Issue - meetings

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities regarding the outcome of the consultation on eligibility for care technology services and the options for repairs and maintenance for legacy equipment that had been considered.  A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, is filed with these minutes.

Comments were received from Mr. M. Charlesworth CC regarding the proposed changes and a copy is filed with these minutes.

Mrs Radford CC said she supported the proposed approach and that it was disappointing representatives of the British Deaf Association had not accepted the offer to meet with the County Council to discuss concerns raised by some of its members.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the outcome of the consultation be noted;

b)    That from 1 April 2023 requests for repairs and maintenance for legacy equipment be considered as part of a care and support assessment review and be subject to Care Act eligibility criteria, to ensure fairness across the service and those it supports.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

Since the launch of the new Care Technology service on 25 April 2022, a discretionary repair and maintenance service has been provided, but this is not sustainable as demand increases for statutory provision.

Requests for repairs and maintenance for legacy equipment will be considered in future as part of a care and support review and that consideration of such requests be assessed by reference to Care Act eligibility criteria to ensure fairness across the service and those it supports.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

(Detailed in the report and summarised below)

Option 1 - continue to provide a service for users of legacy equipment

using the existing resource in the Care Technology service. This would be unsustainable and would not deliver the most efficient service.  It would also create a two-tier system which would be unfair and affect deliverability of the new service, and would reduce the cashable benefits identified in the original business case.

Option 2 - continue to provide a service for users of legacy equipment and

recruit additional resource to manage the demand.  This would need more staffing and replacement equipment. It would not achieve the Council’s objectives for the use of technology to deliver the most efficient service.  It would create a two-tier system, which would be unfair, and would reduce the cashable benefits identified in the original business case.

Option 3 - commission a third party to provide a repair/maintenance service. The cost of this would have to be met from the existing budget, again adversely affecting delivery of the new service and reducing the cashable benefits identified in the original business case. It would not achieve the Council’s objectives for the use of technology to deliver the most efficient service and would create a two-tier system, which would be unfair.