Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at http://council.webcast.vualto.com/leicestershire-county-council/home?EventId=14346   

Mr. Dave Houseman MBE CC, Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care (Minutes 85 and 86 refer).

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2016 were taken as read, confirmed and signed, subject to Minute 74 being amended to reflect that the Committee had asked for the details of library leases, including further information in respect of the term left on each lease, the annual cost of the leases to the Council and details of break arrangements to be circulated to members of the Committee.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 35.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5).

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

The following declarations were made:-

Mr. T. J. Richardson CC declared a personal interest in the item entitled Future Strategy for the Delivery of Library Services (minute 84 refers) as the Leader of Blaby District Council and a member of Narborough Parish Council;

Mrs. M. E. Newton CC declared a personal interest in the item entitled Training and Development for the Independent Sector Provider Market (minute 86 refers), as members of her family were employed as adult carers.

There were no declarations of the party whip.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which provided an update on further engagement held in Braunstone Town, Mountsorrel and Narborough regarding proposals made by local groups to manage their local library. The report also set out the progress made in relation to Kirby Muxloe and Quorn libraries. A copy of the report, marked “Agenda Item 8“ is filed with these minutes.

In introducing the report, the Director advised that ongoing engagement with the above libraries to date was positive and it was hoped that all of them would transfer to the community management. Members were advised that Fabula, a social enterprise which put forward a Registration of Interest (ROI) to manage Braunstone Town library was due to meet with the Town Council and Save Our Library Action Group the following week to discuss their proposals.

In response to questions raised, members were advised as follows:-

(i).    A list containing contact details for Relationship Managers assigned by the County Council to assist the community libraries through the transition process, and to act as the first point of contact with the Council would be shared with members of the Committee following the meeting;

(ii).  The costs borne by the Council for the provision of legal advice to Quorn Parish Council in resolution of queries in respect of the lease, and providing a dialogue with Rawlins Academy to reach a mutual compromise equated to £1,680 inclusive of VAT. This cost had been charged to the transformation fund;

(iii). There had been no additional expression of interest received to run Barwell library. Should any fresh proposal for library provision in the village come forward at any time during the next 12 months it would be given due consideration by the Council;

(iv). It was hoped that a community group would emerge to run Kirby Muxloe library following the consultation period. The deadline for submission of the ROIs was 29 July 2016. Members were advised that the lease arrangement for this library was complex and that further information  on this and the remaining libraries in respect of the term left on each lease, the annual cost of the leases to the Council and details of break arrangements would be circulated to the Committee in due course;

(v).  It was not anticipated for the current cost of the mobile library service would increase as a result of no further groups coming forward wishing to run Barwell library. This was due to the revision of rural site visits which had resulted in a reduction from fortnightly to monthly stops; 

(vi). The Director stated that he would provide information on the estimated savings for all 36 libraries to members of the Committee in due course.

RESOLVED:

That the latest position with respect to Braunstone Town, Mountsorrel and Narborough libraries, as well as the most recent update on the progress made with regard to Kirby Muxloe and Quorn libraries be noted. 

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which informed members on the current status of the Adult Social Care Strategy 2016-2020 and the associated Commissioning Intentions and Market Position Statement. A copy of the report, marked “Agenda Item 9” is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting the Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Mr. Dave Houseman MBE CC. In introducing the report, the Cabinet Lead Member highlighted unprecedented financial challenges facing the Council and the Department. The Council had been able to lever in £21.8 million of funding through the Social Care Levy, however this was likely to be £1 million less than the projected growth in demand for services. For this reason, the priority was to work towards reducing demand for services and to protect residents by providing the right level of service required with signposting to other care providers as appropriate.

In response to questions raised, members were advised as follows:-

(i).  The promotion of healthy lifestyles was important in minimising the need for social care service use. Key partnerships with the NHS were in place to continue to deliver messages around healthy lifestyles to communities;

(iii). Service delivery needed to be responsive to feedback from service users in order to ensure the best possible service could be provided. Services also needed to be integrated so that the right support could be delivered at the right time. This approach had led to some of the lowest levels of Delayed Transfers of Care in the country;

(iv). Leicestershire had a higher proportion of self-funders compared to neighbouring authorities, which posed a risk for the Authority in the event that they experienced financial difficulties. Work was currently being undertaken to quantify the likely impact this could have. The Committee was assured that each case was assessed individually. This included the availability of support in an alternative care home  or remaining in the same residential care setting with the family covering the difference between funding provided by Adult Social Care and care home fees;

(v). The Department intended to engage further with the provider market to better understand its dynamics and improve the outcomes for the residents. This would be addressed via more detailed Market Position Statements which would be presented to the Committee in future;

(vi).The Care Quality Commission State of Care Report 2014/15 did not report any inspections of service providers in Leicestershire as being “outstanding”. The Committee was assured that the Quality Improvement Team worked with the providers to ensure safe outcomes for customers and that  the number of placements requiring improvement would be investigated by officers and be the subject of further reports to the Committee;

(vii).  The Unified Prevention Board aimed to cater for those who required additional support in respect of housing and management of finances. Members were advised that a new Strategy focused on preventing, reducing, delaying and meeting need at the right time, was being developed so that crisis situations could be avoided; 

(viii). The County Council’s social care provision was supported by funding from the NHS through the Better Care Fund (BCF). The County Council received £17 million Protection of Social Care Services as part of the BCF’s integration of social care and health services, as well as additional Adult Social Care funding equating to £6 million. The Council also worked closely with the Clinical Commissioning Groups and provider trusts to ensure the patient flow through the system for effective discharges. Members were advised of the current work being undertaken on the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan due  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities, which provided members with details of the range of training opportunities available to providers of services for adults and older people in Leicestershire. A copy of the report marked “Agenda Item 10” is marked with these minutes.

In introducing the report, the Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care advised that staff turnover had reached 31 percent and that this posed a challenge to providers. He suggested that this could in part be addressed by further investment in staff retention, including training.

The Committee expressed concern over the lack of nationally recognised, minimum compulsory qualifications and licencing of adult care staff. In addition, members suggested that short courses and online training were not sufficient to prepare care staff for work looking after the most vulnerable in society.  The Committee was however of the view that the quality of care offered in Leicestershire was good and that professional care staff should be rewarded by vocational progression and recognition. Members acknowledged that the issues around training and licencing were a national problem and on a local level they welcomed the Department’s work on maintaining partnerships with service providers (as outlined in Market Position Statement - see minute 85) to ensure continuous improvement of care quality. 

In the ensuing discussion the following points were made:-

(i).  The Care Certificate was a nationally recognised qualification, which was overseen by managers and supervisors within the independent sector. The requirement for achieving this and other care qualifications was based around work duties being fulfilled by care staff. Members were advised however that the Department was currently working on quality improvement, including some work around staff training and bolstering the sector’s stability as part of the Workforce Strategy;

(ii). The short courses provided by the Leicestershire Social Care Development Group (LSCDG) were not the only courses available to frontline care staff. Some of the courses outlined in the report were intended for those managers supporting frontline staff. Members were advised  that there was a specific requirement for providers to ensure staff completed classroom based and practical training, in addition to online-based tuition;

(iii). Course ‘dropout’ rates were around 5%. As well as those who had not attended, this included those who had completed the course and not met the minimum standards required. The non-attendance rate had reduced since a policy of charging for non-attendance had been implemented;

(iv). Whilst there was a high turnover of care staff many remained within the sector, which indicated that staff moved between providers rather than out of the sector altogether;

(v). Individual placements including domiciliary care, Community Life Choices or Supported Living were reviewed annually. However when a concern or a complaint was received by the Customer Service Centre the setting would be inspected immediately, often within a few hours;

(vi). In terms of vocational progression members were advised that a new “Managers’ Pathway” was being developed to enable care staff  who wished to develop in their profession to do so;

(vii).   The work of care staff in Leicestershire was valued and this was confirmed by Stakeholders commendations which reflected that some services had been delivered above and beyond contractual agreements;

(viii).  It was noted that a part of Healthwatch’s remit was to monitor providers, including the level of training that staff received;

(ix).     The Authority worked with care providers on certain minimum requirements of care. Whilst appropriate training was crucial to the sector it was felt that this should not become a burden or a disruption to people wanting to work in this area. The County Council took  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to take place on 14 June 2016.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on 14 June at 2.00pm.