Agenda item

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities concerning the outcome of the Community Life Choices (CLC) Framework procurement and the consultation exercise on proposed changes to the provision of the in-house CLC services. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 5’, is filed with these minutes.

Members noted that a petition with over 800 signatures had been submitted to the County Council titled ‘Save Roman Way Community Centre’, which was accompanied with a number of comments which had been left by some of those who had signed the petition. A copy of the comments is filed with these minutes.

The Cabinet also noted comments submitted by Mr. B. Champion CC, a copy of  which is also filed with these minutes.

The Director said that whilst the Council acknowledged the concerns highlighted in some of the consultation responses and comments submitted as part of the ‘Save Roman Way Community Centre’ petition, the new Framework of external providers would ensure service users were able to continue to access the appropriate support whilst enabling the Council to focus its own in-house services on short term reablement and crisis support.

He added that the Council would carefully manage the transition of the remaining in-house CLC users to alternative provision and contact would be made with families and users to develop personalised transition plans.

Mrs Radford said that the Council had successfully secured the services of many external providers, all of whom had the capacity, personnel and expertise to manage and deliver high quality day care.  She reassured service users and their families that they would be able to continue to access the day service provision they expected and rightly deserved.

Mrs Richardson said that the Council acknowledged that change was difficult, especially for the service users concerned, however it was important that the Council ensured they had access to services which were sustainable in the long term. She welcomed the Council’s commitment not to close its in-house CLC services until such time when each service user had access to alternative provision which met their needs.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the services offered under the new Community Life Choices (CLC) Framework be noted;

b)    That the outcome of the consultation on the proposed changes to the Council’s in-house CLC services be noted;

c)     That the changes to the Council’s in-house CLC services be agreed as follows:

                       I.    The in-house short breaks services integrate a CLC offer as part of people’s short breaks stay at the existing facilities in Melton Mowbray, Wigston and Hinckley;

                      II.    That all in-house services providing long term maintenance CLC packages be closed and future provision of care and support for existing and new service users be provided via the CLC Framework;

d)    That it be noted that the existing users of the Council’s in-house CLC services will be fully supported in their transition to alternative services.

KEY DECISION:

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The County Council’s provision of CLC services has steadily reduced over several years. The COVID-19 pandemic has further affected the demand for Council run services and the Council’s capacity to deliver in-house services has been dramatically reduced over the past 18 months as a result of the need to maintain social distancing and other COVID-19 related restrictions, leading to a requirement to consider how best to use the resources available to the Council to deliver the right outcomes for service users.

The Council will re-focus its in-house services on crisis care, short term reablement and enablement, and support for carers through the delivery of a responsive seven day a week service.

Long-term maintenance CLC support can be delivered effectively by external providers. The new CLC Framework started in late November 2021. There are 27 organisations on the new Framework, eight of whom were not on the previous CLC Framework. There are 13 providers who can deliver services for people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.