Agenda item

To consider a report by the Service Manager Localities (copy attached) which details the progress to date in relation to merging the management function of the above services with a view to delivering better outcomes for residents.

11.10am – 11.45am

The Head of Community Support Services introduced both the Service Manager:  Localities for Community Support Services and the report (previously circulated) to the Committee.

The Head of Service advised that the purpose of the report was to update the Committee on the progress with the merger of the management function of the services following the end of the consultation period with all staff who were within the scope of the new service.  It also included details of the proposed indicators that would be used to measure the Service’s effectiveness in delivering outcomes once the new management structure was implemented on 1 April 2017. 

Whilst the Service would realise monetary savings through a merged management structure, no staff had been made redundant and one member of staff had been redeployed.   Once the Service was up and running in April a new business plan would be drawn up.  The focus of the Service would be to deliver a greater amount of reablement type services rather than services which created a culture of social care dependency, as it was understood that this approach improved the lives of service users in the long run.

Responding to members’ questions the Head of Service advised that:

·         the rationale for bringing the three services under one management structure was to ensure that they all worked effectively together to complement and supplement each other’s specialist skills;

·         in relation to managing discharges from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd this was done via a ‘step-down cluster’, 1 of 5 in the county – 3 in the north of the county (including the step-down cluster) and 2 in the south;

·         there had been no cases of delayed transfer of care (DTOC) in either January or February 2017 due to any failings on the Social Services Department’s behalf.  The cause of the delay were problems experienced by care providers in recruiting staff, particularly in rural areas;

·         work was currently underway with the Health Board to explore whether ‘empty’ residential care beds within the county could be used for pre-hospital discharge purposes while individual care packages were being arranged for patients.  This was a complex area which required the cooperation of independent care providers.  However it did have the potential to release hospital beds for medical purposes;

·         the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) was currently exploring what could be done within the nursing care sector in order to ease pressures on hospital beds, including whether the requirement for 24 hour nursing care to be available on site could be relaxed provided that sufficient arrangements were in place to call on nursing care if required; and

·         from April 2018 onwards, under the provisions of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 both the Health Service and local authorities would be required to establish pooled budgets for care homes expenditure with a view to improving outcomes for service-users and improving their overall well-being.  Work was currently underway with respect of the development of pooled budgets and a report was due to be presented to Partnerships Scrutiny Committee on 6 April 2017 on the progress to date in Denbighshire in relation to pooled health and social care budgets.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Committee encouraged officers to continue to work with the Health Board for the purpose of improving outcomes for residents, ensuring they were able to regain their independence and remain independent for longer and consequently less reliant on social care services.  Members:

Resolved:

i)  subject to the above observations to receive the report and support the approach  taken to deliver a seamless Supporting Independent Living (SIL), Reablement and Health & Social Care Support Worker Service in Denbighshire; and

ii)that once the draft pooled health and social care budget package has been finalised that it be presented to a Scrutiny Committee for detailed examination.