Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th October 2024 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Further to Minute 15 – All Age Autism Strategy 2021 – 2026 Implementation Update, the information requested by Members had been shared and raised actions noted.

Further to Minute 16 – Suicide Prevention Strategy – presentation slides had been circulated.  Officers had reached out to Age UK and were awaiting a response.

Briefing Note of the Chief People Officer, NHS Coventry & Warwickshire ICB

The Board considered a report and presentation of the Chief People Officer and the Head of Strategic Education and Skills at Coventry and Warwickshire ICB regarding an update on the work in progress and the work planned on the future skills in health and social care.

Since 2022, providers across Coventry & Warwickshire Integrated Care System (ICS), had collaborated to focus on adult nursing recruitment and retention through a project called Project 1000 (P1K).  Through the P1K project, recruitment processes had been overhauled for newly qualified nurses to improve the recruitment experience and to remove blockers for candidates applying for roles. Flexible rostering and legacy mentors had also been introduced as part of the project to improve the experience colleagues faced.

As a result, adult nursing vacancies had been reduced from 13.7% at the end of 22/23 to 8.8% in July 2024 and nursing leavers had reduced from 9.1% in March 2023 to 8.2% in July 2024.

The Future Skills Board had been established to take a strategic approach to ensuring Coventry & Warwickshire could grow its health and care workforce of the future in sufficient numbers and with the right skills to provide services that met the needs of the population.

The recruitment and retention of health and social care support workers would link into the ICB’s health and social care employability academy programme, where the vision was to create meaningful and accessible education, employment and training opportunities to ensure diversity and inclusion for care leavers, people with disabilities, people with refugee status and disadvantaged people across the Coventry & Warwickshire ICS.

A reduction in the number of applications to undergraduate programmes had been seen and the C&W ICS had partnered with Coventry University on a successful bid from Office Student Funding to support an increase in level 6 apprenticeships.

This funding would enable the creation of an infrastructure to support the expansion of apprenticeship programmes across Health and Social Care.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Councillor L Bigham, commended the update, highlighting the constant changing needs in circumstances and the importance of carers not being disadvantaged.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Councillor K Caan, recognised the importance of the work of carers who were ‘everyday heros’ referring to enforcing prevention so carers could grow their skills and benefit their families whilst also looking after their own health and wellbeing.

Councillor K Caan declared an interest in this item of business as Deputy Chair of the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).

Members of the Scrutiny Board, having considered the content of the report and presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• A pilot was underway with Coventry College looking at upskilling support workers so that they felt invested.  The NHS supported clinical educators in social care so the ICB was piloting 3 clinical educators in order to make a positive impact.
• In order to remain competitive with other industries, the ICB focused on staff experience, how to improve culture within the organisation,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Briefing Note of the Director of Adult Services and Housing

The Board considered a report and presentation of the Director of Adults and Housing regarding the Future Recommissioning of Carers Support Services and update on progress against the Carers Action Plan 2024/26.

In the 2021 Census, 27,391 people in Coventry identified themselves as having caring responsibilities.  This was likely to be an underrepresentation of the caring population, as many people did not recognise caring roles.  Of those 27,391, 8,391 carers reported to be providing over 50 hours of care, which indicated an intense caring role (30.6%).

Adult Social Care in conjunction with Coventry & Warwickshire ICB, commissioned a range of support services for people with caring responsibilities across the city from Carers Trust Heart of England including:

• Carers Wellbeing Services – Information & Advice, Training, Peer Support, Activities, Wellbeing support
• Carers Assessments – delegated responsibility from the council.
• Carers Regulated Support – Carers Emergency Response Service and Carers Break Scheme.
• Carers Projects – Primary Support for Carers, Employment Support, Direct Payments and Grief and Loss.

The services were arranged in a mix of grant-based arrangements and a contract, due to expire on 31 March 2025.  The current annual value of commissioned support was approximately £775k which included an annual contribution of £134k from CWICB.

Additional projects costing 96k per year (included in the above costs) commenced in 2020 during the pandemic to respond to emerging needs and identified pressures for carers. 

For the future recommissioning of carer services, there would be an overall reduction in budget of £41,870 per year due to the development of alternative information and advice support corporately and how future carer support would be reshaped.

The City Council and the ICB planned to recommission carer support services within Coventry based on carer feedback.  The recommissioning was aligned to priorities in the Carers Action Plan 2024-26 which outlined 3 key priorities based on carers feedback as follows:

• Empower carers with flexible respite options, ensuring they can take breaks.
• Deliver the right support, at the right time, and in the right place.
• Maximise the reach of carers assessments to benefit more carers.

The aim of the Carers Action Plan was to improve the experience of carers with a focus on improving the life a carer lives alongside caring.  The success of the plan would be reviewed by engaging with carers and reviewing data eg. the local authorities bi-annual survey.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Councillor K Caan, commended the multi-dimensional approach referring to the positive impact the streams would have.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Councillor L Bigham, paid tribute to all carers, advising that many were elderly and very young and that the strategy would help to make their work easier and ensure their own health and wellbeing and ambitions were catered for.

Members of the Scrutiny Board, having considered the content of the report and presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• The reduction in budget amounted to 7% of the councils contribution in terms of funding for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) noted the work programme.

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) notes the Work Programme 2024-2025.

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

The Chair, Councillor C Miks, thanked the Head of Adult Care and Support, S Caren, for her contribution to the Board over the years, it being her last meeting prior to her retirement.