Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the Scrutiny Board (Adult Social Care) meeting.

In accordance with her powers under Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Chair admitted on to the agenda the following late items of business:-

(a)  Day Care Services Update (Minute 48 refers).

(b)  Independence Wellbeing and Choice Inspection Action Plan:  August   2009 – minutes   of the Proposals Working Group meeting held on 29^th   September 2009.

The items were late due to the fact that (a) above – the consultation process did not finish until the 30^th September 2009 and the consultation with Area Committees was also still ongoing and, (b) above – the Working Group meeting was held on 29^th September 2009, the day of agenda despatch.

To declare any personal / prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81 (3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest reported at this stage.

(Refer to minute 49 below where declarations of interest were declared).

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Ewens, Mrs R Feldman, F Robinson and Co-optee Sally Morgan – Equality Issues.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th September 2009.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th September 2009, be confirmed as a correct record.

Minute 34 – Matters Arising Update:

(i)  Minute 21 – Leeds Strategic Plan Performance Report for Quarter 4 2008/9

  The format currently being trialled on the financial breakdown was brought   to  the Proposals Working Group meeting held on 29^th September 2009.  

(ii)  Minute 23 – Independence Wellbeing and Choice Inspection Action Plan: May 2009

The Chair reported that the Independence Wellbeing and Choice Action Plan was brought to the Proposals Working Group on 29^th September 2009.  The Chair suggested that as the working group have been monitoring the plan for a number of months and are happy with progress that the Director of Adult Social Services submit these reports to the Chair on a monthly basis.  Should the Chair notice any information which needed to be brought to the Board’s attention, it would be brought to the next appropriate Board meeting.

RESOLVED -  That the Independence Wellbeing and Choice Action Plan reports be submitted to the Chair on a monthly basis and to the Scrutiny Board on a quarterly basis as outlined above.

(iii)Minute 29 – Older People’s Day Services for People with Learning Disabilities

  The following information was requested and was circulated to the Board   in   advance of this meeting.

·  Broken down by different sectors/groups, the number of people who had been refused day care, in which centres and on what grounds.

·  The number of people who had started going to day centres in the past 12 months, by day centre.

·  For each day centre a breakdown of where people were travelling from to attend.

With regard to the statistical representations of the 'Average day care attendance', a redefined way of representing the information.

(b)  Minute 38 –Major Adaptations for Disabled Adults – Formal Response.   Recommendation 9.

Members agreed that in line with Executive Board agreement at it meeting held on the 26^th  August 2009, that the following more robust response be adopted to recommendation 9 which the Director for Adult Social Services had also agreed:

Recommendation 9

That the Director for Development investigates and reports on the viability of adopting a model to be implemented, which reflects the spirit of the London Supplementary Planning Guidance for mandatory development to Lifetime Homes Standards, but suits the diversity and specificrequirements of the City of Leeds, reporting findings to the Executive Board before 31 December 2009.

Response - We are currently nearing completion of a draft SPD on Sustainable Design and Construction which it is intended to publish for consultation in the Autumn. For housing, this looks at the introduction of the Code for Sustainable Homes (CHS) which at various levels embraces the Lifetime Homes Standard. Lifetime home standards are mandatory at CSH level 6. From 2010 they will be mandatory at CSH level 4 and in 2013 at CSH level 3.  Once approved we will be encouraging housebuilders to follow the guidance but it will not be mandatory. SPD`s have to be supplementary to a policy in an approved development plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

To consider a report form the Director of Adult Social Services which provides the board with an update on the consultation exercise undertaken with regard to Day Care Services in Leeds.

(Report to follow)

The Deputy Director Adult Social Care – Strategic Commissioning submitted

a report providing the  board with an update on the consultation exercise undertaken with regard to Day Care Services in Leeds.  

The report follows on from the special meeting held on 20^th August 2009 and presents a summary of the consultation undertaken by officers between August and the end of September 2009 regarding the proposals set out in the report provided to Executive Board in 22nd July 2009 entitled ‘From Day Centres to Day Services: Responding to the needs and preferences of older people’.

The report also provided an overall assessment of the views expressed in the consultation process within three main headings:

·  Dealing with comments relating to the overall direction of the strategy.

·  Dealing with fears and concerns regarding the future intentions of the Council in relation to its day centres.

·  Dealing with those views expressed in relation to the seven specific centres directly referred to in the July report.

It was also reported that a full complete summary of the consultation would be presented to Executive Board on the 4^th November 2009.

The following Officers were in attendance and responded to Members’ questions and comments:

·  Sandie Keene – Director Adult Social Services

·  Dennis Homes – Deputy Director Strategic Commissioning

·  Lynda Bowen - Chief Officer - Support and Enablement

·  Ann Hill –  Head of Finance – Financial Management, Adult Social Care

In brief, reference was made to the following issues:

·  The Director for Adult Social Services explained the main drivers for change as defined in Government legislation and the 2007/8 CSCI report.

·  That the timescales would not enable this Scrutiny Board to thoroughly look into this matter before it went to Executive Board.

  (In response, the Chair  Adult Social Services reminded the Board that this matter was also discussed at the special meeting held on 20^th  August 2009 during  the consultation period).

·  That the department’s consultation process with Area Committees had been hurried. In particular, reference was made to the wholly unsatisfactory nature of the consultation arrangements for the South Inner Area Committee meeting held on 23^rd September 2009, which had resulted in the item not being considered at all at that meeting, and the opportunity to comment therefore being lost.

(In response, the Director of Adult Social Services specified that any individual directly affected had been consulted. That consultation had been comprehensive but admitted that there had been flaws within the consultation process with Area Committees and that

lessons had been learned by the Department. This exercise had been the first time the department had carried out a consultation on such a large scale).  

·  Clarification of the costs the department would incur, per individual per day at a Day Care Centre. 

(In response, the Director of Adult Social Services stipulated that the service could be managed more cost effectively by consolidating day services, using buildings more efficiently, thereby reducing the current average cost per person.  The department could also use this funding for other  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

To received and consider a report form the Deputy Director, Strategic Commissioning which updates the board on progress made with the review of the Neighbourhood Network Services and the inspection made in 2008 by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).

Pursuant to Minute 89,  11^th March 2009, the Deputy Director, Strategic Commissioning submitted a report providing an update on progress made with the review of the Neighbourhood Network Services and the inspection made in 2008 by the Commission for Social Care Inspection of Adult Social Care services, with specific reference to older people and safeguarding. 

Appended to the report was the Procurement Timetable – V14 on Neighbourhood Networks commissioning for the information/comment of the meeting.

The following officers were in attendance and responded to Members’ queries and comments:-

·  Dennis Holmes – Deputy Director, Strategic Commissioning.

·  Tim O’Shea – Head of Commissioning – Adults.

Joy Fisher – Alliance Services Users and Carers/ Chair of LINk asked at what stage were the department at with the review on advocacy.  In response, the Deputy Director, Strategic Commissioning informed the meeting that the department were still in the early stages of the review.

The Chair thanked officers for their attendance.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report and its appendices be noted.

Note: 

(a) Councillor J McKenna declared a personal interest in his capacity as

  a part-time employee of one of the networks concerned but not stated in the report as it was a general policy and, therefore, he abstained from any   discussion or vote thereon. 

(b) Joy Fisher – Alliance Services Users and Carers declared a personal   interest in her capacity as a member of one of the networks concerned   but   not stated in the report as it was a general policy.

To receive and consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which provides an overview of the progress made by Adult Social Services against the Independence Wellbeing and Choice action plan.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report providing an overview of the progress made by Adult Social Services against the Independence Wellbeing and Choice action plan.

Members were reminded that on 10^th of December 2008, the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board recommended that the Proposals Working Group (ASC) meet on a monthly basis to monitor overall progress of Adult Social Services performance against the objectives set out in the Independence Wellbeing and Choice action plan, and report directly to the Scrutiny Board. The Independence Wellbeing and Choice summary and progress report were brought before the Proposals Working Group held on the 29^th September 2009.

The Working Group were presented with a report for the month of August 2009 and considered all targets falling within the action plan which meet the following criteria:

(a)   Completed Tasks in this reporting period.

(b)   Overdue Tasks in this reporting period.

(c)   Tasks due for completion by the next reporting period

(d)   Tasks commencing in the next reporting period.

The main focus of the working group was on item (b) above.  The draft minutes of the Proposals Working Group meeting were tabled as a late item.

Dennis Holmes, Deputy Director Strategic Commissioning was in attendance for this item.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the contents of the report, its appendices and the draft minutes of the Proposals Working Group meeting held on 29^th September 2009 be received  and noted .

(b)  That the Independence Wellbeing and Choice Action Plan reports continue to be submitted to the Chair on a monthly basis and reported quarterly to this Board where necessary.

To receive and consider a report from the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development which provides an update on the progress and work undertaken so far by the Personalisation Working Group.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report   providing an update on the progress and work undertaken so far by the Personalisation Working Group.

Members were reminded that at Executive Board meeting held on 8 October   2008, the Board received an update on the work undertaken in Leeds to prepare for the personalisation agenda, since the publication of the concordat   “Putting People First” in December 2007.  One of the outcomes from that   meeting was that Scrutiny Board (Adult Social Care) be requested to monitor   progress of the personalisation agenda.  Progress had been monitored by the   Personalisation Working Group since March 2009.

Appended to the report was a copy of the following documents for   information/comment of the meeting:

·  Appendix 1 – Report of the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development dated 29^th July 2009 – Personalisation – Update to Terms of Reference and Appointment of co-opted member to the Personalisation Working Group.

·  Minutes of the Personalisation Working Group meetings held on

  16^th March 2009, 20^th April 2009, 30^th July 2009 and 14^th August 2009.

The following officers were in attendance and responded to Members’ queries and comments:

·    Dennis Holmes – Deputy Director Strategic Commissioning

·  John Lennon – Chief Officer Access and Inclusion

In brief, the main issues raised were:

·  Had any arrangements been made to hold further Member Seminars?

(In response, the Chief Officer Access and Inclusion informed the meeting that a Members Forum had been arranged for 12^th November 2009).

·  Members requested that the Board be given the opportunity to look into  ‘charges’.  It was felt that should these charges be increased it would have a significant impact on individual budgets.

(In response the board was advised that the Income Review was scheduled to be brought before the board for scrutiny at the November 2009 meeting.)

The Chair assured the meeting that this issue would be incorporated into the Board’s Work Programme. 

The Chair thanked officers for their attendance.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report, terms of reference and the minutes of the Personalisation Working Group, be received.

To receive a report by the Head of Scrutiny and Member Development on the Board’s current work programme.

The Head of Scrutiny and Member Development submitted a report providing Members with a copy of the Board’s current Work Programme and the Forward Plan of Key Decisions for the period for the period 1^st October 2009 to 31^st January 2010.

RESOLVED –

(a) That the contents of the report and appendices be noted.

(b)  That the Board’s Principal Scrutiny Adviser be requested to update the

  work programme to incorporate those updates requested at today’s   meeting.

Wednesday, 11^th November 2009 at 10.00 a.m. (Pre-meeting at 9.30 a.m.)

Wednesday, 11^th November 2009 at 10.00 a.m. (Pre-meeting at 9.30 a.m.)

  (The meeting concluded at approximately 11.50 a.m.).