Agenda and minutes

Apologies had been received from Cllrs Andy Fry and Jo Monk.

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Democratic Governance and Scrutiny Manager in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 19 January 2024).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

Previously circulated

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 5 December 2023 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Deputy Chief Finance Officer referred to the Agenda Report and outlined the Council’s draft Budget for 2024/25 as presented to Cabinet on 10 January 2024.

At the end of October, the Council wide net overspend was £22.2m and due to ongoing expenditure greater than income, there was a structural deficit of around £35m.  The one year Local Government Settlement, announced 18 December, indicated additional funding of £21m, however, this was a net £1.6m reduction on the expected funding.  Despite measures, including savings, efficiencies and a proposed Council Tax increase of 4.99%, there would be a gap of £20.4m in 2024/25 which would need to be addressed.  The final settlement was expected early February and a further Report would be taken to Cabinet before Council set the 2024/25 at its meeting on 15 February 2024. 

In relation to specific 2024/25 Budget information for Adult Services, the total indicative investment into Adult Social Care was £19.2m and a further £0.8m pay and contract inflation investment into Provider Services.  This would be offset by £2.9m indicative reductions, resulting in a net indicative investment of £17.1m.    

Overview and Scrutiny Panels had been asked to agree any comments on the draft 2024/25 Budget for the Chairman to report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board at its meeting on 29 January 2024.

In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

·       A Member asked why there was a structural deficit of nearly £4m for the Learning Disabilities Service, to be informed that year on year there was increasingly more service users, many of whom now outlived their parents and required support from social care.  In addition, the cost of care and acuity was increasing

·       Officers clarified that the Budget did include service users who were transitioning from children’s to adult services as part of the All Age Disability Strategy.  Early identification of service users from children’s services was widely supported to ensure a smoother transition to adult services.  It was explained that by working with young people and their families from an earlier age, conversations had taken place such as what housing provision was available, and there had been some successful outcomes of young adults living independently with support

·       The Panel Chairman reminded Members that the All Age Disability Strategy would be reviewed by the Panel in due course

·       A Member asked what Officers could foresee as structural deficit in the coming years, given that the figure for Adult Services amounted to £5.9m in 2023/24 (from a Council wide deficit position of £35m).  In response, it was reported that although a Budget was set each year, demand and price could not always be predicted and the Budget was set based on what was known at the time.  In 2023/24, the majority of pressure was in price and Officers worked tirelessly to manage both demand and price.  The Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) added that he was optimistic that the £5.9m structural deficit could be lower at the end of the financial year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 508.

The Panel had received the Agenda Report, which outlined the new Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection Framework and the work that had been undertaken both nationally and locally since the last Panel discussion in March 2023.

Officers drew attention to aspects of the Report, mainly that CQC had completed 5 pilot assessments and findings had been published.  In addition, CQC had reviewed data and published evidence from all 153 local authorities on themes of i) care provision, integration and continuity and ii) assessing needs.  Following Government approval, the final CQC framework for inspection was published 8 December 2023 along with documentation requirements, which local authorities would have to provide CQC with, to support inspections.

CQC had previously reported that they would complete all local authority inspections over a two year period, however, it was unclear when Worcestershire would be inspected.  On announcement of inspection, there would be at least 8 weeks before Inspectors were on site, however, there were earlier deadlines for items, such as data, processes, strategies and contact details for a range of stakeholders.

Key areas of concern that may be investigated could include delays in assessment, care provision or financial assessments, lack of co-operation between services, incorrect calculation of charges or failure to provide information about charges and delays in handling complaints.

Officers had been preparing for inspection over recent months and the introduction of a performance dashboard had ensured management awareness of any particular issues.  Self assessment tools had been used to focus activity and Senior Managers were confident in the approach taken.  Regular staff briefings had and would continue to take place and teams were subject to mini inspections to feed in to the improvement programme.  In addition, there was a stakeholder engagement plan and the Council’s focus was to embed, with staff, partners and providers, new strategies and ways of working to ensure key messages and learning was shared prior to future inspection.

The Chairman invited questions and in the following discussion, the following key points were raised:

·       Of the 5 pilot assessments already undertaken, it was coincidence that 2 local authorities had since issued Section 114 notices, in effect declaring bankruptcy.  Officers clarified that the 5 local authorities had volunteered themselves to CQC

·       When asked how often a Care Home would expect to be inspected, Members learned that CQC inspections had paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic and CQC was now working through the backlog.  However, assurance was given that the Council produced its own internal risk matrix and Quality Assurance Officers were part of the Commissioning Team.  There had been instances when the Council had intervened in Care Home provision, resulting in actions, such as temporarily reducing the provision

·       The Panel noted the demand on staff resources when an inspection was announced and was pleased to learn about the mental health support available, including the Council’s wellbeing offer.  Staff were regularly involved in talking about inspection expectations, were resilient and managed change well.  Learning had also been taken from colleagues  ...  view the full minutes text for item 509.

Members considered the Work Programme and agreed to schedule the Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board (WSAB) Annual Report at its March meeting.  It was further agreed to add updates on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and Delivery of Adult Safeguarding to the Work Programme.