Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor R L Foulkes.

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

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 September 2020 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillor or Lead Officers.

(To receive a report by David Culy, Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Business Manager, which presents the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board Strategic Plan, currently in its first year and updated for 2020/21, and its Annual Report for 2019/20)

The Committee received a report and presentation which provided the opportunity to consider the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) Strategic Plan, which was currently in its final year and had been updated for 2020/21, and also its Annual Report for 2019/20.  Heather Roach, Independent Chair of the LSAB was in attendance to give a presentation to the Committee.

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and presentation, and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was queried whether Covid-19 had had an impact in relation to the Safeguarding Adult Reviews.  It was reported that this work was still taking place, and there were several reports which were likely to be published in the next few months.  Two recent referrals had been received but they had not met the criteria for a review.

·         It was queried whether Safeguarding Adult Review Reports would be presented to the Committee.  Members were advised that the reports would continue to be published online, and an update could be provided to the Committee if necessary.

·         In relation to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications, it was noted that this number had continued to increase, however, there was no longer a backlog of cases.  It was highlighted that this increase in cases was particularly due to the work that had been carried out with providers.  The County Council was working in partnership with Lincolnshire Care Asssociation, and a large amount of training had taken place with the care sector.

·         It was queried whether there was a national forum where good practice could be shared, and the Committee was advised that there was a network of Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) Chairs, and a lot of information was shared.

·         It was noted that several services had been suspended, but additional money had been received, and it was queried what the LSAB was doing in relation to homelessness.  However, members were advised that homelessness was outside the remit of the Board, with initial responsibility lying with the district councils.  However, it was recognised that homelessness provided a potential risk for vulnerable adults.

·         It was highlighted that there had been 3,751 safeguarding concerns raised in 2019/20.  It was noted that this number was in line with national figures, but officers looked into the origin of reports and the agencies involved etc.

·         It was queried whether county boundaries were causing any issues for safeguarding teams in North and North East Lincolnshire.  Members were advised that the LSAB was in contact with other Chairs and there were good cross border relationships in place.

·         It was noted that the new Strategic Plan would be implemented at the end of April 2021.  The LSAB would be holding some sessions on the new Plan at the beginning of 2021.  It was requested that the Independent Chair of the LSAB reported to the Committee at the start of the new Council.

RESOLVED

1.    That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

(To receive a report by Pam Clipson, Head of Finance Adult Care, which sets out the financial performance of Adult Care and Community Wellbeing for the financial year 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021)

Consideration was given to a report which set out the financial performance of Adult Care and Community Wellbeing for the financial year 1 April – 31 March 2021).  It was reported that ACCW was forecasting an underspend of £0.437m.

It was highlighted that in terms of funding received in response to Covid-19, £8.4m had been received and so far, £5.42m had been allocated to residential providers, and £1.74m to community providers.  There was also £1.79m which the County Council was able to allocate to other care settings.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         Officers were congratulated for continuing to deliver a balanced budget, which was a great achievement during this time.

·         It was commented that it was notable that the directorate had managed to stay on target with the budget considering the impact that Covid-19 had had on the country and the world since March 2020.  It was queried whether it was expected that there would be any costs going into the next year relating to Covid-19 or were there already systems in place to mitigate any additional expense.  It was noted that the provision for the following year was due to negotiated and the authority was working with the providers in order to manage the non-recurrent costs.

·         In terms of financial modelling, it was commented that there had been very good information sharing between the service managers and the finance teams.

·         A lot of work had taken place towards the end of 2019/20 to put mental health services on the same footing as learning disabilities.  Part of that challenge was in terms of financial monitoring, and some costs had been identified for services which were no longer needed.  It was noted that there were items scheduled for future meetings around the mental health agenda.

·         It was queried whether any work had been done on the risk that could from long Covid-19, and whether it would impact on services like adult frailty.  It was confirmed that this would have an impact on future health services and adult social care services, and would be factored into service planning when the impacts were clearer.  It was highlighted that a number of factors had been identified which indicated that someone may suffer from long Covid-19.

·         It was noted that occupancy rates of care homes were being monitored, as well as changes to care packages.

·         It was commented that it was known that the elderly age group was particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, but it was queried whether there was any indication of increased infection rates in those people with learning disabilities.  The Committee was advised a revised shielding list was being developed which would include people with Downs Syndrome. 

RESOLVED

            That the Committee note the financial performance to date and the resulting year end forecast.

(To receive a report by Emma Scarth, Head of Business Intelligence and Performance, which comprises of a presentation on key Adult Care and Community Wellbeing Digital Roadmap Projects)

Consideration was given to a report and presentation on key Adult Care and Community Wellbeing (ACCW) Digital Roadmap Projects.  It was reported that the Digital Roadmap set out the vision for harnessing new ways of working and digital technology innovation over the next five years.  The roadmap had been produced with input from care users, Adult Care workforce, council members, and Information Management and Technology (IMT).  The roadmap focused on three key themes – Digital Citizen; Digital Workforce; and Digital Community.

Members were guided through a presentation which provided an update on each of the current Digital Roadmap projects within Adult Care and focused on the following areas:

·         AC&CW Digital Roadmap – Themes

·         Virtual Wallet and Marketplace

·         Better Care and Better Off

·         Connect to Support Lincolnshire (CTSL)

·         NHSMail for Care Providers

·         WHZAN Digital Health – technology support in care homes

·         Clinical Care Portal

·         Facebook Portals

·         Howz (pilot)

·         Armed (pilot)

·         Online Care and Support Assessment (Discovery Project)

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the presentation and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         400 new mobile devices had been distributed to adult care and public health frontline staff to assist their working during the pandemic period.

·         As a number of the projects were pilots, it was queried whether these projects would be rolled out, and what the next steps would be.  It was confirmed that about half of the projects were pilots, but learning from these would help LCC in the future commission of the Telecare contract and other services.

·         It was highlighted that the move to more digital services would be accessible to the majority of people, however, it was queried how it would be ensured that those people without access to broadband connections would not be left behind.  It was acknowledged that online services were not suitable for everyone and there was not a wish to transfer everyone to a solely digital route.  There should always be a face to face or paper based route.  It was noted that if people were able to access services themselves via digital routes, this would free up resources for the people who required more intensive face to face support.

·         Connectivity was an issue in the county, and there were teams within the County Council working with broadband providers to ensure there was coverage for the majority of the county.

·         It was noted that a lot of the products used in the projects were available 'off the shelf' where people could now access these products to help support themselves.

·         Members commented that these were fantastic projects, and were pleased that the authority was embracing innovative solutions.

·         It was queried whether any thought had been given to issuing the wearable technology (such as Armed) to people with dementia who were prone to wander and were living in a residential home.  It was noted that this technology was focused on falls, but devices did have GPS capabilities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

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

Consideration was given to a report which invited the Committee to consider its future work programme, which included a list of items which were planned up to an including 14 April 2021.

During discussion of the work programme the following was noted:

·         The Annual Report for the Director of Public Health be added to the meeting on 13 January 2021;

·         The report on the Boston Extra Care Housing Scheme to be deferred from the meeting on 24 February 2021 to a meeting later in the year;

·         Updates from the LSAB would be added into the work programme, on a six monthly basis;

·         The meeting scheduled for 14 April 2021 may need to be moved as it would be taking place in the pre-election period.

RESOLVED

            That the changes highlighted above be incorporated into the Committee's work programme.