Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs D Flude and Mrs L Smetham.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests in any item on the agenda

RESOLVED:  That the following Declarations of Interest be noted:

(a)     Councillor A Richardson – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Cheshire County Council and Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council;

(b)     Councillor G Baxendale – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Congleton Borough Council and Congleton Town Council;

(c)      Councillor R Fletcher – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Cheshire County Council, Congleton Borough Council and Cheshire Fire Authority;

(d)     Councillor S Jones – personal interest on the grounds that she was a Member of Alsager Town Council;

(e)     Councillor A Martin – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Nantwich Town Council;

(f)        Councillor A Moran – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Cheshire County Council and Nantwich Town Council; and

(g)     Councillor A Thwaite – personal interest on the grounds that he was a Member of Congleton Borough Council.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a total period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the Committee on any matter relevant to the work of the Committee.

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers.

Note: In order for officers to undertake any background research it would be helpful if questions were submitted at least one working day before the meeting.

There were no Members of the Public present who wished to address the Committee.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 January be approved as a correct record.

To consider a report of the Strategic Director for People on progress on establishing a Safeguarding Board for Adults for Cheshire East and related issues.

The Committee considered a report of the Strategic Director for People which outlined the findings of the inspection carried out by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) of Cheshire County Council’s Community services.  The inspection focused in the main on services for older people in relation to three themes:

      That people have access to preventive services;

      People benefit from effective partnership working;

      People are safeguarded.

The inspection team found overall “Good” performance which meant that most people were effectively safeguarded against abuse, neglect or poor treatment.  However, a number of areas for development were identified including:

      Balancing risk in supported housing;

      Safeguarding training for partner agencies;

      Information sharing between agencies;

      Impact of the Adult Protection Committee.

The Appendix to the report listed specific recommendations arising from the inspection along with progress to date.  The Committee had been informed at its previous meeting of the establishment of an Adults Safeguarding Board and was advised that the position of Independent Chairman of the Board had been advertised and interviews were to be held shortly

Members were then given the opportunity to ask questions or raise issues as follows:

      The role of the Older People’s Network – the Committee was advised that this was a membership organisation whose role was representative and the organisation had an important role in articulating the needs and views of Older People.  The Network had been commended by the CSCI Inspection Team during its recent inspection;

      The role of the University of the Third Age (U3A) in providing services for Older People;

      The need to record those who are helped through signposting them to other services rather than just recording those who are directly helped;

      The importance of transport services including Dial A Ride, Taxi Vouchers and ensuring that the systems provided through the four constituent authorities were harmonised.

RESOLVED:  That:

(a)   the creation of the Adults Safeguarding Board for Cheshire East be noted;

(b)   the areas for development arising from the inspection carried out by the Commission for Social Care Inspection be noted;

(c)    the need for leadership from the Cheshire East Council and partners in promoting a “whole system response” to social care need be noted;

(d)   au update report be provided on issues identified in the report and at the meeting in approximately four months.

To consider a verbal report from Fiona Field, Director of Governance and Strategic Planning at Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust, on the Primary Care Trust’s Community Healthcare Project proposals.

Fiona Field, Director of Governance and Strategic Planning at Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Sue Noyce, Community Healthcare Re-design Project Lead, at the PCT briefed the Committee on the PCT’s project to develop health care services in Knutsford, Congleton and Northwich.

The project was based on developing community hospitals as a network that provided appropriate services away from secondary care and therefore closer to people’s homes.  The key aspects included:

      the development of modern primary care and community based hospital facilities in Knutsford, Congleton and Northwich;

      delivering care closer to home through the provision of flexible, integrated clinical services across the main towns in the PCT’s area;

      increasing access to a range of intermediate tier services in patients’ own homes and in purpose-built community bed facilities;

      increasing access to diagnostic and outpatient facilities in the community;

      community based mental health teams to support service users in their homes.

The benefits would include better integration of GP services with community nursing and secondary care, modern facilities that would attract the best staff; opportunities to develop new integrated services and developing home and community bed-based services that would be of particular benefit for older people.

The Department of Health had emphasised the importance of care being provided closer to people’s own homes or into their homes which was based on the changing demographic profile that would see increasing numbers of older people – the number of  people over 85 years of age was set to double by 2020.

The PCT had held a number of engagement events and the next stage was to appoint third party Development Partners with site identification and design options to be submitted for public consultation during the summer 2009. 

The Committee noted that a Task/Finish Panel had been established by the County Council to look at the project and the Panel had recommended that a representative of Knutsford Town Council be involved in the Panel in the future.  The Panel was chaired by Councillor R Fletcher.

RESOLVED:  That a Task/Finish Panel, chaired by Councillor R Fletcher, be set up to continue looking at the Primary Care Trust Future Health Care Project.

To give further consideration to the Committee’s future Work Programme.

The Committee considered its future Work Programme and was advised that the Scrutiny Committee had referred to it the following issues from previous Scrutiny Reviews by the four constituent Authorities:

      Support for Older People;

      Tackling Obesity;

      Tackling Diabetes;

      Community Support Centres;

      Community First Responders;

      Misuse of Alcohol.

The Committee agreed that Transport should also be included on the Work Programme together with the PCT Future Health Care Project referred to above.

RESOLVED:  That a list of items for the Work Programme be submitted to the next meeting for further consideration.

To note that the next meeting of the Committee will be held on Monday 23 March at 2.00pm in the Municipal Buildings, Crewe.

Monday 23 March at 1.00 pm in the Municipal Buildings, Crewe.