Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED:    

        That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2022 be approved     as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing advised Members that the Secretary of State had allocated funds of £2.8m to the Council for acute flow in Lincolnshire which would provide additional support to social care providers in Lincolnshire to help improve discharge times and maintain existing capacity.  Approval to receive the funds would be sought by the Health and Wellbeing Board on 6 December prior to the submission of a plan for the expenditure. It was expected that the Council would report on the benefits on the investment on 30 December 2022, prior to a report to the Committee setting out the actions taken in February 2023. 

In response to a question, it was confirmed that the closure of three wards (122 beds) was underway at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

(To receive a report from Justin Hackney, Assistant Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which provides an update on progress in delivering the ambitions outlined in the In-House Day opportunities ‘Living Life to the Full’)

Consideration was given to a presentation by the Assistant Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which advised of the highlights and developments of the Council’s In-House Day Service, including updates on the Staffing Structure, the new base at Market Rasen, The Quad Café (Lincoln County Offices), Supported Volunteering, the ICE Conference on Enhanced Opportunities at Skegness.

Consideration was given to the presentation, in which the following points were noted:

·     The Committee commended the Council’s innovative In-House Day Service as a great initiative and the work to support and fundraising efforts.

·     Members were encouraged by the meaningful opportunities day services also provided for carers and the importance of respite care in ensuring that carers could continue to care for their loved ones.

·     Providing volunteer work to those with learning disabilities was seen as an opportunity for individuals to progress into paid employment, however the number of people who volunteers who progressed into paid roles was not recorded or monitored. Work was ongoing to further the opportunities available. 

·     The value of gardening and spending time outdoors was emphasised. Members requested to be kept updated on the progress of the gardens at Ancaster Day Centre.

·     The Committee welcomed the introduction of job coaches funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and supported an extension to the posts if successful.

·     The utilisation of day services buildings as warm spaces for communities was encouraged.

·     The Committee welcomed partnerships between the day centres and local drama groups. Negotiations were underway regarding the use of the Guildhall in Grantham with the potential for users of the day services to use the centre to put on a performance in future.

·     Day services were funded through the Adult Care and Community Wellbeing capital investment portfolio which was a collection of funding grants set aside for capital projects.

·     Officers were communicating with key partners involved in developing the dementia hubs for each area to identify the needs for each locality.

·     The need for effective transport to day centres was emphasised and Members supported the consideration of alternative transport provision for day centres, such as minibuses.

·     Agreement was given to schedule an update on the progress of day centres be provided in the summer of 2023, alongside the arrangement for members of the Committee to attend the day centres for a tour in due course.

      Further information was requested on outline details of the lease arrangements for the buildings used by the day services; gross targets for the use of the services; and a breakdown of day service provision in each council division, which would be provided as part of the Committee’s next update. 

RESOLVED:

        That the update be noted.

(To receive a report from Pam Clipson, Head of Finance, Adult Care and Community Wellbeing and Nikita Lord, Programme Manager - Better Care Fund, which provides background context on the Better Care Fund (BCF) alongside a Lincolnshire context and provide an update on BCF Funding and Performance)

Consideration was given to a presentation by the Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, the Head of Finance – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing and the Programme Manager – Better Care Fund, which outlined the National Context of the Better Care Fund (BCF); details of the BCF proposals for Lincolnshire including finances and performance expectations and plans for the BCF.

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

·      The Committee were supportive of the BCF and its partnership working, however it was suggested that the benefits of integration were not being felt in all communities.

·      The advantages of an integrated care system were emphasised and working towards one purpose, particularly when delivering good value for money and spreading risk..

·      As part of their review of the BCF, there was an expectation that government ministers accept it as a further opportunity to review opportunities for integration in other areas.

·      It was expected that the Fair Cost of Care funding reforms would be delayed until 2025, but there had not yet been confirmation of the delay.

·      Adult Safeguarding domestic abuse supported housing and co-responders services would be supported grants outside of the BCF but partnership work would still remain.

·      The Committee acknowledged that although funding allocations for the Disabled Facilities Grant appeared disproportionate, there was an understanding between districts that decisions on funding were made collectively with intention of the reducing the overheads around Disabled Facilities Grants across the County.

RESOLVED:

              That the report be noted.

(To receive a report from Tracy Perrett, Head of Service - Hospitals and Special Projects, which invites the Committee to consider a report on the Procurement of Active Recovery Beds - Winter 2022/2023 which is due to be considered by the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health between the 6^th and 9^th December 2022. The views of the Committee will be passed on to the Executive Councillor as part of her consideration of this item)

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Service – Hospitals and Special Projects and the Commercial and Procurement Manager, which invited the Committee to consider a report on the Procurement of Active Recovery Beds – Winter 2022/23 prior to its consideration by the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health between the 6^th and 9^th December 2022, as set out at Appendix A.

The report sought approval to procure a new short-term contract for the Active Recovery Bed service, which would commission 60 Active Recovery Beds in residential care homes across the County, focusing on the rehabilitation and enablement of eligible patients for the duration of their stay and minimising their reliance on longer term funded care in their home environment on discharge. Funding had been made available through the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) until 31 March 2022 to help alleviate ongoing hospital system pressures.

The Committee welcomed the initiative and supported the recommendations to the Executive, and the following points were noted:

·       The Committee welcomed Lincolnshire ICB’s plan to commission temporary GP cover for people in active recovery beds, so they would not need to re-register

·       There was suggestion that a block bed purchasing may be problematic if patients were placed a great distance from their homes. However, it was explained that the therapy-led block bed approach would allow for a more reabling culture which was difficult to roll out on a smaller basis due to the need for constant support.

·       The benefits of active recovery beds providing more intense support and complementing the existing community-based re?ablement service were acknowledged

·       Members were reassured that the bed allocation was made by the Adult Care team and therefore would not be used as a discharge facility for hospitals.

·       The Committee supported the offer of flexibility over the planned limit of four weeks’ period of stay, depending on the benefits to the individual

·       The Committee supported the arrangements for reviewing the proposed active recovery beds, including an interim review after six weeks of operation, which would inform future planning and provision. 

·       Members expressed the view that recovery beds should be available on a permanent basis, perhaps in hospital settings, but noted that the government’s NHS discharge funding allocation had to be spent during the 2022/23 financial year.  Any further continuation of these beds beyond 31 March 2023 would be dependent on further funding from the government in the short term. It was emphasised that developments could benefit from a full review of the service containing information on average length of stay and the effectiveness of the specialist services provided in support of patient re-ablement

·       The benefits of reorganising and restructuring the current occupational therapy service to combat staffing shortages were acknowledged.

RESOLVED:

1.    That that the recommendations to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Public Health, as set out in the report, be supported;

2.    That a summary of the comments made be passed on to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

(To receive a report from David Boath Corporate Performance Manager, Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which invites the Committee to consider the performance against the Corporate Performance Framework 2022-23 Quarter 2 for the Adult Care and Community Wellbeing Directorate)

Consideration was given to a report by Corporate Performance Manager, Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which outlined the service level performance within the Adult Care and Community Wellbeing directorate against the Corporate Performance Framework 2022-23. The report referred the Committee to the following performance.

During the quarter, three measures had exceeded their target, ten measures had achieved their target, four measures had not met their target. It was noted that two annual survey measures had not been reported.

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

• An increase in contact with the customer service centre was due to a increase in nationally in people contacting their local Council’s for advice and support on adult social care matters
• Members acknowledged that some data recorded was from a period during the pandemic and did not reflect the ‘new normal’.
• Information and advice in relation to Adult Care shown on the Council’s website continued to improve. Connect to Support was a key delivery partner in monitoring the usage patterns and providing a quicker response without the need for individuals to undertake a full assessment.

• The Committee welcomed the suggestion for the organisation of visits to the Council’s Customer Service Centre to gain an insight into the experiences and queries received.
• The service worked with Serco to monitor and address the experience of adult care support within the Customer Service Centre and the support available.

RESOLVED:

          That the report be noted.

(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, which was set out on pages 77-79.

Following discussions during the meeting, the Committee was advised of two additions to the work programme:

·     De Wint Court to be scheduled for January 2023

·     Day Care Service Update to be scheduled

RESOLVED:

        That the work programme be agreed.