Agenda item

The Cabinet Member will update the Select Committee on any relevant issues. Select Committee members may ask questions on the update provided.

Councillor Vic Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health and Wellbeing addressed the Select Committee. A copy of the update can be found on their Minute Book and as an online appendix to these minutes, a summary of the update is set out below.

Mental Health Review

The full business case containing the outcomes of the Mental Health Review and transformation plans were submitted to the Health and Care Board for approval on 6th March 2019.  Board members approved the recommendation to work with existing system leaders to deliver the new Thrive model of Mental Health provision in B&NES.

There are many strengths in existing community mental health services locally with strong examples of innovation and partnership working across system leaders and third sector organisations.

Thrive supports the provision of mental health services using a whole-system, population-based approach which focuses on the mental health and mental illness needs of different groups of people as well as the needs of individuals. It enables integration across health, education, social care and voluntary sector, with a central focus on delivering improved outcomes for people.

Reablement Review: Update on engagement with people who use the service

We have worked with colleagues from the CCG and Virgin Care to carry out in-depth interviews with 10 people who have used the reablement service.  We visited people from across the B&NES area that has accessed reablement services for different reasons.  Overall, people are highly complementary about the service and said it provides a great deal of confidence and support to them.

People generally understood that reablement was different from long-term support both because they would pay for long-term support, but also because it was a qualitatively different approach that encouraged them to help themselves.  However, for some the term reablement was a confusing one and there is an opportunity for us to improve how we let people know exactly what reablement is, who the different people are that they might see, and why people might come from different organisations.  This might be achieved through a leaflet co-produced with people who use the service, perhaps giving some examples of people’s stories from using the service. 

These findings will now inform the development of a revised reablement model going forward.

Councillor Robin Moss commented that in a previous update to the Select Committee the issue of improvements within Virgin Care were identified and said that it would be useful to see their current performance figures.

Councillor Pritchard replied that the failings that were recognised were being addressed, but that the publication of performance review would not be accelerated for election purposes.

Dr Orpen said that he recalled from the January meeting that Kirsty Matthews, Managing Director, BANES Community Health and Care Services had offered to provide the Select Committee with updates on behalf of Virgin Care as it goes through its transformation processes.

Councillor Bryan Organ commented that it was his view that the reablement leaflet be circulated as soon as possible.

The Chair thanked Councillor Pritchard for his update on behalf of the Select Committee.