Agenda item

Adult Social Care Transformation Programme

Minutes:

The Service Lead Adult Social Care Operations introduced a report that updated the Committee on the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme which covered new ways of working, developing social capital, implementing integrated care and promoting self care.

 

The report set out the progress made in delivering the Transformation Programme since the last report to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee in November 2018.  Members were reminded that the two key drivers behind the programme were the statutory requirements of the Care Act 2014 and respond to the rising financial and demographic pressures on adult social care.  It was noted that the 2018/19 adult social care budget projected an overspend of circa £0.6m due to unavoidable cost pressures and a recovery plan was in place.  It was noted that the anticipated Government Green Paper on the reform of adult social care funding had been delayed and a report would be provided to the Health Scrutiny Panel on the implications for Slough once it was published.

 

Section 5 of the report detailed a wide range of activities in Tranche 2 of the Transformation Programme which included the Integrated Care Decision Making programme as part of the Frimley Integrated Care System.  The projects such as Home First, Anticipatory Care Planning and Community Multi-Disciplinary Teams built upon the successful work already undertaken since 2017 to minimise delays in hospital discharges.  The work being done on community delivery and engagement and the early intervention work to Make Every Contact Count was explained.

 

The Committee discussed the use of direct payments which gave people more flexibility and choice in the services they received.  The proportion of clients receiving direct payments had risen from 16.8% to 26% in the past two years and 526 people currently received such support.  Members discussed the monitoring and controls in place to ensure they were used on appropriate services.  The Committee received assurance that payments were monitored closely to ensure they were not misspent and monies were provided into dedicated bank accounts for which regular statements were provided.

 

Members asked how often clients needs were reviewed to assess whether they were receiving the appropriate level of care as their needs changed.  The Service Lead stated that it would depend on the individual needs of the client but reviews took place annually as a minimum and more regularly if required.

 

At the conclusion of the discussion Members congratulated the team on the progress that had been made in the past two years, particularly in promoting independence for many people.  The report was noted and it was agreed to receive an annual update in April 2020.

 

Resolved –

 

(a)  That the update on the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme be noted.

 

(b)  That the Committee continue to receive annual updates with the next report scheduled in April 2020.

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