Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor S Gardiner, who was substituted for by Councillor J Saunders.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2020.

RECOMMENDED –

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 March 2020 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To provide an opportunity for Members to declare the existence of a party whip in relation to any item on the Agenda

There were no declarations of a party whip.

A total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to make a statement(s) on any matter that falls within the remit 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.

Members of the public wishing to make a statement should provide notice in writing at least three clear working days before the meeting takes place.

There were no members of the public that had informed that they wished to speak at this meeting.

To consider a report outlining the ongoing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to date from the council’s adult social care, communities and public health departments.

The committee considered a report on the impact of Covid-19 on the wider care sector in Cheshire East to date, including outbreaks, impacts to service delivery and testing. It also updated members on the actions taken by the council to support the sector and minimise the impacts of Covid-19 on service users and staff.

The committee acknowledged the hard work and dedication from all staff that had supported the council’s response to Covid-19.

Members asked a variety of questions regarding the immediate impacts of Covid-19 to people in the adult social care system, as well as the steps the council had taken to ensure that it had sustainable plans in place to support service users for the long-term through the pandemic.

Following discussion on the financial implications of Covid-19 to the adult social care sector, the committee agreed that, in addition to the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee, it would refer any review of these financial implications to a sub-group of the Audit & Governance Committee and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

RECOMMENDED –

1          That the report be noted.

2          That all staff that had supported the council’s response to Covid-19, be thanked for their continued hard work and commitment.

3          That the financial pressures faced by the council’s adult social care system, created by the Covid-19 pandemic, be referred to a sub-group of the Audit & Governance Committee and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review.

To review the council’s forward plan of key decisions.

The committee reviewed the council’s forward plan of key decisions.

RECOMMENDED –

That the forward plan be noted.

To review the committee’s work programme.

The committee reviewed its work programme and discussed how it could best prioritise its planned work.

RECOMMENDED –

That the work programme be agreed, subject to the following changes being made:

·         That a short briefing report on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities’ welfare be added to the 9 July 2020 meeting agenda.

·         That the ‘Sustainability of Health Services in Cheshire East’ be moved back to the 10 September 2020 meeting, so as to enable health partners to update the committee on their response to Covid-19. 

·         That the ‘Cheshire East Winter Plan’ be moved back to the 10 September 2020 meeting.

·         That the ‘Overview of Safeguarding in Cheshire East’ be moved back to the 8 October 2020 meeting, so that representatives from the Local Safeguarding Adults Board can present both this and its annual report, at the same meeting.

·         That the ‘Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme’ report be rescheduled at a later date once updated timescales have been confirmed.