Agenda item

[Courtney Abbott, Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner for Children and Adults, to present report]

Jennifer Rogers, Interim Safeguarding Manager (Adults)and Courtney Abbott, Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner for Children and Adults, jointly presented the report to the panel.

Jenny Rogers, Interim Principal Social Worker, gave a brief introduction to the requirement for local authorities to publish Adult Social Care Local Account. The panel were invited to give comment and feedback on the 2019-2020 Adult Social Care Local Account prior to it being presented to Cabinet on 8 February 2021 for approval.

The purpose of publishing the Local Account is to provide the public with information on the performance of Adult Social Care service and activity against performance targets.

The report details the progress made against the priorities set in the previous year and includes a mix of both qualitative and quantitative information. The document also includes examples of real-life stories where there has been an impact.

The Interim Principal Social Worker commented on the importance of celebrating in the document the achievements of the service but also highlighting the challenges and where improvements are needed. The Local Account is part of the self-assessment process and important to make sure that it is easy to read and accessible. It is considered a really good practice for councils to include information about the financial situation and how resources have been used. The inclusion of financial information is not mandatory. The Local Account is normally published in November or December but to the impact of Covid-19 there has been a delay. The Interim Principal Social Worker invited panel to comment on the draft document.

The document has been shared with local groups who were invited to give us feedback on what could be done to make it work better for the public

Courtney Abbott, Advanced Practitioner for Quality and Improvement, commented that the Local Account looks at the strengths of the service and what has been done well against challenges faced during the year. The Advanced Practioner, commented that the service has made good progress towards meeting the key priorities during the year. A key highlight in the document is that year-on-year adult social care of received fewer complaints when compared to the previous year.

The Advanced Practioner added that the service replied to most complaints received within the required time scales and there is a focus on resolving complaints as quickly as possible. The Advanced Practioner gave further details about the progress in meeting the target to register 3000 new people on Telecare which helps support people to remain independent in their own home for as long as possible.

The service is supporting 1372 people and is on target for meeting that goal of 3,000 new people using Telecare.

The Advanced Practioner commented on the support given to people who have been discharged from the hospital and highlighted the increase in the number of people still in their home 91 days later when compared to the previous year.

The service is helping people to remain more independently in their homes and out of hospital unnecessarily. The service provides equipment and make adaptations that can help ensure that a person's home is safe for them and meet their needs.

The Advanced Practioner commented on the progress in implementing the ‘three conservations’ throughout adult social care, and highlighted examples in the Local Account about the positive benefits of the approach in terms of helping people to connect with other people in the community. There has been an increase in the number of ‘conversations’ held in 2019 2020 compared to the previous year. The work has been supported by the community support and carers support teams.

The Advanced Practioner commented on the success of care assessments for people being discharged from hospital either into a care home or supported accommodation. The service will ensure that people who are ready for discharge are going to be in the place that will best meet their needs, but there is a recognition that there this more to do to support the people who live in the City.

The priorities set for 2020 2021 are the same as the previous priorities because these are areas which are important to people in the City. The Advanced Practioner advised the panel that the service wants to make the offer better and also working with the challenges presented by Covid-19. The service will continue to prioritise the timely discharge from hospital in the future and also help people have more choice and to live more independently. The Advanced Practioner commented in previous meeting where the issue of isolation and loneliness among older people was discussed and outlined the work being done to tackle this issue for people living in their own homes and connecting to them to support networks. There is a lot of work being done in this area because loneliness can affect both mental health and physical health of carers, for example, connecting carers to people with similar interests and hobbies, which can help to improve the situation.

The Mental Health Team has been set up a WhatsApp group to encourage people with mental health difficulties to keep them in touch with each other and to create a space where they can talk to each other. The aim is for the group to become their own support group. The service is continuing to evolve and learn from what else is going on around the country.

The panel discussed the impact of dementia on people using Telecare and other support that might be needed where they may not be wearing the alarm necklace and need help following an accident. The Advanced Practioner accepted the ongoing challenge presented in helping people with dementia to remain independent in a home setting but reassured the panel of the work being done to support.

The panel thanked the presenters for their report and presentation.

Resolved:

1. The Panel agreed to note the Adult Social Care Local Account for 2019-2020.
2. The comments of the Panel to be included in the report to Cabinet on 8 March 2020.
3. The Panel agreed to approve the Adult Social Care Local Account for 2019-2020.