Agenda item

Adult Social Care Performance Report January 2020

A report providing the Committee with an outline of the key areas of performance of Adult Social Care during 2018-2019 which is mainly based on performance against the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) national dataset.

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Social Care and Health submitted a report that provided the Committee with an outline of the key areas of performance in Adult Social Care during 2018-2019 which was mainly based on performance against the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) national dataset.  The performance for Adult Social Care against all ASCOF measures in 2018-2019, as well as an update on current performance, was attached to the report at Appendix 1.  The report also included an action plan that addressed areas for development for two key performance targets; new admissions to residential/nursing care for younger adults aged 18 to 64 and Direct Payments.

The report provided details of a number of top performing areas as follows:

·         Following a continued focus on keeping people in their own homes, in line with the Council’s ‘home first’ approach, there had been a significant reduction in older people, aged 65 and over, that had been placed in residential and nursing care homes in the previous year.  This strong performance had continued into the current year;

·         The Advice and Wellbeing Hub had helped to connect people to more services available locally.  In addition, eight Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) providers were part of a pilot joint working scheme at the Adult Social Care Advice and Wellbeing Hub, to strengthen links into community provision;

·         The Council held 12 contracts with VCS providers through the Narrowing the Gap Framework to develop peer support networks and reduce isolation for adults with care or support needs and these were currently being reviewed;

·         Despite concentrated focus on keeping people in their own homes, there had been a slight increase in the number of younger people who had been placed in residential and nursing care homes in the previous year.  This had been due to a lack of alternative options available to meet the needs of the younger people;

·         Direct payments had increased by 48% since 2016/17, from 12.1% to 17.9%.  From April to October 2019, they had increased further to 19%, although this was still under the local target of 22%.  Whilst Direct Payments remained a priority for Adult Social Care the lack of alternative services available to meet people’s needs beyond the Council commissioned services had resulted in a slower uptake.

The Committee discussed the report and a number of points were made including the following:

·         Safeguarding was a priority and all staff were trained in this area, staff also had to make sure that the person’s voice was heard.  However, the service was always looking to improve;

·         With regard to increasing the take-up of direct payments, managers were talking to staff about the best time to raise the issue and work was being carried out to make the process as simple as possible.  A direct payments champion had been appointed whose role it was to increase take-up and a challenge had been set for every member of staff who had not processed a direct payment in the previous six months to do so.  Social workers were also being encouraged to say that using direct payments was how the service worked in Reading and that it would give people control over their lives;

·         The Local Government Association had been contacted asking them to link Reading with high performing authorities in order to learn from them;

·         Wellbeing Hubs were also being set up in community centres and leisure centres to meet the needs of the community and to make people as independent as possible.

Resolved –

(1)     That the performance of Adult Social Care in Reading against similar Councils, the South East and the national Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework indicators be noted;

(2)     That the outline Action Plan to address two areas of development: new admissions to residential/nursing care for younger adults aged 18 to 64; and Direct Payments, be noted.

Supporting documents: