Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor T A Carter and T V Young.

It was reported that, under Regulation 13 of the Local Government Committee and Political Groups Regulation 1990, Councillor S Bunney was in attendance as a substitute for Councillor T V Young for this meeting only.

None were declared.

RESOLVED:

        That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 October 2023 be approved     as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman announced that he had met with Martin Samuels, the recently appointed Executive Director for Adult Care, on 22 November 2023 for a discussion.  

(To receive a report by Derek Ward, Director of Public Health and Tony McGinty, Public Health Consultant which invites the Committee to consider a report on the Recommissioning of the Wellbeing Service on which a decision is due to be made by the Executive on 5 December 2023. The views of the Committee will be reported to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item)

Consideration was given to a report by the Consultant in Public Health which invited the Committee to consider a report on the Wellbeing Service Recommissioning prior to a decision by the Executive on 5 December 2023. The views of the Committee would be reported to the Executive prior to the decision being made.

During the discussion, the Committee supported the recommendations, as set out in the report to the Executive, and the following points were recorded for consideration:

·       The Committee was advised that there were typically 50,000 falls per annum in Lincolnshire involving people aged over 65, which led to considerable costs for both adult social care and health services.  The Committee emphasised the role of Wellbeing Service practitioners in providing advice and guidance to prevent people falling at home, for example advising on space for people to move about their home with mobility aids, and addressing trip risks, such as rugs or household clutter and linking in with the housing service to provide additional measures and reassurance that housing was fit for purpose. 

·       Although the County Council had no direct responsibility for housing matters, assurance was provided the wellbeing service worked with district councils and other partners with responsibility for housing matters, to case manage home improvements.

·       Members emphasised the benefits of a ten year contract, with a ‘break’ option after five years.  It was felt this provided a balance between the flexibility to add, remove or fine-tune services in the contract, for example after five years, and provided certainty for the provider of the service to commit resources to a longer term.

·       It was suggested that each time a service user leaves the Wellbeing Service they are provided an opportunity to provide feedback on whether all of the needs they brought to the service have been successfully closed.    This would provide a source of information for the consideration of future developments. 

·       Members were concerned about the cessation of care once the 12-week support offer had ended, as it was recognised that some people might need further support. Members were assured that individuals needing further support would be signposted to the appropriate services, and could be referred back into the wellbeing service at any time, if it was felt appropriate.

·       The use of planned key performance indicators for the new contract was supported.  These would help to ensure service standards are maintained throughout Lincolnshire, including in each district council area. 

·       Members supported the continuation of working with partners, such as community health services in the NHS, both to aid and complement service developments, but also to ensure that any duplication was avoided. 

·       Following the report of the Care Quality Commission, the Committee agreed that it was not easy to navigate webpages and not always clear to understand who provides the Lincolnshire Wellbeing Service.  The Committee suggested that ‘landing pages’ after internet searches were standardised, to make it clearer, who provides the service and who to contact in each individual’s area. 

·       Work was ongoing to ensure the access of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

(To recieve a report by Caroline Jackson, Head of Corporate Performance, which summarises the Service Level Performance against the Success Framework 2023-24 for Quarter 2)

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Corporate Performance, which invited the Committee to consider the Service Level Performance against the Corporate Performance Framework 2023-24 Quarter 2, as set out at pages 59-78.

Consideration was given to the report and during the discussion the following points were recorded:

• Members questioned the procedure for altering targets which were not being achieved. Assurance was provided that targets would only be changed if they were deemed unrealistic and unachievable. Changes in service delivery models and the way in which data was recorded could trigger the review of a target.
• Members welcomed the suggestion that more detailed analysis be provided for all measures within future reports.
• The Committee raised concerns regarding the low uptake of NHS health checks between people aged 40 to 70. Given the importance of health checks, it was suggested that offering flexibility in appointment times and encouraging employers to provide time off for appointments may encourage attendance. The Committee wished to consider the issue further and it was therefore agreed that a report be added to the work programme to look at this issue.

RESOLVED:

          That the report be noted. 

(The Committee are invited to note the findings of the CQC’s pilot assessment of Adult Social Care at Lincolnshire County Council, in advance of more detailed consideration of this pilot assessment at the meeting scheduled for 17 January 2024)

The Committee were invited to note the findings from the CQC Pilot Assessment of Lincolnshire County Council’s Adult Social Care, which had been submitted for information only. 

The Committee welcomed the ‘good’ rating given to Lincolnshire County Council in relation to Adult Social Care and Wellbeing services. It was advised that a further report would be provided setting out proposed to actions in relation to areas that CQC had identified for further consideration. This would enable the Committee to have input to the development of an action plan to be presented to Informal Executive Committee.

In relation to the comments made within the report on the lack of clear pathway for autistic people it was suggested that this area for consideration was likely based on a conversation recorded during the pilot process with an expert by experience. Officers acknowledged a need to develop better intelligence on Autism within Lincolnshire which would be done alongside partners. Members were assured that that all feedback received would be addressed within the action plan.

The committee also requested that the report in January 2024 includes an update on the position for financial assessments linked to direct payments.

It was suggested that a report on the Lincolnshire All Age Autism Strategy be considered at a future meeting.

(To receive a report by Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which invites the Committee to consider its work programme)

Consideration was given to a report by the Health Scrutiny Officer, which invited the Committee to consider its work programme, as set out on pages 79-82 of the report.

The Committee noted the possibility of deferring a report on the Introduction to the Lincolnshire Carers Service from January 2023 to March 2023 as well as the addition of an item on the Adult Frailty and Long-Term Conditions to the future work programme.

The Committee also requested that an update on services working to reducing obesity be provided at a future meeting.

RESOLVED:

          That the work programme be agreed, subject to the proposed      amendment.