Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care

Forward Plan Ref: 2015/052

Contact: Benedict Leigh, Strategic Commissioner – Adults Tel: (01865) 323584

Report by Director for Adult Social Services (CA11).

The information and advice strategy has been developed in response to the requirements in the Care Act 2014 for local authorities to provide information and advice relating to care and support issues for adults and carers.

The strategy sets out the council's strategic and commissioning intentions for this area of work whilst ensuring that the financial resources available for the provision of information and advice are used effectively so that the council is able to meet its statutory obligations.

Cabinet is

(a)            RECOMMENDED to approve the Information and Advice Strategy; and

(b)      Subject to the approval of the Information and Advice Strategy (above) Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve the plan for the procurement of a specialist advice service for Oxfordshire.

Recommendations agreed.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval of the information and advice strategy developed in response to the requirements in the Care Act 2014 for local authorities to provide information and advice relating to care and support issues for adults and carers.

Mrs Sue Tanner, Rose Hill & Donnington Advice Centre, stated that the Centre would lose all its Oxfordshire County Council funding from next March. She detailed the work carried out by the Centre and the difficulty in carrying out that work when the funding was cut. She emphasised that much of the work was preventative, maximising income and minimising debts for local people. The loss of funding could end up costing the Council more in the long term.

Councillor Laura Price, Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, commended the report which was very clear about the need for the proposals but she expressed concern about the impact on vulnerable people. She felt that the impact of the loss of funding on small providers had not been fully assessed. If there was any doubt about their ability to carry on then greater consideration needed to be given to the proposals. A single large provider could leave the council exposed to risk. She was pleased that a consortium bid would be welcomed.

Councillor Heathcoat, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care in introducing the contents of the report responded to the comments made.

RESOLVED:                     to:

(a)            approve the Information and Advice Strategy; and

(b)      Subject to the approval of the Information and Advice Strategy (above) to approve the plan for the procurement of a specialist advice service for Oxfordshire.