Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

9.

Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

10.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made at this point in the meeting.

11.

Minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2020 pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 1 July 2020, be agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

12.

Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillor and Lead Officers

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that following his attendance at the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board meeting on the 27 August 2020, at which the Budget Monitoring Report for Quarter 1 was considered, it was evident that Adult Care and Community Wellbeing were preforming well, despite the challenges faced so far during the year. The Chairman extended thanks on behalf of the Committee to Glen Garrod, Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing and the team for all their hard work.

 

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee also extended thanks to Carolyn Nice, Assistant Director, Adult Frailty and Long Term Conditions, for all her support and contributions to Adult Social Care and to the Committee, and wished well in her new role.

13.

Centre for Ageing Better - Rural Strategic Partnership pdf icon PDF 427 KB

(To receive a report by Semantha Neal, Head of Prevention and Early Intervention, Public Health, which provides the Committee with an opportunity to consider the Centre for Ageing Better rural partnership with Lincolnshire County Council)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman invited Glen Garrod, Executive Director – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, Semantha Neal, Assistant Director, Prevention and Early Intervention, Andy Fox, Public Health Consultant and Michelle Howard, Assistant Director – People, East Lindsey District Council to present the report which was detailed on pages 13 to 43 of the agenda pack.

 

Sem Neal, Assistant Director, Prevention and Early Intervention, advised the Committee that the Centre for Ageing Better had conducted a national recruitment process to identify an appropriate rural strategic partner.  It was noted that the selection process had concluded in March 2020 and Ageing Better had confirmed that Lincolnshire had been selected as its preferred rural strategic partner. 

 

Detailed at Appendix A to the report was a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Centre for Ageing Better, Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council.

 

The Committee noted that Ageing Better also had strategic partnerships with Greater Manchester and Leeds. 

 

The Committee was advised that Ageing Better's vision was for 'a society where everybody enjoys a good later life'.   It was noted that the four areas of focus to support approaching later life were:

 

·         Live healthier, more active lives, reducing the risk of poor health, delaying onset, progression and impact of disease and disability;

·         Be in good quality work for longer, boosting savings and delaying drawing pensions;

·         Live in a safe, accessible and adaptable homes, remaining independent and active for longer; and

·         Live in communities where social relationships flourish, making it easier to build and maintain close connections as well as wider everyday contact.

 

It was reported that the partnership had enabled Lincolnshire to have funding for a dedicated Programme Manager.  The partnership would be able to add value, and accelerate existing plans and ambitions and evaluate what works for Lincolnshire and what does not, and the reasons for this.  The partnership would also give Lincolnshire the opportunity to engage and influence national policy and funding streams.

 

Appendix B to the report mapped out the Ageing Better goals, Lincolnshire's potential opportunities; and examples of work being undertaken in Greater Manchester and Leeds.

 

The report presented highlighted the two areas Lincolnshire would be focussing on initially as healthier ageing and safe and accessible homes.

 

Michelle Howard, Assistant Director – People, East Lindsey District Council advised the Committee that the programme was for five years and provided the opportunity for Lincolnshire to prepare its residents for later life and to keep them active for longer.  The Committee was advised that the Housing Health and Care Delivery Group had expressed a commitment to take forward two work tasks within the safe and accessible homes theme, on in relation to adapting existing homes, and the other in relation to age friendly new builds.

 

The first of these was outlined at appendix C.  It was noted that work had already been undertaken locally to improve Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and Occupational Therapy Services.  Appendix C provided a programme which would re-think approaches to encouraging people approaching later life to plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Extra Care Housing Development at The Linelands, Nettleham, with LACE Housing Limited pdf icon PDF 298 KB

(To receive a report by Emma Rowitt, Project Manager - Corporate Property, which invites the Committee to consider a report on the Extra Care Housing Development at The Linelands, Nettleham, with LACE Housing Limited which is due to be considered by the Executive on 02 September 2020)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that this item was for pre-decision scrutiny, prior to a decision being taken by the Executive on 2 September 2020.

 

The Chairman invited Kevin Kendall, Assistant Director – Corporate Property and Emma Rowitt, Project Manager to present the report, which was detailed on pages 45 to 136 of the agenda pack.

 

Detailed at Appendix 1 to the report was a copy of the Executive report.

 

The Committee was advised that the Executive report recommended a further £1.99m of the designated capital programme budget to be released to enable The Linelands Extra Care Housing (ECH) Scheme, to commence development in the spring of 2021.   The Committee noted that the project proposed a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council and LACE Housing Limited to provide 43 units of ECH accommodation for the anticipated demand in the West Lindsey District.  It was noted further that following the commencement of the De Wint Court Scheme, in partnership with the City of Lincoln Council, the remaining capital programme budget was £9.086m. 

 

The Committee was advised that the council owned the freehold of the Linelands site which had been vacant since 2011/12, and had been earmarked for ECH, to aid the strategic need to support the development of ECH in the county to assist in offsetting medium and long term revenue cost increases, and facilitate Lincolnshire residents to live independently for as long as possible within their communities.  It was reported that the Linelands scheme would deliver the initial need identified in the Housing LIN report 2018.

 

The Committee were requested to agree any comments to be passed to the Executive in relation to this item.

 

During discussion, the Committee raised the following points:

 

·               The scheme was entirely appropriate for modern day needs and would be a huge benefit to Lincolnshire residents to enable them to live independently; and

·               Support was extended for the scheme; and for the partnership with LACE Housing Ltd; and some enthusiasm was expressed for more such schemes and it was agreed that a request for the programme of other extra care housing schemes to be accelerated be passed to the Executive.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.        That the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee unanimously agreed to support the recommendations to the Executive as detailed in Appendix 1, on pages 47 and 48 of the report pack.

 

2.        That given the benefits of this proposal, the Committee's request that the programme of other extra care housing schemes be accelerated throughout the county be forwarded to the Executive.

15.

Payment Arrangements for Residential Care pdf icon PDF 353 KB

(To receive a report by Pam Clipson, Head of Finance – Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which provides the Committee with the opportunity to consider a report on Payment Arrangements for Residential Care, which is due to be considered by the Executive on 6 October 2020)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman invited Pam Clipson, Head of Finance, Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, and Helen Glover, Principal Lawyer, to present the report, which was detailed on pages 137 to 160 of the report pack.  The Committee was advised that this item was for pre-decision scrutiny, prior to a decision being taken by the Executive on 6 October 2020.

 

Detailed at Appendix 1 to the report was a copy of the Executive report.

 

The Committee was advised that the Executive on 6 October 2020 would be provided the latest report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) relating to the Council's payment arrangements for residential care; the results of a review the payments arrangements; and how the council should respond to the LGO's latest report as to payment arrangements moving forward. 

 

Appendix A to the report provided the Committee with a copy of the Local Government Ombudsman's report.

 

Pages 143 to 146 of the report provided the Committee with details of the review of the payments arrangements.  It was highlighted that significant progress had been made in improving systems and processes across the Council since 2018, which had included the time taken to complete a financial assessments, it was highlighted that the time had been reduced from 17 weeks to 28 days.  The Committee also noted that four separate systems were coming together into three systems which would now link; and an improvement programme had been introduced, which had generated a level of insight into the process for debt recovery, which had allowed officers to begin to prioritise improved systems and processes to enable better debt management going forward.

 

It was highlighted that the cost of the proposed rationalised system had reduced from £0.301m to £0.273m; and that non-recurrent set up costs had also reduced to £0.063m.

 

The Committee was advised of the legal implications of the LGO report details of which were shown on pages 147 and 148 of the report pack. 

 

In conclusion, the Committee was advised of reasons for the recommendations, the change from the existing "net" payment arrangements for residential care to a "gross" payment arrangement, details of which were shown on page 140 of the report pack.

 

The Committee expressed their support for the change to "gross" payment arrangements and to the recommendations as detailed on pages 139 to 140 of the report pack.

 

Note: Councillor M A Whittington wished it to be noted that his mother was in residential care, which was partly funded by the council, and as a result he would be abstaining from voting on this item.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee support the recommendations to the Executive as detailed on pages 139 to 140 of the report pack.

 

(Note: Councillor M A Whittington abstained from voting).

16.

Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee Work Programme pdf icon PDF 1 MB

(To receive a report by Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which provides the Committee with the opportunity to consider its work programme for the coming year)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report from Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which set out the Committee's work programme up to and including 14 April 2021.

 

The Committee was advised that for the 21 October 2020 meeting the item on Government Proposals for Future Funding of Adult Social Care was to be removed from the list, as is was unlikely that there would be anything to report on at this time.

 

During discussion, two potential agenda items were suggested, these were: Disabled Facilities Grants and Personal Health Budgets.  The Committee was advised that progress was being made in relation to both these items; and it was suggested that the items should be considered by the Committee at a future meeting along with an update on Direct Payments.

 

RESOLVED

 

1.        That the work programme presented be noted. 

 

2.      That an update on Disabled Facilities Grants, Personal Health Budgets and Direct Payments be received by the Committee at a future meeting.

 

 
 
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