monitored as the demand in growth did not correlate with an increase in funding and therefore workforce. The Board raised concerns that this may impact on the quality of care received.

·  That opportunities to diversify the workforce to reflect the population including at care assistant level be explored

·  Assurances were sought about those reasons for the increase in safeguarding enquiries and concerns were being monitored and understood

·  The Board sought assurance regarding the reported performance measures including trends in compliments and complaints

RESOLVED that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Briefing Note

The Board considered a briefing note which detailed the range of mechanisms in place to understand the quality of the experience of people that come into contact with adult social care and how, through the combination of these mechanisms were able to gain a more rounded view of the quality of our services from a customer perspective. 

The briefing note stated that providing a positive experience for all people that come into contact with Social Care was something they strived for as a service.  The results of surveys of people with care and support needs and their carers which were undertaken as part of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) for 2021/22 indicate that people are in fact becoming less satisfied with Adult Social Care.  However, these surveys were not the only measure by which customer satisfaction was measured.

Recognising this was a challenging area due to the diversity of interactions and the range of circumstances which required the involvement of Adult Social Care, the Board were invited to comment and provide suggestions as to what other measures or means of assurance might be appropriate to ensure customer experience is understood and responded to. 

The Board considered the content of the briefing note and presentation and made the following comments:

·  The need to ensure that there were alternatives to online engagement and to be able to provide information in a number of formats and, where appropriate, in targeted locations

·  The importance of training for carers on accessing information online in order to enable those they care for.

·  Recognise the importance of contacting the 'quiet' people and also the challenge of doing so.

·  Understand and take into account the importance of pets and the role they play in people's lives and wellbeing  

·  Continue to monitor the impact of the growth of service on the workforce.

RESOLVED that the Board, having reviewed information presented, agree that their comments as detailed above be conveyed in a briefing note to the Cabinet Member for Adult Services for their consideration.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Board noted the work programme and asked for the inclusion of the following items:

·  Pet therapy

·  West Midlands Ambulance Service

·  A&E waiting lists

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

There were no other items of public business