Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor I Carrington, Councillor R J Kendrick and Martin Kyle (Parent Governor Representative).

The Board also noted apologies for absence from Councillor M A Whittington (Executive Support Councillor for Resources, Communications and Commissioning).

None were declared.

RESOLVED:

           That minutes of the meeting held on 27 April 2023 be approved as a    correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

The Leader of the Council advised that the plans for a migrant base at RAF  Scampton were ongoing and all the relevant authorities were doing their best to stay informed and plan accordingly. The County Council was meeting weekly with West Lindsey District Council and the City of Lincoln Council to discuss the consequences of the proposals and was working with the Home Office to understand Government plans.

In response to a question, the Leader of the Council advised that conversations around a Devolution deal for Greater Lincolnshire were progressing with the potential for an agreement between Councils in Greater Lincolnshire for a Mayoral Election in 2025. Proposals would be put to Government and be subject to a consultation period if agreed.

None had been received.

None had been received.

(To receive a report by Leanne Fortherby, Commercial and Procurement Manager, which invites the Board to consider a report on the Approval to procure a contract for the print and distribution of the County News residents' magazine which is due to be considered by the Leader of the Council between 30 May – 13 June 2023. The views of the Board will be reported to the Leader of the Council as part of his consideration of this report)

Consideration was given to a report by the Commercial and Procurement Manager, which invited the Board to consider a report for the Approval to procure a contract for the print and distribution of the County News residents’ magazine which was due for decision by the Leader of the Council between 30 May 2023 and 13 June 2023. Key areas of the report were highlighted, as set out in Appendix A to the report.

The Board supported the recommendations to the Leader of the Council and during the discussion the following points were noted:

·                In response to concerns raised that some areas of Lincolnshire were currently not receiving copies of County News, such as in Crowland, due to Royal Mail using postcode areas for distribution, it was confirmed that there would be service credits going into the new contract in regard to distribution rates. The Council would apply service credits for areas where County News had not been delivered to over 95% of households. The Chief Executive agreed to look into how many Lincolnshire households were currently not receiving copies of County News to gauge the extent of the issue.

·                In relation to the restricted tender process, this would be open to all companies and therefore local companies in Lincolnshire would be able to bid for the contract.

RESOLVED:

1.      That the recommendations to the Leader of the Council be     supported;

2.      That a summary of the comments made, as detailed above, be          passed on to the Leader of the Council as part of his consideration of this item.

(To receive a report by Tony Kavanagh, Assistant Director – Human Resources and Organisational Support, which invites the Board to consider the People Management Update – Quarter 4)

Consideration was given to a report by the Assistant Director – HR and Organisational Support, which invited the Board to consider the People Management Update – Quarter 4, as set out within the report.

During this item, Councillor Mrs J Brockway declared a personal interest as her family accessed support from Children’s Services, which was referenced in the discussion.

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

·      Due to an increase in people working from home during the pandemic, less influenza type illnesses had been reported, which was thought to be the reason for a decrease in sickness absence during the period. Health issues usually attributed to the workplace, and other long term conditions may not have been diagnosed by the NHS due to a lack of routine appointments and surgeries. 

·      There was recognition that individuals would need to be performance managed in different ways, however it was the intention that management behaviour towards employees should be consistent. Officers were in the process of developing a leadership programme which would provide training to new managers and set a standard of best practice.

·      Members commended lower than expected sickness levels within the Children’s and Adult Social Care teams, given the pressures faced by support staff in these areas. The challenging circumstances of those in Children and Adult Care roles and Fire and Rescue Services were acknowledged. Research showed that the most effective way to support staff in these areas were effective supervision to understand welfare needs and ensure networks of support were in place for individuals, which was adopted by the Council.

·      The improvements reported for involuntary turnover and sickness absence were welcomed.

·      Assurance was provided that throughout the organisation, senior managers, Executive Councillors and Members of scrutiny committees regularly shadowed employees on the frontline to get an understanding of the challenges faced. However, it was acknowledged that there were occasions in which work priorities needed to be balanced to meet individuals’ welfare needs, leading to additional pressure on frontline workers.

·      In comparison to other councils, agency spend was relatively low, however there were certain areas where recruitment difficulties meant that agency spend was essential to ensure the continuation of services. The Board welcomed the decrease in agency spend within Fire and Rescue.

·      The Executive Director – Resources advised of the difficulties in recruiting Childcare Lawyers, however assurance was provided that there were measures in place to mitigate these issues and the position was improving, but there was still a need for agency workers in this area.

·      Feedback received on the cultural stocktake survey was welcomed, however it was noted that this was intended to be an indicator of leadership and management behaviour rather analysing specific issues within the organisation.  Assurance was provided that the Council was committed to ensuring a positive culture for the next generation of leaders in the Council.

·      The Board highlighted the importance of investing in health and wellbeing initiatives, however it was acknowledged that health and wellbeing was also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

(To receive a report which sets out the work programmes of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and the Health Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the Board's agreed programme)

Consideration was given to a report by the Chairman of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, which highlighted the recent work of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and its forward work programme.

In addition, three additional items had been added to the Committee’s work programme for 2023:

·      28 June 2023 - the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board - Prevention Strategy

·      6 September 2023 - Outcomes of the Care Quality Commission’s Assurance Programme.

·      29 November 2023 - the Recommissioning of the Lincolnshire Wellbeing Service. 

Whilst the benefits of advanced technology were acknowledged, the Board reiterated the importance of ensuring that members of the public could make contact with the Council via telephone if needed and that contact details were clearly signposted on the Council’s website.

Consideration was then given to a report by the Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire which highlighted the recent work of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire and its forward work programme.

In addition, the Quality Accounts Working Group had met to review the quality accounts of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and the East Midlands Ambulance Service.  At its next meeting on 1 June, the Working Group would be reviewing the quality accounts of Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust. 

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

·    The Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire had been reassured that the Hartsholme Centre – Lincolnshire’s Male Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit had been closed only on a temporary basis until recruitment issues were resolved, which was thought to be within 12 months’ time.  The Committee had raised concerns that people needing specialist treatment were having to go out of County for care. The pressures of working in a high pressure, specialised role was acknowledged and therefore the Committee had welcomed a change in the contract to make the role more attractive.

·      Members suggested that regular screening for prostate cancer be introduced. The Board was assured that the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire had raised this issue previously but would seek further information on this issue.

RESOLVED:

1. That the Board was satisfied with activity undertaken since 23 February 2023 by:

2. That the Board was satisfied with the planned work programmes of:

(To receive a report which enables the Board to note the content of its work programme for the coming year)

The work programme was noted.