Agenda item

Cabinet Member Update

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

 

Minutes:

Councillor Alison Born, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care addressed the Panel, a summary is set out below and a copy of the update will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

 

HCRG Care Group

 

The main focus of activity since my last report has been on the future of the Community Services contract.

 

Following the sale of Virgin Care to Twenty 20 Capital and it’s re-branding as HCRG, Cabinet and the CCG both had to decide whether to continue with the contract extension agreed in November ’21, or to let the contract lapse at the end of the initial 7 year term.

 

A further detailed options appraisal was undertaken and the decision not to grant the extension was made unanimously at both the Special Cabinet and the CCG governing Body meetings on 26th May.

 

Work is starting to establish a Transition Team to determine the future shape of services and to manage the transition over the next 21 months. Suzanne Westhead and I will keep this group updated on progress.

 

Update on system pressures and recruitment to Care posts

 

The number of Covid patients requiring hospital treatment has at last reduced significantly and the RUH has closed it’s Covid 19 ward. As a consequence, the social care sector is opening up again and the number of patients delayed in hospital is also reducing. I hope to be able to report further improvements in my next report but we are aware of people still catching Covid so the situation remains uncertain. In addition in the last week all our care homes are back open to admission and for the first time in over two years have no new declared cases.

Good progress is being made on recruitment to the in-house home care service such that a soft start will be achieved on the 6th of June as new recruits begin their induction. The service is being named United Care B&NES (UCB) and we look forward to an official launch in a couple of week time.

 

A new tender has also successfully secured additional homecare hours in the private sector and we hope the combination of UCB and this tender will offer some significant support to the care and health system.

Staffing Update - Adult Social Care

I have provided information on a number of additions to the senior team in recent months and am pleased to report that Ann Smith has been appointed to the AD Operations post and will be joining us shortly.

In addition, Vicki Allan will be joining on 4th July as the permanent Senior Commissioning Manager for Specialist Commissioning.

Englishcombe Lane Site

We are continuing to progress proposals relating to a limited supported housing development for this site and a paper will be presented to Cabinet this month.

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that it was good to see that option three had been chosen regarding the future of the Community Health and Care Services contract. She added that it is particularly pleasing that the opportunity will be taken to explore bringing services in house. She asked as there would be no procurement costs to the Council for this, would this result in a significant saving for the Council?

Councillor Born replied that bringing services in house was under consideration and if progressed a saving in relation to procurement would be possible.

Councillor Paul May said that he welcomed the Panel being involved prior to the Cabinet decision being taken. He asked that when the Panel receives a report on the future plans that both in house options and third sector involvement are included.

The Director for Adult Social Care replied that project management plans were being devised and new model options were being assessed. She added that key principles for the service were also being developed.

She informed the Panel that officers were expected to bring a timeline for key events to Cabinet in September 2022 and that they would then seek to bring model options back to the Panel after that.

Councillor May said that he believed the Panel can add value to the process. He added that he would also like to understand further our involvement with the commissioning of 3rd sector services.

The Director for Adult Social Care replied that this was something that they could look to do later in the year when the model options are presented.

The Chair thanked Councillor Born for her update on behalf of the Panel.