Agenda and minutes

Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee - Friday, 26 November 2021 10.30 am

Venue: County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RQ

Contact: Rob Castle on 033 022 22546  Email:  rob.castle@westsussex.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

16.

Declarations of Interest

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personalinterest in any business on the agenda. They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it.  If in doubt please contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

16.1     In accordance with the code of conduct, Cllr A Cooper declared a personal interest in item 7, West Sussex Stroke Programme, as a governor of University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

17.

Minutes of the last meeting of the Committee pdf icon PDF 131 KB

The Committee is asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 15 September 2021 (cream paper).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

17.1     Resolved – that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 September 2021 are approved as a correct record and are signed by the Chairman.

18.

Responses to Recommendations pdf icon PDF 52 KB

Response from Gillian Keegan, MP.

 

The Committee is asked to note the response to recommendations made at its 15 September 2021 meeting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

18.1     Resolved – that the Committee notes the responses to recommendations made at its 15 September 2021 meeting.

19.

Adults' Services Quality Assurance Update pdf icon PDF 152 KB

Report by Executive Director of Adults and Health.

 

The report provides members of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee with details of Quality Assurance activity that has been delivered in Adults’ Services since 1 April 2020.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

19.1     The Committee scrutinised a report by the Executive Director of Adults and Health (copy appended to the signed minutes).

 

19.2     Summary of responses to committee members’ questions and comments: -

 

·         The Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) is a new consistent way of examining the quality of social work provided by the Council

·         Both qualitative and quantitative data are important and need to be up to date and accurate – Action: Keith Hinkley to provide further details of quantitative data used to manage performance

·         The Care Quality Commission inspections of care services regulate the market, but have reduced due to the pandemic, so the Council’s internal processes have become more important

·         Adults’ Services regulators will look at assurance processes on quality as well as performance data, with a strong focus on the Council’s role as a commissioner of services

·         The QAF will help improve quality of staff and in turn, services

·         The Council takes account of feedback on customer satisfaction from national and local surveys when developing and running its services

·         Customer and carer groups have been involved in the development of the QAF

·         New cases are triaged so high risk, complex and safeguarding are prioritised

·         The governance structure needed a Performance Quality & Practice (PQP) Board and a Safeguarding Steering Group – the Quality Assurance Management Board and the Mental Health Quality Assurance Steering Group would eventually be subsumed by the PQP

·         Financial assessments are not part of the QAF

·         Under the Care Act, the Council assesses people’s needs involving family and friends to find the best solution – this may not be entirely by funded care services

 

19.3     Resolved – that the Committee requests that

 

                                             i.        future reporting includes more qualitative data, Quality Assurance Framework on Commissioned Services and the governance structure

                                            ii.        it receives an update on this report in March 2022

                                           iii.        it be provided with examples of audits

20.

End of September 2021 (Quarter 2) Quarterly Performance and Resources Report pdf icon PDF 71 KB

A report by the Director of Law and Assurance, setting out the finance and performance position as at the end of September 2021.

 

The Committee is asked to examine the data and supporting commentary for the performance and resources report and make any recommendations for action to the relevant Cabinet Member.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

20.1     The Committee scrutinised a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes).

 

20.2     Summary of responses to committee members’ questions and comments: -

 

·         A triage system was in place to action the care packages of the neediest first, but people may have to wait longer than expected due to a lack of home care available – Action: Keith Hinkley to provide the Committee with information on the average length of stay of social care customers in hospital

·         Lack of homecare was a national problem – the Council was using a Government grant to help recruitment and retention in the care sector – cabinet members and local MPs were also meeting local providers to discuss the issue

·         The Council was paying for unoccupied beds at Shaw residential homes as these were not the dementia or nursing care beds it needed, hence those bed places had to be purchased from other providers – work is planned with Shaw Homes to develop a different service offer to include dementia/ nursing beds under the existing contract with the Council

·         The Adults’ Services budget was constantly monitored and the council has a statutory duty to balance its budget – the Council will continue to receive Better Care Fund money and money from the Integrated Care System for hospital discharge, as well as looking for ways to make better use of its resources

·         The Adults’ Services budget for next year would allow for increases in demand and the national living wage

·         The council is working on a whole council approach with the support of the voluntary sector

·         Any underspend in the Public Health & Wellbeing portfolio would be spent in that area, including as part of the Covid response

·         The Council needed to reconfigure services and work with partners to improve its employment service for people with learning difficulties

·         The Council worked with Carers Sussex on its Carers’ Strategy that aimed to help carers with many aspects of their roles

·         Socio-economic factors influencing health inequalities/ life expectancy were a core part of Public Health work through the Health & Wellbeing Board and Place plans

·         Covid vaccination rates were high in the care sector in West Sussex – those not wishing to be vaccinated within the Council are being redeployed if at all possible - there was no negative impact on services

 

20.3     Resolved – that the Committee requests that: -

 

                             i.        the Shaw Homes contract be placed on the Committee’s Work Programme for June 2022

                            ii.        the recommendations from the Task and Finish Group concerning Marjorie Cobby House and Shaw Day Service and the impact of closure are placed on the Committee’s Work Programme

                           iii.        that Democratic Services work with officers to determine how the Committee could receive further information on health inequalities

21.

West Sussex Stroke Programme pdf icon PDF 51 KB

Report by the Deputy Executive Managing Director/Director of Commissioning, West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group.

 

The report outlines the latest progress regarding the West Sussex Stroke Programme following the development of the Stroke Case for Change and provides the details of consultation and engagement work for the programme for the Committee to consider.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

21.1     The Committee scrutinised a report by the Deputy Executive Managing Director/Director of Commissioning, West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (copy appended to the signed minutes).

 

21.2     Summary of responses to committee members’ questions and comments: -

 

·         Follow-up consultations for patients with Atrial Fibrillation take place, and from January the use of Direct Oral Anti-coagulation) is being expanded to more patients

·         A business case for Early Supported Discharge (ESD) was created in 2019 with input from University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

·         A multi-disciplinary team including psychologists and clinicians is needed to deliver ESD – the service will not commence without the correct staff in place

·         South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust has been involved in the case for change to stroke services especially around travel times and number of journeys. It is also looking at a telemedicine scheme in Kent where information is gathered on patients in ambulances to make sure they are taken to the hospital that can provide them with the best treatment and also prevents people being conveyed unnecessarily.

·         Public and patient involvement in developing stroke services had been through online surveys, group and individual meetings – Action: Joanne Alner to share a report on public and patient involvement with the Committee

·         The case for change focusses on prevention areas where improvement can be made, but it is recognised that hypertension and lifestyle factors are also important

·         The minimum number of stroke admissions recommended for an acute stroke centre is 600, with an ideal figure of 900- 1,000 and would help attract the specialist staff required to run it

·         A request was made to see the Equality Impact Assessment for the Case for Change

 

21.3     Resolved – that the Committee asks West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group to: -

 

                                             i.        provide more information on funding of life after stroke and 6m review from the Better Care Fund when available

                                            ii.        provide an update on Stroke Services to the 7 March Committee meeting

                                           iii.        share the Case for Change Equalities Impact Assessment and Patient engagement report with the Committee

22.

Work Programme Planning and Possible Items for Future Scrutiny pdf icon PDF 93 KB

The Committee is asked to review its current draft work programme taking into account the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and any suggestions from its members for possible items for future scrutiny.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

22.1     The Committee considered its work programme taking into account the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and suggestions from members.

 

22.2     Resolved – that the Business Planning Group consider midwifery as a topic for future scrutiny.

23.

Business Planning Group Membership

The Committee is asked to note the change in Labour Group representative from Cllr B Cooper to Cllr Pudaloff.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

23.1     The Committee noted the change in Labour Group representation on the Business Planning Group from Cllr B Cooper to Cllr Pudaloff.

24.

Requests for Call-in

There have been no requests for call-in to the Committee and within its constitutional remit since the date of the last meeting.  The Director of Law and Assurance will report any requests since the publication of the agenda papers.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

24.1     There was a request to call-in the decision on Residential based in-house services - Marjorie Cobby House, Selsey (CAB07_21/22). The request was rejected by Monitoring Officer.

25.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Committee will be held on 21 January 2022 at 10.30 am at County Hall, Chichester.  Probable agenda items include:

 

·         Working Age Adult Social Care Financial Assessments

·         Dentistry

 

Any member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the meeting must notify the Director of Law and Assurance by 6 January 2022.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

25.1     The next meeting of the Committee will take place on 21 January 2022.