10:00
John Jackson, Director for Social and Community Services, will update the committee on local and national issues in Adult Social Care.
Minutes:
John Jackson, Director of Social and Community Services, updated the committee on local and national issues in Adult Services. The key points and actions arising are summarised below.
Members we invited to contact the Director for further information relating to Adult Services should they need it, particularly those new to the committee.
Cllr Arash Fatemian, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, joined the meeting.
OCP latest position
Negotiations are continuing. A number of issues have been agreed but some points are still outstanding. We continue to work within the framework set out in the Cabinet report and the discussions that took place at the Scrutiny Committee in January. Any proposal that would move away from that framework would come back for further member consideration.
Discussion focussed on where the responsibility of care lies. The Director said that whilst primary responsibility sits with the provider, the directorate has a robust monitoring system in place for providers, which prevents placements being made where concerns arise.
The Director suggested that members may want to have a further session with Sara Livadeas, Deputy Director, Joint Commissioning on the subject of quality.
It was added that the importance of strengthening quality and contract management was reflected by the recent appointment of Stephen McHale as lead for Quality, Contracts and Procurement within Joint Commissioning.
Consultation on transport for day services
The Director informed the committee that the consultation had begun.
Deputy Director Adult Social Care
The committee were informed that Lucy Butler has been appointed to this role and will begin on 23rd July. There will be an overlap of 2 weeks before John Dixon finishes his assignment. A recent communication about Lucy’s appointment provided a short pen picture of her experiences and skills.
In anticipation of the new appointment, both the committee and the Director thanked John Dixon, Interim Deputy Director, Adult Social Care for his hard work whilst in post.
Letter re takeover of Southern Cross
A copy of the letter announcing the takeover of Southern Cross by Terra Firma was shared with the committee recently. This reduces the debt of the organisation but also raises questions about the long term intentions of the new owner. We shall continue to monitor the situation carefully both in terms of the financial sustainability of the 5 homes in Oxfordshire and the quality of care.
Members expressed some concern at the takeover by Terra Firma. Concerns focused on the risks associated with involving private equity firms with care facilities.
The Director recognised these concerns and said that they pointed to a need for good commissioning that achieved value for money whilst ensuring the financial sustainability of providers. It was stated that the directorate undertook regular checks of care providers to ensure the council was alert to any emerging issues concerning the standard of care or a provider’s financial stability.
Adult social care white paper
It is still unclear when the White Paper will be published. It is possible that it may be next month. It could be delayed until July (but would have to be published before 18th July when Parliament rises). It is also possible (although we don’t know whether this is likely) that it could be delayed until Parliament returns in September.
Provider action plan - Appropriate Care for Everyone
The focus of the Appropriate Care for Everyone is on what is called a provider action plan led by Oxford University Hospitals Trust, Oxford Health and the operational side of adult social care (with John Dixon leading).
Delays in recent weeks have fallen from a high of 201 in March. They were down to 133 the week before last.
The Chairman asked what the average waiting time for a delay was. Officers agreed to provide this information at a later date.
Members emphasised the importance of preventing unnecessary hospital admissions.
Further discussion focused on whether the council would meet its year end targets for delays. Officers replied that they were confident targets would be achieved by year end, but recognised there will still much work to be done. John Dixon said that the directorate was currently exploring the possibility of assigning an officer to each patient to guide them through the care pathway.