Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Conference Room 1a, County Hall, Ruthin
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APOLOGIES Minutes: Apologies of absence were received from Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead member for Well-being and Independence. |
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS PDF 116 KB Members to declare any personal or prejudicial interests in any business identified to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: Councillor Emrys Wynne and Councillor Joan Butterfield declared personal interests in agenda item 5- Annual report of safeguarding adults in Denbighshire 1st April 2017 – 31st March 2018. |
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URGENT MATTERS AS AGREED BY THE CHAIR Notice of items which, in the opinion of the Chair, should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972. Minutes: No urgent matters were raised. |
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MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING PDF 383 KB To receive
minutes of the Partnerships Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 28 June 2018
(copy enclosed). 10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m. Minutes: The minutes of the Partnerships Scrutiny Committee meeting held on the 28 June 2018 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes
of the Partnership Scrutiny Committee held on the 28 June 2018 be received and
approved as a correct record. |
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ANNUAL REPORT ON SAFEGUARDING ADULTS IN DENBIGHSHIRE 1ST APRIL 2017- 31ST MARCH 2018 PDF 223 KB To consider a
report by the Safeguarding Team Manager
(copy enclosed) providing an
overview of the impact of local safeguarding arrangements and practice and to
review progress in this key area of work over the last twelve months. 10:05 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: In the absence of
the Lead Member for Well-being and Independence the Head of Community Support
Services introduced the Team Manager: Safeguarding’s Annual Report on
Safeguarding Adults in Denbighshire for the period 1st April 2017 to
31st March 2018, copies of which had been published and circulated
in advance of the Committee’s meeting. During his
introduction the Head of Service informed members that the report, the format
of which had been amended in line with previous suggestions made by the
Committee, outlined the legislative requirements relating to safeguarding, the
improvements achieved during the year in relation to the consistency and
quality of safeguarding work and the processes in place to address any
safeguarding concerns brought to the Council’s attention, along with details of
the number of referrals received in the county during 2017-18. As in
previous years, and in line with the national trend, the number of adult
protection referrals had increased during 2017-18. Nevertheless the 8%
increase in 2017-18 in comparison to 2016-17 was considerably less than the
increase of 48% recorded in 2016-17 compared to 2015-16. The Head of
Service detailed the safeguarding ‘headlines for 2017-18’ listed in the report
advising members that in response to concerns raised by Care Inspectorate Wales
(CIW) on the quality of strategy meeting minutes and their potential to provide
a sufficient audit trail, significant improvements had been made in relation to
this aspect of the work, with minutes now including evidence of formal outcomes
and action plans with agreed timescales for completion being produced. The Head of Service
assured the Committee that the Council’s performance against the only national
performance indicator (PI) relating to adult safeguarding – the number of
enquiries completed within 7 working days – which stood at 67% was not the
‘best’ or ‘worst’ performance in Wales. He emphasised that this indicator
encompassed all aspects of dealing with the enquiry, including the conclusion
of all administrative tasks which was to an extent dependent upon partner
organisations completing their paperwork and submitting them to the Council on
time. It was important to understand that, whilst the Council’s
performance in relation to the PI did not seem that good, the Council’s
priority was to ensure the safety of the vulnerable individual. If there
was evidence to suggest that an individual was at risk of any type of harm,
action would be taken on the day the evidence came to light. Prior to
responding to members’ questions the Head of Service explained the Deprivation
of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) requirements and the potential implications of the
reform proposed in the new UK Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill (MCA Bill) on
DoLS, which will see them replaced with a scheme which will be known as the
Liberty Protection Safeguards. Denbighshire’s performance in relation to
DoLS activity during 2017-18 was in line with other Welsh local
authorities. He also expanded on the Council’s key objectives in relation
to adult safeguarding for the current reporting year. Responding to the
Committee’s questions the Head of Service and the Team Manager:
Safeguarding: ·
confirmed
that the introduction of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and
its associated processes in relation to safeguarding had probably contributed
to the increase in the number of safeguarding referrals in recent years.
It was also widely accepted that public knowledge and perception of what
constituted a violation of a vulnerable person’s life and their rights had also
led to an increase in referrals; · advised that the ‘quality’ of an adult safeguarding referral to the Council could also affect the Authority’s ability to meet the 7 working day deadline for concluding an ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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At this juncture (10.35 a.m.) there was a 10 minute break The meeting reconvened at 10.45 a.m. |
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PROVISION OF RESPITE CARE ACROSS DENBIGHSHIRE PDF 220 KB To consider
a report by the Commissioning Officer –
Carers Services (copy enclosed) providing information on the provision and
availability of respite to Denbighshire citizens who have care and support
needs, which in turn provides respite to their family Carers. 11:05 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: In the Lead
Member’s absence the Head of Community Support Services introduced the
Commissioning Officer: Carers Services report (previously
circulated). The report, provided in response to a request from the
Committee, outlined the provision and availability of respite services for
Denbighshire citizens who had care and support needs to enable their carers to
receive periods of respite. Both the Head of Community Support Services
and the Commissioning Officer: Carers Services, as part of their introduction: ·
explained
the definition of ‘respite’ in the context of adult social care; ·
gave
an overview of the respite provision available for adults aged 18 years and
over, which included older people and people with complex physical and/or
learning needs; ·
highlighted
the emphasis placed on carers and carers needs in the Social Services and
Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (SSWB (Wales) Act) and the responsibilities placed
on individuals and local authorities under the Act to meet carers’ needs; ·
outlined
Denbighshire’s approach towards meeting the Act’s requirements and adhering to
its ethos in relation to carers’ services; and ·
gave an overview of the demographic and
commissioning challenges faced by the Council in a bid to comply with the
legislative requirements, along with information on the work underway
regionally in a bid to meet those needs via sustainable integrated services
across North Wales. Denbighshire was
fully committed towards supporting carers in the county to the best of its
ability. This commitment was reinforced by the inclusion in the Corporate
Plan, under the Resilient Communities priority, of an ambition to “ensure all
carers in Denbighshire are well supported”. With a view to delivering
this goal a Carers Strategy and cross-service action plan had been drawn up to
ensure that all services were able to identify carers and support their needs
as part of their everyday business. Responding to
members’ questions officers: ·
advised
that it was estimated there was circa 11,600 carers (of all ages) across the
county; ·
advised that not every ‘carer’ considered
themselves to be a ‘carer’, a significant number considered it to be their
‘duty’ to care for a family member. Some of these individuals did not
wish to have a ‘carer’s assessment’ done, and the Act was clear that no one
should be compelled to have a carer’s assessment. It was the Council’s
duty to make provision for such assessments for those who wanted them and to
promote their availability, the availability of carers services and the ethos
of the Act to residents; ·
acknowledged
that not all carers were content with the services available to them, despite
this a number were extremely reluctant to inform the Council about the types of
services which they would find useful; ·
emphasised
that ‘carers assessments’ were no longer complex form filling exercises, they
now centred around a ‘What Matters’ conversation with the carer with a view to
exploring what outcomes they desired and how best to achieve those outcomes; ·
advised
that respite provision was not confined to the ‘cared for’ person having to
enter a residential or nursing home for a specified period of time, they could
be cared for in a number of different settings including within their own home,
extra care provision, sitting services, day services. Appendix 3 to the
report listed the current models of respite care services available across
Denbighshire. The types of provision and services available, including
flexible services, changed on a regular basis in order to meet individual
choices and demands; · confirmed that a regional group of officers and stakeholders were currently exploring how best to deliver respite services for ‘cared for’ people with complex needs, mainly complex health needs. The Health Service would generally ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME PDF 138 KB To consider a report by the Scrutiny Coordinator (copy enclosed) seeking a review of the committee’s forward work programme and updating members on relevant issues. 11:50 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Scrutiny Co-ordinator
introduced the report (previously circulated) seeking Members’ review of the
Committee’s work programme and providing an update on relevant issues. A copy of the “Member’s
proposal form” had been included in Appendix 2. The Scrutiny Co-ordinator
requested that any proposals be submitted to herself. The Cabinet Forward Work
Programme had been included as Appendix 3, the table summarising recent
Committee resolutions, advising on progress with their implementation, had been
attached as Appendix 4. The Scrutiny Co-ordinator confirmed
a special committee meeting had been scheduled for October 1st 2018.
Members were reminded that representatives Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) would be in
attendance to answer questions relating to the recently published reports on
the Tawel Fan Ward. Members asked that a link to
previous reports be circulated prior to the meeting. RESOLVED that subject to the above, the Forward Work Programme be approved. |
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FEEDBACK FROM COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES To receive any
updates from Committee representatives on various Council Boards and Groups. 12:05 p.m. – 12:10 p.m. Minutes: No feedback from committee representatives were raised. |
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Councillor Emrys Wynne took the opportunity to welcome back Councillor Jeanette Chamberlain-Jones as Chair following her absence. The Chair thanked all members for their wishes and thanked Councillor Emrys Wynne for overseeing the role of Chair during recent months. The meeting concluded at 11.45 a.m. |