Agenda item

Report by Executive Director, Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and Interim Director of Adults’ Services.

This report outlines the findings of the Peer Challenge and the progress of the 100 day plan.  It sets out the framework for the vision and strategy and accompanying three year programme and invites the Committee to comment on a draft version of the vision and strategy in advance of a key decision to endorse this. 

The Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee (HASC) is asked to consider and comment on the details of the report regarding the 100 day programme following the LGA Peer Challenge in Adults Services, in particular the proposed plan for the three year improvement programme and draft vision and strategy for adult social care taking into account the range of other Council change projects which may need to be aligned with the project plans, and the likely requirements for closer working with Health’. 

The HASC is also invited to consider whether it wishes to receive progress of the development of the three improvement programme, vision and strategy for adult social care at a future meeting and if so, agree an appropriate timescale.

25.1   The Committee considered a report and presentation by the Executive Director Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and the Director of Adults’ Services (Interim) (copies appended to the signed minutes) which were introduced by Dave Sargeant, Interim Director of Adults’ Services who told the Committee: -

·        To meet the challenges arising from the Peer Review report, work was moving at pace divided into 100 day units of remedial actions that could be achieved quickly and identifying longer term actions

·        The Peer Review report said that Adults’ Services was not outward looking, needed to show evidence that it was preparing for integration with health, needed to be Care Act compliant, had to clear its backlog of assessments and lacked the capacity to make the changes needed to improve

·        There had been good project support and involvement from across the Council

·        Some social worker training had been identified as being outdated and was being updated with e-learning and understanding the Care Act

·        Customer experience needed to improve

·        Safeguarding wasn’t as big a problem as suspected by the Peer Review, but a new timescales had been introduced to deal with issues with the most urgent being dealt with within 24 hours, less urgent within three days and all being signed-off by a manager within five days of being reported

·        The service had been prioritising reviews over assessments – a managed service had been introduced to clear the backlog of assessments, of which 80% were for occupational therapy, by the end of the year

·        Another managed service was required to clear the backlog of assessments relating to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)

·        Extra capacity had been put in place to improve the leadership and culture of the service and a permanent Director of Adults’ Services would be starting in January 2019

·        A lot of work had taken place on performance and systems as some of the data provided for the Peer Review had been of poor quality leading to false assumptions in future projects.

·        One of the lessons learned was about more collaboration with frontline staff

25.2   Sarah Farragher, Head of Adult Services Improvement Programme, told the Committee: -

·        A vision and strategy had been developed and there would be a consultation on the final versions in January

·        The vision built on the West Sussex Plan wanting West Sussex to be a good place to live for older people with community-led support

·        The strategy aimed for integration with health by 2020

·        Care homes would be considered as the last option for people

·        There needed to be a balance between safeguarding and protecting people

·        Support should be around what works for people, not the service

·        The strategy will mainly be an improvement programme over three years focussing on: -

v  Following-up on work done through the innovation sites

v  Care Act compliance

v  Market capacity and workforce issues

v  IT systems

25.3   Summary of Members’ comments and question responses: -

·        The Transformation Programme had looked at co-design and best practice in other local authorities and will use it going forward as well as working with local Members

·        Extra care schemes could provide housing with support as an alternative to care homes

·        All stakeholders and partners would be invited to take part in the consultation on the vision and strategy – easy read versions would be available

·        There was already some joint commissioning and integrated service delivery with health and a lot of work was going on through the Health & Wellbeing Board to improve joint working which should save money in the long-term

·        The project structure was almost complete and increased capacity in Adults’ Services would help deliver projects in conjunction with partners

·        The successful Hampshire County Council model would be adopted to clear the DoLS backlog

·        West Sussex was nearly fully staffed with occupational therapists, but had shortages in social workers compared to neighbouring counties

·        The Health & Wellbeing Board was working on workforce within its strategy across health and social care

·        The outcomes from the innovation sites pilots and recruitment campaigns would be shared with the Committee

·        The Peer Review had been reported to Members of the Council via the Members’ Information Service newsletter and the Members’ Information Network

·        The Cabinet Member for Adults & Health had spoken to the Cabinet Member for Highways & Infrastructure about the effects of possible reductions in bus subsidies

·        The Committee welcomed the progress made

25.4   Resolved – that the Committee

i.      Supports the outline of the proposed plan (3 year improvement plan underpinned by the vision and strategy) and makes the following key points:

a)   The importance of resourcing this project appropriately

b)   The importance of pursuing joint commissioning as part of health and social care integration

c)    Place emphasis on preventing social isolation and the importance of social prescribing projects

1. That further details are shared with all Members of the County Council, including key figures such as backlog data

2. Requests further detail on the outcomes of the innovation sites and recruitment and retention of adult social care workers

and

3. Welcomes a further item on the next 100 days of the improvement programme