10.15
The Director for Social & Community Services will give a verbal update on key issues. The Cabinet Member for Adult Services will also attend for this item.
Minutes:
The Director for Social & Community Services gave an update on:
Interim Deputy Director, Adult Social
Care
The Head of Adult Social Care, Paul Purnell, left his role in March 2011. Given the current uncertainly surrounding the future of health and social care, it was considered sensible not to recruit a permanent replacement until direction of travel had firmed up.
With this in mind, John Dixon has been appointed as Interim Head of Adult Social Care. John Jackson said that John Dixon is a person of great experience and knowledge in this area having been Director of Adult and Children’s Services at West Sussex for several years , and past President of the Association of Directors of Social Services. He is expected to be in post for several months.
The Chairman noted that there is a high proportion of older people in West Sussex. John Dixon agreed, and hoped that his experience in West Sussex would inform policy development in Oxfordshire.
Day Opportunities for Older People
On 16 November 2010 the Cabinet approved the implementation of the strategic commissioning framework to move to day opportunities for older people and carers within Oxfordshire. The model is based on three tiers reflecting the range of universal services, specific support, and specialist social and health care provided to individuals and their carers:
Community Engagement:
The fund which allocated small scale grants for community-based options has been transferred to the Big Society Fund.
Community and low level support
Tier 2 is supported by voluntary sector, and includes important initiatives such as, for example, lunch clubs. Existing contracts have been extended to September 2011. As Tier 2 services will be decided at a local level, there will be a clear accountable process on allocating resources. The way forward is to locality boards, an approved provider list, and a simplified procurement system.
Best practice is to work with providers in order that they are in the best position to complete. As part of this support, a commissioning conference will be held in May 2011. It was noted that Age Concern were a major provider in this area.
Regular monitoring of the performance of providers will be ensured with monthly reports being put in place.
Councillor Arash Fatemian (Cabinet Member for Adult Services) stressed the importance of simplifying the procurement process to reduce the burden placed on providers. He added that the locality boards will include local Members, and that the committee will see detail proposals when ready.
Specialist Health & Wellbeing Resource Centres
Initially seven centres were proposed, but eight have now been included. This is due to the Wallingford centre successfully arguing to provide an overflow service which will only work if people are willing to use what is on offer.
Specialist Health & Wellbeing centres are likely to be run by larger organisations who have an understanding of complex procurement procedures. Interest in running the centres has been shown by internal providers, Leonard Cheshire (who currently run the centre in Witney), Age UK, and the British Red Cross. Partnerships may be formed between organisations.
Simon Kearey (Head of Strategy & Transformation, Social & Community Services) will lead on the internal provider preparation.
A decision to be made in September 2011 for a June 2012 start.
Transport
The Director reported that plans for transports were at an early
stage, and focused on identifying those with complex transport
needs (particularly electric chairs).
Once the issue is clearer then options will be
developed.
The framework should include using voluntary drivers, for example, a neighbour giving someone a lift.
Councillor Arash Fatemian added that he would circulate guidance on car insurance for those offering lifts. It was an ‘urban myth’ that this was an insurmountable problem.
Members welcomed the update but raised concerns around the reach of Age Concern in providing social care, and suggested aligning work of Dial-A-Ride with that of Octopus in order to support transport for day care services.
Changes to NHS locally
Sonia Mills had been appointed Chief Executive of the NHS Oxfordshire and NHS Buckinghamshire Cluster, and she is in the process of appointing Executive board members.
GPs in Oxfordshire have elected Dr Stephen Richards, a GP from Goring, as the Lead of the developing Oxfordshire GP Consortium (OGPC). Dr Richards will work with the six GP locality representatives.
Councillor Peter Skolar added that OGPC is still scheduled to replace the PCT in 2013, and that changes listed for 2012 (eg, abolishment of the Strategic Health Board and the establishment of HealthWatch England) will still take place.