10:00
The Director for Social & Community Services will give a verbal update on key issues.
Minutes:
John Jackson, Director for Social and Community Services, updated the committee on national and local developments. A summary of these are presented below:
National Items
Adult Social Care White Paper
There are lots of stories in the media about what this will include (in particular whether it will address the recommendations from the Dilnot Commission). There are also reports (such as in this week’s Observer) that it will not be issued this month. From my perspective I have no intelligence about when it will be published except that it will not be published in April (due to the local elections in early May). If it does not address Dilnot then this will be an opportunity missed in my opinion.
Local Items
Oxfordshire Care Partnership
I promised the Committee that I would update you on developments. However, at this stage I have nothing to report other than that the negotiating team are discussing a series of very detailed issues with the Orders of St. John and Bedford Pilgrims Housing Association. We are still working to the approach agreed by the Cabinet. Nick Graham has responded to some questions raised by Cllr Stevens. Members of this Committee have been copied into that correspondence. Cllr Stevens came back with some further questions yesterday. Nick Graham will respond to those questions as soon as possible.
Four Seasons Healthcare
Members have understandably shown a key interest in what is happening to the homes that Four Seasons Healthcare took over in Oxfordshire that were currently previously run by Southern Cross. Southern Cross ran 6 homes in Oxfordshire, 5 of which were transferred to Four Seasons Healthcare, bringing the total number of Four Seasons Healthcare homes in Oxfordshire to 6. We have carried out quality monitoring visits to all the former Southern Cross homes in Oxfordshire including those that transferred to Four Seasons Healthcare. Staff who carried out the monitoring visits noted an improvement in quality at all of them. There is a notable improvement in staff morale coupled with significant investment (reported by Four Seasons to be in the region of £200,000) in the buildings and equipment. All the homes have new managers and staff training for all staff is being refreshed. New care documentation from Four Seasons Healthcare will be launched next month and we believe this will lead to further improvements.
The Crown, Harwell
That said I do need to report that Four Seasons Healthcare announced last Friday that one of the homes transferred from Southern Cross will close – The Crown in Harwell. This is a very small home (only 16 places) with a proportionately high number of vacancies (there are only 7 residents currently – 4 funded by the County Council and 3 funded privately). Significant financial investment would be required to improve the home and Four Seasons Healthcare has received no applicants for the post of Home Manager, which is currently vacant. The home was transferred to Four Seasons Healthcare under a management agreement; the landlord has now decided to sell the building. Whilst its closure is not necessarily a surprise, the 7 residents and their families are concerned are worried about their future. We were present when they residents and relatives were informed and we shall be providing all the necessary support to make sure that they are transferred to an alternative care home that meets their needs. The local member, Cllr Lilly has been informed and is keen to be kept briefed on what is happening.
Care Home Fees
Members will be aware that in some areas care home fee reviews have received national media attention and in a small number of cases have been challenged by providers. In Oxfordshire we have had initial exploratory discussions with Oxfordshire Care Homes Association about how we might approach the market to discuss the same. Our view is that we need to engage with a broad range of care home providers about the cost of care in Oxfordshire and to this end we are about to begin a consultation process to help support this work. The outcome of this consultation will be reflected in a report to the Cabinet in due course and this will help to inform proposals for future care home fees reviews. I will of course keep Members informed of progress as we move through this exercise.
Adult Social Care Crisis Response Service
The Crisis Response Service is a new service being trialled (started January 2012) countywide in Oxfordshire for older people or adults with a disability, who are genuinely in crisis, at risk of admission to hospital or a care home, and need an immediate (within 4 hours) social care response. The service is available 24/7 and can be up to a maximum of 72 hours, 24/7. As the Service is a pilot, it hasn't been advertised to the general public but anyone can refer via the Council's Social and Health Care Team via Customer Services during working hours or during out-of hours via the Emergency Duty Team, to the Provider, Community Voice. Community Voice are working towards full strength in terms of numbers of staff, which means that during the initial period of operation – to end March 2012 – we may not be able to respond in all cases that would otherwise be eligible. So far we have received 73 enquiries from people who meet the eligibility criteria and have been able to provide a service to 57 of them. 81% of those service users were still in their own home after receiving the Service.
Members broadly welcomed this development and agreed that the low publicity pilot approach was sensible. It was AGREED that the Deputy Director for Joint Commissioning, would bring a report on the outcomes of the pilot to the committee in September 2012. The report will discuss the range of services aimed preventing unnecessary entry into hospital.
Ridgeway Trust
This Learning Disability Trust decided that they had to look to a larger partner since they were judged too small to become a Foundation Trust. There has been a lengthy merger and acquisitions process which has been overseen by the Strategic Health Authority. Ann Nursey has provided input into the process on behalf of both the Primary Care Trust and the County Council. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has been selected as the preferred acquisition partner. This news has been communicated to employees of the Trust, employees of the County Council who work closely with them and also with service users and carers.
Joint Commissioning Service
The Joint Commissioning Service is undergoing a restructure to centralise commissioning and contracting activity for adults and children. The cross cutting support service – Strategy & Performance and Public Engagement is largely in place. The proposals for Commissioning and Contracting are out to staff consultation. This includes strengthening our contract management function, bringing procurement support into the team and improving our communication with external providers. We have beefed up the website sourceoxfordshire.com to include information on the joint commissioning team and posted up all our most recent commissioning strategies – to help providers.