Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 3rd September, 2003
APPENDIX 1
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5 August 2003 Our ref: BSB/016/121/908 Ms Jane Ashman Strategic Director Social and Housing Services Bath and North East Somerset Council P O Box 3343 Bath, BA1 2ZH |
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40 Berkeley Square Clifton Bristol BS8 1HP Tel: 0117 941 6500 Fax: 0117 941 6501 Minicom: 0800 959 598 |
Dear Ms Ashman
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE
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Summary: This letter accompanies a report of the Social Services Inspectorate's annual review of your council's social services performance. You are asked to present it in open session to the council's relevant executive committee, within two months of the date of this letter. |
Thank you for arranging our recent annual review meeting. This letter sets out the Inspectorate's view of the performance of social services in your area during the last year and comments on improvements planned for the year ahead. Performance ratings for social services will be announced during November.
The recommendations made in this letter and its annexed report are intended to help the council improve outcomes and the quality of service to service-users and carers. They are also intended to improve the prospects of improved performance ratings in the future.
In assessing performance, SSI reaches judgements about performance against a set of standards and criteria, as published in February 2002, drawing on evidence from a number of standard sources. These include:
· The published PAF performance indicators and other statistical data up to 2002-03, plus data supporting planned targets for 2003-04;
Averil Nottage Acting Chief Inspector, Social Services Inspectorate
The Social Services Inspectorate is part of the Department of Health
· Monitoring information from the position statement completed in June and October 2002, and the delivery and improvement statement completed in May 2003;
· The audit of services to children in need carried out in response to the report of the Victoria Climbié Inquiry.
Details of the standards and criteria have been published, and are available from SSI, or may be seen on the Department of Health's performance website. A summary of the evidence used has also been sent to you separately.
The annex to this letter summarises the key strengths of performance over the last year, and highlights priorities for improvement in the year ahead. The annual review does not attempt to review all aspects of performance. It focuses on the main performance issues for which SSI has current information.
This report will form part of SSI's performance record for the council, and will be published on the Department of Health's web-site in November. You are asked:
· to present it to an open meeting of the relevant executive committee of the council, within two months of the date of this letter, and to advise me of the date on which this will take place;
· to make the report available to members of the public at the same time;
· to copy this letter and report to the council's appointed auditor, and to NHS partner organisations.
Progress will continue to be monitored during 2003-04 through our usual processes, and a further Annual Review meeting will take place during the first quarter of 2004-05. As you know, more formal meetings with council officers will now be arranged and contact will be made with you to arrange a date for September 2003.
Performance (Star) Ratings will be confirmed in November, based on an assessment of overall performance using all admissible evidence. The evidence summarised in this letter will be used to help arrive at the rating.
Yours sincerely
Silu Pascoe
Silu Pascoe
Inspector
SSI (South West)
cc. Mr John Everitt
Chief Executive - Bath and North East Somerset Council
PERFORMANCE REVIEW REPORT 2003: (BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET)
SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Improvements observed since the previous annual review.
Assessment has highlighted the following improvements to services since the last Annual Review.
· Improved stability of placements of Children Looked After (Standard 1)
· Further improvement in the completion of Reviews of Child Protection cases to achieve 100% (Standard 3)
· Improved the level of educational qualifications of Children Looked After (Standard 1)
· Maximised the outcomes for Young People from the Best Value Review of Supported Living (Standard 1)
· Strong multi-agency partnership working to improve outcomes for Children and their families, in particular, for disabled children, Black and Minority Ethnic Children and Children and Adolescents with mental health problems (Standard 5)
· Improved final outturn figure for Performance Indicator (B8) cost of services for Children Looked After (Standard 2)
Areas for Improvement
Assessment has highlighted the following areas for development.
· Improving educational attainments for young people leaving care. Two performance indicators are being used - Educational qualifications of Children Looked After (A2) and Employment, education and training for care leavers (A4). This is one of the council's Local Public Service Agreement (LPSA) targets (Standard 1).
· Implementation of the Assessment of Needs Framework - in particular to improve the completion of initial and core assessments within required timescales and the percentage of completed assessments which set out objectives and appropriate service responses within the child's timescales. (Standard 1)
· A rise in the number of final warnings/reprimands and convictions of Children Looked After, from a low base. The final outcome figure was 7 young people in total. You have investigated the reasons for this unexpected rise and plan to work in partnership with the Youth Offending Team to enhance the prevention strategy (Standard 3)
· Performance has deteriorated with regard to Performance Indicator D35 Long term stability of placement of Children Looked After. Work to address this has been identified as a priority for improvement in 2003/4. (Standard 3)
· Adoptions of Children Looked After. Final outturn figure was significantly lower than planned for 2002/03. This performance indicator (C23), however, needs to be cross-referenced with percentage of Children Looked After who were placed for adoption within 12 months of their best interest decision being made which was 100%, a very good performance. Further work is to be undertaken with the court system regarding the timing of Adoption Order Hearings.
Capacity for Improvement (Standard 6)
Assessment has highlighted the following improvements to capacity.
· There is evidence of continuing strong leadership within social services, and partnership working which is committed to progressing the relevant improvements planned for the year ahead.
· The Performance Management Framework has been consolidated and is undergoing further development with the intention of rolling it out to all staff groups to ensure consistency of application.
· A new client record system is being developed which should improve both the accuracy and reliability of data record keeping. The change management process involved, however, will pose challenges to the council as there is potential for data collection and monitoring to be adversely affected during the transition phase.
· Steps have been taken to develop a Human Resources Strategy and a Workforce Plan to consolidate and build on the quality improvements which have been achieved in the service during 2002/03.
Assessment has highlighted the following area for development.
· Implement the improvements planned to build upon the existing governance arrangements in Children's Services. This will include establishing planned and systematic contact between councillors and frontline staff and between Director and frontline staff.
SERVICES FOR ADULTS
Improvements observed since the previous annual review
Assessment has highlighted the following improvements to services since the last Annual Review.
· Development of a strategy for Older People in partnership with the Primary Care Trust (Standard 1)
· Establishment of a Housing and Supported Living Service to maximise the outcome of the Best Value review of Supported Living. Further integration of Social and Housing Services is planned for the year ahead (Standard 1)
· There has been constructive whole systems work with partner agencies to not only reduce delayed transfers of care but also to prevent inappropriate hospital admissions. The rapid assessment team and the community teams for older people have been particularly effective (Standard 3)
· Development of User groups to increase the level of consultation (Standard 4)
· Improved performance regarding Performance Indicator D38 Percentage of items of equipment costs less than £1,000 delivered within 3 weeks (Standard 4)
· Improved performance regarding Performance Indicator D39 Percentage of people receiving a statement of their needs and how they will be met (Standard 4)
Areas of Improvement
Assessment has highlighted the following areas for development
· Continued modernisation of the Domiciliary Care Service. This is now a priority Public Service Agreement target for the council. There is a need for continuing focus to improve the related PAF Performance Indicators to the PSA target to promote the independence of Older People [C28 and C32]. (Standard 1)
· Development of a re-commissioning strategy for Drugs and Alcohol services. In addition, improve the management information systems for these services (Standard 1)
· The rising unit costs of care for residential and nursing care for Older People and Adults with Learning Disabilities. There are also cost and efficiency issues in relation to intensive home care (Standard 2)
· Lack of progress in clients receiving reviews. Final outturn figure for this performance indicator (D40) failed to match the plan. There has been a slight increase in the number of Carer Assessments (PI D42) being completed. The Social Services Directorate needs to continue to attend to these areas of partnership working with users and carers. (Standard 4)
· Lack of progress in the growth and distribution of Direct Payments. The appointment of a new Planning Officer for Direct Payments in January 2003 has resulted in more recent progress to complete an ambitious 3 year plan to improve performance in relation to both number and coverage of Direct Payments across all User Groups. Increasing the number of Direct Payments for Older People is a sub-target within the Public Service Agreement target for this User Group. Implementation of the plan would empower a wider range of service users. (Standard 5)
Capacity For Improvement (Standard 6)
Assessment has highlighted the following improvements to capacity:
· Senior Management restructuring has been implemented and this had most implications for Adult Services. The Senior Management for Adult Services has been proactive in progressing the Modernisation agenda for both Adult and Older People's Services.
· Partnership working with neighbouring authorities and the Independent Sector to manage the market in relation to residential and nursing care provision.
· Implementation of the integrated management arrangements for Mental Health Services. The specific needs of Bath and North East Somerset have been recently reasserted within the provider Trust and an employment protocol developed for the provider Trust to manage council staff.
· The Performance Management Framework has been consolidated and is undergoing further development with the intention of rolling it out to all staff groups to ensure consistency of application.
· A new client record system is being developed which should improve the accuracy and reliability of data record keeping. The change management process involved, however, will pose challenges to the council as there is the potential for data collection and monitoring to be affected during the transition.
· Steps have been taken to develop a Human Resources strategy and Workforce Plan. Targets for Social and Housing Services have been agreed to increase the diversity of the workforce.
· Race equality training has been piloted this year and been geared to the specific needs of the piloted teams.
Assessment has highlighted the following areas for development
· Partnership working in relation to Learning Disability Services. The appointment of a Joint Commissioning Manager and implementation of the Workforce Plan should assist Health and Social Care with moving forward on the commissioning and capacity issues. Discussions on respective funding contributions will also be progressed over the next year.
· Continue stakeholder working to implement the work programme recently drawn up to prepare for reimbursement regarding Delayed Transfers of Care.
· Management of human resources - particular attention will need to be given to the implications of increased 24/7 working, the reprovisioning of the Elderly Persons Homes and the Modernisation of the Domicilary Care Service.