Issue - meetings

Report by the Executive Director of Adults and Health.

The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee and each of the main Minority Group Leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes on the Adult Social Care Strategy (2022-2025).

The Cabinet will then discuss the report prior to taking any decision. 

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved to:

Approve the strategy ‘The life you want to lead – Adult Social Care in West Sussex’.

The call-in deadline is 10 February 2022.

40.1            Cabinet considered a report by the Executive Director Adults and Health. The report was introduced by Cllr Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services who outlined that work had been underway since September 2021 to bring together the longer-term vision and strategy of the service. The strategy had been co-designed with customers, staff, carers and partners to understand better what people needed and how to meet their expectations. The strategy is an articulation of the voices of people who access care and those who are carers, placing them at the centre of how the service plans its priorities. The strategy is structured by social connections within communities, empowerment, choice, control and flexibility, information and advice. The Cabinet Member looked forward to working with the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee who would be involved in monitoring progress.

40.2            Keith Hinkley, Executive Director of Adults and Health advised that the strategy would give a platform to undertake work in 2022/23 on how services would be reshaped. There are significant challenges ahead including workforce, social care reform and meeting the needs of an ageing community. The strategy provides a framework consistent with the council’s priorities.

40.3            Cllr Garry Wall, Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee welcomed the report and strategy as outlined. He felt it demonstrated a longsightedness and that the role of the Committee would be in supporting the development and implementation and in measuring its success. Cllr Wall welcomed the sentiments of empowerment, support for home living, connectivity, signposting of services and the important role of carers. The strategy recognised and should therefore deliver the needs of the community.

40.4            Cllr Caroline Baxter, Leader of the Labour group thanked those involved, including residents, in the production of the strategy and welcomed the emphasis on co-design. Cllr Baxter supported the aspirations of the strategy but had concerns about how successes would be measured and what the key targets were. Cllr Baxter saw the strategy as an opportunity to demonstrate how the council responded and addressed the challenging future for Adult Social Care in light of national policy developments.

40.5            The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

Ø  Cllr Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills commended the report and strategy. As an important topic and area of expenditure for the council, he felt it important that policies were refreshed as things move forward.

Ø  Cllr Urquhart, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change supported the strategy and the beginning of the journey and that policy, delivery plans and measures would be developed in due course.

Ø  Cllr Steve Waight, Cabinet Member for Support Services and Economic Development highlighted the impressive amount of consultation and collaboration. He added that detail and Key Performance Indicators would develop in the future.

40.6            The Leader advised the council plan set the tone and direction for the future and with significant changes to social care, there was a lot of work to do to understand the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40