Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the Director of Corporate Resources which provided an overview of the key risk areas faced by the County Council and the measures being taken to address them.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 6’, is filed with these minutes.

 

As part of this item, the Committee also received a presentation on Corporate Risk 7.1 on the Corporate Risk Register (If sickness absence is not effectively managed then staff costs, service delivery and staff wellbeing will be impacted).  A copy of the presentation slides is filed with these minutes.

 

Arising from the presentation, the following points arose:

 

(i)     The Council had arranged for a peer review to be carried out by what was considered to be an exemplary local authority (North Yorkshire County Council) in respect of attendance management.  The outcomes of the review had provided reassurance that the Council was largely taking the appropriate steps in managing staff absences.

 

(ii)    Performance management continued to be a key area of focus when managing staff absences. It was important that the expectations of managers following the Performance Management Framework were clear and focussed on carrying out the process in a robust but supportive way.  Recognising individual needs would be essential, especially when dealing with complex cases.  Withholding or withdrawing increments linked to attendance and the management of absence was one option that could be used as an incentive to meet the required standard. However, this method had not been commonly used by other local authorities and it was therefore unclear whether this would in reality motivate or de-motivate staff. Ensuring that managers actively and attentively used the performance management process was an area where much effort would be concentrated.

 

(iii)   In response to a query raised about whether individuals felt pressured to return to work too early following a period of sickness, it was confirmed that this had not been raised as an issue.  Managers were trained to deal with all types of sickness absences including providing support to those on long-term sick leave; the Council also had long-term sick pay provisions in place for those that required it.

 

(iv)   Similarly to last year, a significant number (around 1500) of Council staff had opted to have the flu vaccine in 2019/20.  Although there had been no increase in staff absences because of the flu during that period, there had been an increase in absences because of respiratory illnesses.  The Public Health Department were in the process of analysing whether there was any correlation between sickness absences and those that had received a flu jab.

 

(v)    It was recognised that certain areas were more prone to specific illnesses or conditions than others; for example, absences due to musculoskeletal related conditions were currently higher in the Environment and Transport Department.  Work was underway to address the specific areas that had been identified. It was suggested that it would be useful for Members of this Committee to be provided with further information on the reasons for staff absences broken down by department. Officers undertook to circulate this information outside of the meeting.

 

(vi)   In response to a question raised by a Member, the Director confirmed that, in terms of stress related absences, the number of those that were former members of the armed forces had been shown to be minimal.

 

(vii)  The Council had been signed up to the Trades Union Congress' Dying to Work Charter since March 2017, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting and protecting staff throughout their employment following a diagnosis of terminal illness. Security of work was one of the provisions included within the Charter.

 

Risk Register

 

Arising from discussion, the following points were raised:

 

(i)     Following conversations with the Environment and Transport Department, it had been agreed that Corporate Risk 4.2 (If Arriva is successful in its concessionary travel appeal, then reimbursement costs for the total scheme could increase significantly) could be removed from the Corporate Risk Register (CRR). Members were assured, however, that the risk would continue to be monitored at departmental level.

 

(ii)    Corporate Risk 7.3 (If the department does not have a sustainable external workforce to work with it may unable to meet its statutory responsibilities) had been re-instated due to high level risks associated with the upcoming Home Care Services re-procurement.  Procuring the right providers to ensure a high-quality service was of fundamental importance.  However, it was recognised that the care market could be particularly challenging in this regard. Assurance was provided that lessons from the previous procurement were being used to improve and design the new service.  Members noted that the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee had received a number of reports recently on this matter, including one at its last meeting on 20 January 2020 when it had confirmed its support for the service proposals.

 

It was suggested that to provide further assurance on this matter a presentation on this risk be provided at a future meeting of this Committee.

 

(iii)   In response to a Member’s request, Officers undertook to include the impact and likelihood components of the current risk scores into future reports.

 

(iv)   One of the aims of the Growth Unit was to provide for a more joined up approach with respect to coordinating and securing developer contributions. The Unit was not currently at full staffing capacity but aimed to be fully functional by April 2020.

 

(v)    It was suggested that a presentation be given at the next meeting on the recently launched CIPFA Financial Management Code and at the Committee’s meeting in July 2020 a presentation be given on Corporate Risk 3.7 (If the Council does not manage its exposure to cyber risk, then decisions and controls cannot be taken to mitigate the threat of a successful cyber-attack).

 

RESOLVED:

 

a)    That the content of the presentation provided on corporate risk 7.1 (If sickness absence is not effectively managed then staff costs, service delivery and staff wellbeing will be impacted) be noted;

b)    That the Director of Corporate Resources be requested to provide further information on the reasons for staff absences broken down by department;

c)    That the current status of the strategic risks facing the County Council be approved;

d)    That the Director of Corporate Resources be requested to include the impact and likelihood components of the current risk scores into future reports;

e)    That the updates provided on HS2 Phase 2B and counter fraud initiatives be noted;

f)      That at the next meeting of the Committee a presentation be provided on the recently launched CIPFA Management Code and at its meeting in July 2020 the Committee receive a presentation on corporate risk 3.7 (If the Council does not manage its exposure to cyber risk, then decisions and controls cannot be taken to mitigate the threat of a successful cyber-attack);

g)    That the Director of Corporate Resources be requested to arrange for the Committee to receive a presentation on corporate risk 7.3 (Adults and Communities – Home Care Services Re-Procurement - If the Department does not have a sustainable external workforce to work with it may be unable to meet its statutory responsibilities) at a future meeting when he considers appropriate;

h)    That the Cabinet be recommended to approve the revised Risk Management Policy and Strategy for 2020/21 as set out in Appendix B to this report.