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ITEM EX11
- ANNEX 1
EXECUTIVE - 23 JULY 2002
THE ANNUAL
REVIEW OF SOCIAL SERVICES PERFORMANCE
Mr
Stephen Wilds
Interim Director
of Social Services
Social Services
Department
Oxfordshire
County Council
County Hall
New Road
Oxford
OX1 1ND
17
May 2002
Dear
Stephen,
ANNUAL
REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE IN 2001 - 02
Thank
you for your co-operation with SSI’s performance assessment programme,
and for arranging our recent annual review meeting. This letter sets out
the Inspectorate’s view of performance for social services in your area
during the year April 2001 to March 2002, and comments on action for improvement
for the year beginning April 2002. An overall rating of services will
be confirmed by the Department of Health, later this year.
In
assessing performance, we have drawn on, and shared with you a profile
of evidence from a number of standard sources. These include:
- The published
PAF Performance Indicators for 2000-2001
- Monitoring information
from two Position Statements completed in June and October 2001
- SSI monitoring
of reviews and plans for service development, including the Quality
Protects Management Action Plan for 2000-01, Joint Investment Plans,
Special Grant Plans, and Capacity Plans
- SSI Inspection
of Mental Health Services that was published in June 2001
The
annex to this letter summarises the key strengths of performance over
the last year, and highlights priorities for improvement in the year ahead.
The annual review does not attempt to review all aspects of performance.
It focuses on the key performance issues for which SSI has current information.
In
relation to performance indicators published in 2001, the council’s performance
across 48 indicators were as follows:-
Children’s
services
- 4 improved
- 4 deteriorated
- 7 achieved a good
or very high standard
- 5 achieved an
acceptable standard, with room for improvement
- 4 were at a standard
where questions have been asked about performance
- 2 were at a poor
standard
Adult’s
services
- 6 improved
- 3 deteriorated
- 11 achieved a
good or very high standard
- 7 achieved an
acceptable standard, with room for improvement
- 10 were at a standard
where questions have been asked about performance
- 2 were at a poor
standard
We
are pleased to have identified some important improvements / areas of
outstanding performance over the year. These are:
- A major programme
of commissioning of services for older people, with a pooled budget
of £40M, and Social Services as lead commissioners has been agreed.
This agreement is a significant achievement in itself, and it is expected
to lead to improved efficiency, effectiveness, choice and quality of
service provision.
- The Council has
responded positively to an inspection of Mental Health services which
found that: Oxfordshire’s community mental health teams provided a responsive
and accessible service; that service users felt that services had improved,
and that there were opportunities for them to contribute to service
development; that policies and procedures which addressed national priorities
were being acknowledged and worked on jointly.
- Good progress
has been made on Direct Payments, with a further 19 users, and a spread
of users across older people, people with learning disabilities and
those with physical disabilities.
- Some innovative
schemes to recruit and retain staff across all service areas have been
developed, along with efficient workforce planning and use of contracts
with employment agencies.
- Services for children
requiring alternative long-term care, including adoption are well developed,
with high proportions being looked after in foster placements or placed
for adoption. There is good monitoring of the health of children looked
after, and few children have their placements disrupted by three or
more moves during the year.
- A Children’s Rights
Commissioner is in place, and there are proactive mechanisms to promote
children’s involvement in all aspects of service planning and delivery
- Carers’ needs
are dealt with through a network of three Carers Centres, and a high
proportion of carers have their own needs assessed.
We
discussed a number of important improvements / key issues concerning the
council’s performance in the immediate / medium term future, which we
expect you to take into account in your Best Value Review Programme. These
are:
- Financial and
activity management arrangements have not been adequate, and will require
significant investment in and development of: IT, procedures, data analysis
skills, and mapping of demand/activity/budgeting/spend, at all levels.
This is being taken forward through the Department’s Planning into Action
programme. It will be important for Social Services to address financial
planning across both the short and medium term. The council’s Local
Information Plan addresses the IT requirements for improved financial
and operational management (including case management), but it is heavily
dependent on un-identified funding.
- The Social Services
Department has overspent in the year 2001/02 (projected year-end overspend
as at January 2002 was £4M, but this has since risen). Although the
budget for 2002/03 has increased, there will be continuing constraints
as a result of absorbing the 2001/02 overspend, essential investments,
and unavoidable service and cost pressures.
- The Director of
Social Services will be leaving during the year 2002/03. Along with
the continuing development of new political arrangements, other changes
at Corporate level, and major organisational change in the NHS, this
is expected to be a period of significant change, and potential disruption
for Social Services. This will demand robust transitional arrangements
and excellent management in order to progress change whilst retaining
a focus on service delivery.
- Best Value Reviews
are planned for children’s services, Management and Support, and Day
Care 2002/03. Subject to review by the council the programme may be
changed. It will be important to carry out these reviews, whilst maintaining
a focus on national priorities, alongside the related improvement and
development programmes. These include: the Council’s consideration of
a Local Public Service Agreement; the Council’s action plan arising
out of the Peer Review carried out through IDeA; the recent restructuring
of children’s services; the planned SSI Inspection of Children’s Services.
- Although delayed
transfers of care in acute hospital beds have not been as great a problem
in the Oxfordshire as in other parts of the South East, the whole system
is under strain. It will be important for Social Services to build on
the success of its new Commissioning Service for older people, through
a stronger plan for "Building Capacity and Partnership in Care", and
a shared strategy for maximising access and capacity across all sectors.
- Further development
of partnership working will continue to be important as a means of improving
efficiency and service quality. In particular:
- with Education
and Youth Offending in the areas of educational achievements and social
inclusion of looked after children
- with Housing agencies
for housing for people with special needs
- with Health, to
ensure seamless, efficient, and quality services for people with health
and long-term care needs.
The
joint arrangements should be reviewed to ensure that both strategic
and operational collaboration is as effective as possible.
This
letter and its annex will form part of SSIs performance record for the
council. This year it will be published on the Department of Health’s
website. And you are asked to present the full document to an appropriate
committee of the council, within two months of receipt, and to advise
me of the date on which this will take place. The document must be made
available to members of the public at the same time.
Progress
will continue to be monitored during 2002-03 through our usual processes,
and a further Annual Review meeting will take place during the last quarter.
Later
this year, each council will be given a new Performance Rating - zero
to three stars - based on an assessment of their overall performance using
all the available evidence, not just the performance indicators. The evidence
summarised in this letter will be used to help arrive at the rating. The
Department will announce the overall results at national level later in
the year.
A
copy of this letter has been sent to the Council’s appointed auditor to
assist in the consideration of the social services aspects of the Best
Value Performance Plan.
Yours
sincerely
Lynda
Hoare
Director
Social
Services Inspectorate
(South
East)
Cc
Richard Shaw
- Council Chief Executive
John Bull –
District Auditor
Nick Relph
- Chief Executive of the Strategic Health Authority
Ann Merricks
- DHSC
David Vowles
- SSI SE
The Joint Review
Team
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