Agenda item

The Cabinet Member will update the panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions

The Chairman invited Councillor Simon Allen (Cabinet Member for Wellbeing) to give an update (attached to these minutes).

Councillor Allen suggested that the Panel should receive a full report on Rough Sleepers at the next meeting (January 2015) as this month an annual count would be carried out on rough sleepers.

Councillor Organ commented that nationally there had been a lot of talk about people with mental health problems being supported to live in the community and asked if that was the case with B&NES area.

Councillor Allen responded that there had been a range of support for people with mental health problems to live in the community.  In terms of people with learning disabilities – nobody from B&NES had been placed in any institutions such as Winterbourne View for quite some time.

Councillor Jackson commented that Bath Chronicle reported how amount of rough sleepers in Bath and area had been on a rise, which had concerned a lot of people.

Councillor Allen replied that he would want to bring an accurate number of the rough sleepers to the Panel in January report.  In 2012 the Council changed the way rough sleepers were counted, in order to have more accurate numbers. 

The Chairman said that he had attended DHI’s Annual General Meeting last week where people who went through the system talked to the audience about their experience, which was quite inspirational.  The Chairman said that he had spoken to one of members who was from the AWP and worked with the DHI, and who was under impression that following changes in the way substance services are delivered, they had become more Bath-centric and, in particular, there was reduced access in the Chew Valley area

Councillor Allen responded that whole range of providers had been working across the whole B&NES area.  If there had been any changes in the way of working, then Councillor Allen would like to see the evidence to support that change.  Jane Shayler explained that substance misuse services had been recommissioned and, as part of the recommissioning, they had been redesigned.  There had been three providers as part of the adult pathway which now had been reduced to two and the pathway was simplified and integrated across children & young people and adults.  Overall, the redesign has resulted in significant improvements to access to services, with reduced waiting times and to the outcomes achieved and was getting positive feedback from service users and staff.  It certainly was not the intention that the redesign would adversely affect geographical access.  Jane Shayler also said that she would like to know if there had been an issue with an access to the service, anywhere in B&NES, so that this could be looked into.  Councillor Pritchard said he thought the issue was in relation to the Chew Magna and Chew Stoke area and he suggested that there were a couple of possible community venues that might be used to assist with access in this area.  Jane Shayler confirmed that she would ask the Substance Misuse Commissioning Manager, Carol Stanaway, to look into this, discuss with the SDAS service in AWP and with DHI and feedback to Councillor Pritchard. 

Councillor Jackson asked Councillor Allen to check if measures put forward in the Youth Homelessness report had contributed to diminishment of homelessness since 2010 (when report was published), and if that has been the case then how those measures could be used for 18-25 year olds.

Councillor Allen responded that he would be looking to include any information on 18-25 year olds at the next Cabinet Member update.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Allen for an update.