Agenda item

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.

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 fund these type of respite services under their duty of care under the Act;

·         assured the Committee that all Council employed social care staff had received training on the SSWB (Wales) Act 2014 and its requirements in relation to social care services.  The Health Board should have also provided similar training to its staff in relation to the Act;

·         advised that Carers Assessors would generally use the ‘What Matters’ conversation method for assessing a carers needs.  However, if it transpired that the carer’s needs were greater than could be effectively determined by using the ‘What Matters’ approach, with the carer’s permission a more detailed Carer’s Support Plan Assessment would be undertaken;

·         advised that the most recent North Wales Social Care and Well-being Needs Assessment had estimated that approximately 10% of school children were ‘young carers’.  However, officers were of the view that the actual number of school age carers was higher.  The Council’s Education and Children’s Services had processes in place to try and identify ‘young carers’ via the schools with a view to ensuring that adequate and sufficient support was available to them to ensure their educational and social outcomes were achieved.  An information report specifically on ‘Young Carers’ would be compiled and circulated to the Committee;     

·         confirmed that the Council, as part of its Corporate Plan commitment, was actively exploring innovative ways of meeting the growing demand for carers’ support services despite budgetary constraints.  The Integrated Care Fund (ICF) contained a specific element of funding for carers’ services and there was a separate Carers Grant available from the WG which the Council could draw upon.  Part of the new approach to Carers Services was the entire family concept, which meant that the cared for and carer’s immediate family formed part of the assessment with a view to ensuring that the provision met everyone’s needs and supported the family unit;

·         confirmed that legislation obliged local authorities to identity the needs of carers and to support the meeting of the identified needs;

·         advised that whilst the Council had agreed to protect the social care budget against any cuts for the 2019-20 financial year, the Service would still need to meet inflationary costs and staff pay increases from within its allocated budget;

·         advised that the aims of the SSWB (Wales) Act 2014 were very much in line with the Council’s vision for social care in the future, which was to support and enable individuals to achieve better outcomes and live independently for as long as possible.  The models of respite listed in Appendix 3 to the report reflected the diverse needs of carers and those they cared for.  The types of respite provision available and commissioned changed on a regular basis as the assessment conversation focussed on the carers’ needs, their desired outcomes and how those outcomes could be met.  Part of that conversation included exploring what resources they had both financially and within their community to realise the desired outcomes;

·         confirmed that the vacancy numbers in care homes in the county (Appendix 5 to the report) fluctuated on a regular basis;

·         confirmed that in the past ‘respite care’ had generally entailed the ‘ cared for’ person going into residential or nursing care for specific period of time.  This was no longer the case, whilst the ‘cared for’ could enter a residential or nursing home for a period of respite if they wished, there were a variety of other types of respite services available in the community to meet both their and their cares’ needs;

·         advised that the availability of community-based services, such as the one operated by volunteers at Capel y Waen near St. Asaph, were well run and attended.  Whilst the Council did provide the operators with an annual grant payment it was considerably less than what it would cost the Council to operate a similar service;

·         advised that if a crisis situation arose in relation to a carer and/or the person they cared for the Council would respond immediately.  Whilst it could not guarantee that the ‘cared for’ person or carer could receive the desired services immediately the ‘cared for’ person would have their needs responded to as a matter of urgency and the desired services would be sourced as soon as practically possible;

·         confirmed that whilst carers had a right to receive a ‘carer’s assessment’ and to seek identified needs to be met, the ‘cared for’ person also had to consent for alternative care to be provided for them; and

·         gave an overview of the national charging policy for social care services, advising that the Council could only charge an individual who was not in permanent residential care up to £80 per week for social care services provided to them.  The £80 per week figure was set nationally by the WG.  They undertook to circulate a website link to all Committee members to the Council’s social care charging policy.

 

Prior to concluding the discussion the Chair congratulated officers on the ‘Support Budgets’ information leaflet (Appendix 2 to the report) which in the Committee’s view was very clear and user-friendly.  On the Committee’s behalf she also thanked the Commissioning Officer:  Carers Services for her dedication to carers in the county and for her service to the Council and wished her all the very best in her imminent retirement.  The Committee:

 

Resolved: subject to the above observations to –

 

 

 

(i)           acknowledge the range and availability of respite services provided in Denbighshire to support individuals with care and support needs, and their Carers, within the context of current legislation and demographic changes;

(ii)          continue to support and promote the development of support for Carers in order for Denbighshire Community Support Services (CSS) to meet its statutory obligations in regard to Carers, and to support the Council in delivering its corporate priority of developing resilient communities; and

(iii)         request that an Information Report be prepared and circulated to Committee members detailing the number of known young carers across the county and outlining the services and support available to them via Education and Children’s Services and other Council services, along with the work being undertaken corporately with a view to supporting young carers in line with the ambition laid out in the Corporate Plan and identifying ‘hidden’ young carers to offer them appropriate and sufficient support.