Agenda and minutes

Venue: Chamber - County Hall, Carmarthen. SA31 1JP. View directions

Contact: Michelle Evans-Thomas  01267 224070

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A. McPherson, E. Morgan and E. Schiavone.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL INTERESTS INCLUDING ANY PARTY WHIPS ISSUED IN RELATION TO ANY AGENDA ITEM.

Minutes:

Councillor

Minute No(s)

Nature of Interest

Councillor G. Thomas

Minute No. 6  – Country Cars

Her husband drives for Country Cars.

 

There were no declaration of prohibited party whips.

3.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Minutes:

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

4.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Minutes:

The Chair advised the Committee that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 2(3) she was going to vary the order of business on the agenda to enable the presentation by the Local Health Board to be considered later in the meeting.

 

 

 

 

5.

CARMARTHENSHIRE'S APPROACH TO PREVENTION TO SUPPORT HEALTH AND WELLBEING pdf icon PDF 118 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report on the approach taken by integrated Services to deliver effective preventative services. The report and presentation summarised the approach taken.

 

The following questions / observations were raised after presentation of the report:-

 

·         Concern was expressed over the elderly living in cold conditions as they are worried about putting the heating on and officers were asked what can be done to get the message across that they must stay warm to stay health.  The Committee was advised that it is difficult for people to change the habits of a lifetime if they have always been careful or frugal.  Officers are working on a more proactive approach in this regard;

·         Asked what can be done to help families who cannot afford to fund sports equipment and clothing for their children. Advised that there is no definitive answer but it is recognised that physical activities are important for prevention and general wellbeing.  Welsh Government are also aware of the importance;

·         Reference was made to DEWIS and how this resource is kept updated.  Advised that community workers encourage 3rd sector organisations to maintain their details.  A working group has also been established to drive this forward;

·         Asked how prevention services are promoted and encouraged in rural locations where there may be no internet coverage. Advised that contact had been made with Community and Town Councils however limited interest had been shown. If any Town & Community Councils would like officers to visit and give a presentation on Prevention they can contact Julia Wilkinson or email CommunityResilience@carmarthenshire.gov.uk.

·         It was felt that in order to assist in spreading the message regarding the prevention services provided by the Authority, that officers be invited to give this presentation at a meeting of Full Council.  The Committee was advised that arrangements are being made for Council to receive a presentation on Dementia and another one on Carmarthenshire is Kind, Cusp etc.;

·         Asked if engagement had been made with the religious sectors in Carmarthenshire as the churches and chapels are important to the rural locations.  Advised that due to long term illness there was only one Community Resilience Coordinator covering the whole of Carmarthenshire therefor communication is one of the biggest challenges.  It is acknowledged that the message needs to be communicated.

·         Asked if ‘Carmarthenshire is Kind’ message also included a message regarding combating bullying.  Advised that this was one of the messages that was promoted.

 

The Committee thanked Julia for her presentation and agreed that it would be beneficial if the message could be cascaded to a wider audience.

 

RESOLVED that the report and presentation be received.

 

 

 

6.

PRESENTATION - COUNTRY CARS.

Minutes:

[Note: Councillor G Thomas had earlier declared an interest in this item].

 

The Chair welcomed Sarah Powell (Systems & Finance Officer – Environment Department) and Karyn Morris (Commissioned Services Operations Manager - Royal Voluntary Service)

 

The Committee thereupon received a presentation providing an overview of the service provided by Country Cars.

 

Key points of note were:

 

·         Country Cars is designed to be a public transport ‘safety net’, providing links to bus and train, or door-to-door transport when needed;

·         The service is not to compete with other transport providers such as local buses, trains and taxis;

·         There is a limit of 20 passenger miles per journey and only one journey per week which must be in Carmarthenshire;

·         The service is for essential use only, for individual and occasional use. It is for essential journeys only when there is no other reasonable means of transport;

·         The service consist of 12 independently based schemes as it is easier to manage a local pool of volunteer drivers;

·         RVS is contracted by the Council to recruit drivers and to operate the scheme. This involves recruiting, mandatory training, safeguarding, data protection, undertaking DBS checks and maintaining and supporting a pool of volunteer drivers;

·         RVS contract is renewed annually;

·         Funding received by RVS purchases 10% of the managers time;

·         The service receives more requests for transportation than they can fulfil.

 

Following the presentation the following observations / questions were raised:-

 

·         Asked what expenses the volunteers receive.  Advised that Carmarthenshire pays volunteers expenses at the same rate as defined by HMRC (45p per mile).  There would be tax implications if the payment was any higher.  Cost of telephone calls and any other relevant expenses are also reimbursed;

·         Asked what about the cost to service user. Advised that the cost is slightly higher than what it would typically be for using the bus.  There is also a concession of 50% for 5 to 15 year old and for those who have a current bus pass;

·         Asked what security checks if any were made on users of the service. Advised that checks were only made on the volunteer drivers;

·         Asked how the service is advertised.  Advised that the service is not on DEWIS but is advertised on posters in GP surgeries and all buildings with a social aspect i.e. Post Offices, libraries etc. There is a continual recruitment drive which is done via social media and word of mouth, leaflets, posters and talks.  Information is also available on the Council website.  It was suggested that Country Cars contacts Radio Carmarthenshire for free advertising.

 

The Chair thanked Sarah and Karyn for attending the meeting and for their presentation and extended her appreciation for the service.

7.

ADULT SOCIAL CARE COMPLAINTS & COMPLIMENTS REPORT - 1ST APRIL 2018 TO 30TH SEPTEMBER 2018. pdf icon PDF 154 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report detailing the Adult Social Care complaints and compliments received for the period 01/04/18 – 30/09/18.  The report summarised the number of complaints and compliments received and provided information on the type of complaint and the relevant service area.

 

The following question was asked in relation to the report:-

 

·         Asked if all the appropriate staff have received the necessary training, the Committee was advised that the training was directed in the first instance to managers and those officers that deal with complaints.  However, the information is disseminated to all staff who deal with service users.  The department strives to ensure that all staff continuously deal with customers to a high standard. The training is undertaken every 18 months so that the message is continuously re-iterated and it is cascaded right through the department.

 

RESOLVED that the report be received.

 

8.

MEALS ON WHEELS CUSTOMER EVALUATION REPORT. pdf icon PDF 166 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report providing an evaluation of the satisfaction levels of service users following the decision made by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) to end the meals on wheels service that they provide on behalf of the Local Authority. 

 

The following questions/observations were raised on the report:-

 

  • Asked what measures are in place to ensure that older people do not succumb to malnutrition, the Locality Manager explained that officers are working on raising awareness of malnutrition.  Several initiatives are being worked on in this regard including the possibility of commissioning CUSP and working with the Social Prescribers.  She added that this is a national concern and it has been recognised that work ne4eds to be done in this area;
  • Reference was made to the fact that the last update presented to Committee reported that 17 service users’ needs had not been met and officers were asked if this had been addressed.  The Interim Head of Integrated Services informed the Committee that these service users were re-visited and have now moved on to alternative arrangements for meal provision. 

 

RESOLVED that the report be received.

 

9.

REVENUE & CAPITAL BUDGET MONITORING REPORT. pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report in relation to the Social Care and Health Service which provided an update on the latest budgetary position as at 31st August 2018, in respect of the 2018/19 financial year.

 

The Social Care and Health Service was projecting an overspend of £746k on the revenue budget and a net variance of -£2k against the 2018/19 approved capital budget.

 

The following questions / observations were raised on the report:-

 

·         Asked what the £22k underspend was in Support (Appendix A).  Advised that this was due to staffing;

·         Raised concerns around staff vacancies in the care management teams. Advised that workforce pressures is one of the main problems facing the sector.  There has been a turnover of staff / retirement. A concerted effort has been made this year to ensure that the Community Resource Teams remained at full complement.  Recruitment is a pressure but it is being addressed.  Staff who have retired have returned to provide support while recruitment is being undertaken;

·         Asked how much of the £20m funding announced by Rebecca Evans A.M. the Authority had received.  Advised that it is normally based on a formula and the Authority receives 6% funding from the Welsh Government which is based on an adult population formula.  Advised that the £20m referred to was funding released by the Welsh Government to alleviate workforce pressures;

·         Asked why so much is being spent on agency staffing. Advised that a lot of work has been done to reduce dependency on agency staff including more effective rotas and reducing sickness levels.  Hoped to see more positive results over the next 6-12 months;

·         Concern raised about staffing issues especially as there is high unemployment.  Advised that in the more rural areas it was easier to recruit but in the towns it was difficult to compete with retail outlets.  There is a career path via the NVQ qualification but there is a need to make it a more attractive career path in schools;

·         Reference was made to the announcement by NHS England of £3.5b of additional funding for social care and officers were asked if Wales was likely to receive something similar.  An announcement regarding the Support Grant settlement is expected late December;

·         Asked about the on-going vacancies within the Occupational Therapy service and how this was being addressed.  Advised that there have been issues over recruiting, however, these have been resolved and staff who had moved to other areas have now returned to Carmarthenshire.  There has been a lot of recruitment and we now have a very strong Occupational Therapy service; 

·         Asked what the impact will be for the Authority regarding the recent announcement that Allied Healthcare will cease trading.  Advised that there was a contingency plan in place as the company had warned that it was in financial difficulties.  Advised that ongoing negotiations were being undertaken to ensure the service would not be affected and staff (c80) would be transferred into the employment of the Authority.

·         Asked how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

PRESENTATION - TRANSFORMING CLINICAL SERVICES - POST CONSULTATION AND NEXT STEPS

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed to the meeting the following from Hywel Dda University Health Board – Mrs Bernardine Rees (Chair), Mr Steve Moore (Chief Executive), Helen Annandale (Head of Physiotherapy and Carmarthenshire Therapies Lead), Bethan Lewis (Head of Nursing at Glangwili Hospital) and Lisa Davies (Principal Project Manager). They had been invited to the meeting to give a presentation on Transforming Clinical Services – Post Consultation and Next Steps.

 

The Committee thereupon received a presentation providing an overview of the Transforming Clinical Services Consultation Closing Report.

 

The report consolidated the work undertaken as part of the public consultation that took place from 19th April to 12th July, 2018.  Key items presented included:-

 

·         Programme background

·         Summary of findings

·         Key themes

·         Conscientious consideration

·         Recommendations to the Board

·         Next Steps

 

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session during which the following questions / observations were raised:

 

·         Asked what the anticipated timescales and cost would be for delivering the new facility, the Committee was advised that there is a sense of urgency to deliver the new facility as there are concerns about the current system, however, at this stage confirmation of cost and timescales could not be provided.  The full business case may take a few years for completion and until this has been completed the funding could not be secured;

·         Asked if the Trust had applied for Welsh Government funding for integration and transformation.  Advised that the Trust is currently in the last stage of the bid and had been working closely with Social Care and 3rd sector organisations.  The trust re-affirmed their commitment to working across the various public sector services and that they will focus on the need to be a ‘care organisation’.  The trust is working closely with ABMU and gave assurance that negotiation will consider the best interests of patients;

·         Asked if it would be practical to consider having a medical school attached to any new hospital, the Committee was advised that a lot of training is already undertaken at the existing facilities.  Opportunities at the Wellness Village will significantly improve options in that regard;

·         Asked about the location of the new facility and how this can be justified to the population. Advised that as the service is currently spread over several sites, the expertise is therefore spread out too and causes problems with staffing and rotas.  By bringing all the services together at one location it should improve the work/life balance for staff and will also make it easier for patients to access specialist services such as neurology. The need for improved infrastructure to make the new facility accessible to all is recognised and is a challenge that will have to be addressed;

·         Asked what plans are in place to address winter pressures. Advised that the Health Board will be meeting next week to discuss plans and make sure that they are prepared to face the pressures.  Flu vaccination programme and social care/domiciliary care to help with the flow.  £2m funding has been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

SOCIAL CARE & HEALTH SCRUTINY COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2017/2018. pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received an Annual Report detailing the work of the Committee during the 2017/18 municipal year. The report had been prepared in accordance with Article 6.2 of the Council’s Constitution which requires Scrutiny Committees to prepare an annual report giving an account of the Committee’s activities over the previous year.

 

The report provided an overview of the Committee’s work programme and the key issues considered during the year.  The report also provided details of development sessions and site visits arranged for the Committee as well as attendance data.

 

RESOLVED that the Social Care & Health Scrutiny Committee’s Annual Report 2017/18 be received.

12.

EXPLANATION FOR NON-SUBMISSION OF SCRUTINY REPORT. pdf icon PDF 59 KB

Minutes:

The Committee received an explanation for the non-submission of the following scrutiny report which was scheduled to be considered at today’s meeting:-

 

·         Regional & Partnership Working Update

 

RESOLVED that the explanation for the non-submission be noted.

13.

FORTHCOMING ITEMS. pdf icon PDF 110 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on the 17th December, 2018 be noted.

14.

TO SIGN AS A CORRECT RECORD THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON THE 25TH SEPTEMBER, 2018. pdf icon PDF 218 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 25th September, 2018 be signed as a correct record.

 

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