Agenda and minutes

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at http://council.webcast.vualto.com/leicestershire-county-council/home?EventId=17049

Mr. Dave Houseman MBE CC, Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care (minutes 40-43 refer);

Dr. T. Eynon CC, Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Spokesperson (minute 40 refers).

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.

Dr. T. Eynon CC, in attendance for item 7 on the agenda entitled “Transforming and Integrating Practical Housing Support in Leicestershire” declared a personal interest in this item as a salaried GP (minute 40 refers).

No other declarations were made.

There were no declarations of the party whip.

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Executive and the Director of Adults and Communities which presented the Lightbulb Programme Business Case for transforming practical housing support in Leicestershire and sought the Committee’s views on the implementation of the integrated model of housing support in line with the Business Case. A copy of the report marked “Agenda Item 7” is filed with these minutes.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting the Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care, Mr. Dave Houseman MBE CC who advised that the development of the Lightbulb Programme Business Case was a really good example of joint working between the County Council and district councils.  It would result in a better customer experience as it proposed a single system with a broader offer of housing support than was currently available.  Mr Houseman MBE CC particularly commended the work of Blaby District Council, who had led on the development of the Business Case.

The Chairman welcomed Dr. T. Eynon CC, as a representative of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee which also had an interest in this matter, to the meeting. Dr. Eynon welcomed the business case which she felt would have a positive impact on service users. In response to her question regarding scaling up the pilot to a county-wide service, the Committee was advised that the pilot had provided a convincing case that services could be improved and delivered more efficiently.

Arising from discussion the following points were raised:-

(i)    Members welcomed the ambitious proposals set out in the business case, as they would improve access to the service and simplify the process for service users.  The strengthened link between housing and health was also supported, as good housing was known to have a positive impact on health; 

(ii)  Some concern was expressed that the pilot referred to in the business case had been quite small and therefore the amount of statistical evidence was limited. Members were advised that, there had been other pilots; the Blaby pilot had been showcased as it was the most mature;

(iii) The Lightbulb Programme had been instigated by the Housing Services Partnership.  It would be funded through existing resources for housing support but would also reduce duplication between stakeholders. The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) did not form part of the Programme’s budget and would continue to be passported straight from the Better Care Fund to district councils, however national guidance on the funding formula was yet to be confirmed; 

(iv) With regard to DFG completion times, it was noted that the data in the business case was from 2014-15 and that recent data showed that Oadby and Wigston Borough Council had reduced its completion times to 32 weeks. In addition, it was noted that the Business Case was not intended to be critical of performance in delivering DFGs under the current arrangements, but to offer a new standardised pathway with a central hub as a single point of access;

(v)  The Adult Social Care Customer Service Centre would be the single point of access for referrals to the Lightbulb service.  Customer services would work alongside Housing Officers to provide an enhanced service which would also be aligned with First Contact Plus to support the provision of advice, signposting and screening to other organisations.

The Committee commended all officers involved, including those from district councils on their work to date in developing the Business Case.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the report be noted;

(b)  That the comments of the Committee be forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration at its meeting on 23 November 2016.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which set out the outcome of the award of contracts for personal care services provided in home and outlined the arrangement for the transition to the new Help to Live at Home (HTLAH) service. A copy of the report marked “Agenda Item 8” is filed with these minutes. A copy of hourly maintenance rates for each provider and a map displaying location of all providers within Leicestershire tabled at the meeting are also filed with these minutes.

The Director of Adults and Communities introduced the report and provided the following feedback in regard to the launch of HTLAH on 7 November 2016:-

(i)    Shortly prior to the launch of the service one of the providers, TLC Homecare, had withdrawn from the contract.  There had also been capacity problems with some of the other providers which affected service provision.  A contingency plan had been deployed which meant that the majority of the affected service users received care from the existing providers.  Some were receiving care from a new provider on an interim basis and in some cases the Council’s Homecare Assessment and Reablement Team (HART) was being deployed to meet need in the short term. Transitional arrangements would remain in place until the contract was let again;

(ii)  The vast majority of service users had transferred smoothly to the new service. The Department had worked closely with providers in order to achieve this and would continue to do so to enable the providers to take on new work and to support discharges from hospital.  The safety and wellbeing of service users remained the key priority for the Department;

(iii) It was acknowledged that it was not acceptable for any service user not to receive care.  To that end, the Customer Service Centre was open for extended hours and any service user who had not received care could contact it. The Customer Service Centre would then deploy staff to provide care to these service users including volunteers from the Adults and Communities Department.  The Director expressed his gratitude to these and all officers involved in the launch of HTLAH.

The Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care advised that notwithstanding the difficulty arising from TLC’s withdrawal from the contract, the new service was a good example of the County Council and the NHS working together to provide a more responsive service with pooled resources to reduce duplication and achieve savings.  The new service would focus on improving outcomes for service users and maximising their independence. He commended County Council officers who worked on the service development and implementation, and those who volunteered their time outside of the usual working hours, including over the weekend, to ensure all users of the service received the care needed. 

Mr. J. Kaufman CC, the Chairman of the Scrutiny Review Panel on HTLAH, which reported to the Committee on 2 June 2015, having been invited to speak on the item, welcomed the report, though he raised a concern that one of the recommendations of the Panel, to ensure there was more than one provider per area seemed to had not been followed. The Director advised that the service was being delivered within 18 smaller ‘lots’ corresponding with the Clinical Commissioning Groups’ and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s localities, cross-cutting district and borough boundaries. This meant that there were multiple providers in each geographic district/borough area.

Arising from discussion the following points were noted:-

(i)    The detailed reason for TLC Homecare’s withdrawal from the contract was not known, although it had reported issues regarding the volume of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities, which sought the Committee’s comments on the consultation on the proposed integrated commissioning of mental health recovery and resilience service. A copy if the report marked “Agenda Item 9” is filed with these minutes.

The Lead Member for Adult Social Care welcomed the proposed changes to the service, which would result in a more joined up service across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland which eliminated duplication and was more equitable. In addition, he expressed his gratitude to Leicester City Council for leading on the consultation process.

In response to a concern raised that the financial saving proposed to be made could be damaging to the delivery of the service, the Director advised that this would be made by removing duplication and fragmentation to ensure a more integrated and streamlined service. The proposed service aimed to provide a clear pathway into service provision, and providers would be expected to encourage individual service users to access other community services including those that were not directly related to mental health but would support recovery and resilience.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which sought the Committee’s comments on the Adults and Communities Local Account for 2015/16. The report also presented the action plan developed following the sector led improvement Peer Review to the Committee. A copy of the report, marked “Agenda Item 10” is filed with these minutes.

The Cabinet Lead Member for Adult Social Care welcomed the report and expressed his appreciation of the Peer Review Team who had provided a “critical friend function”.

The Committee welcomed the Peer Review and the accompanying action plan and commended officers for presenting a full account of the work of the Department over the past year.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the Local Account for 2015-16 be noted;

(b)  That the action plan developed following the sector led improvement Peer Review be noted.

The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to take place at 2.00pm on 17 January 2017.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held on 17 January 2016 at 2.00pm.