The Panel is asked to consider its future Work Programme. In order to assist Members in their determination the following presentations will be given on key issues: -
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Papers/Links |
Officer Attending
|
|
1 |
Personalisation and the Transformation of Adult Social Care |
|
Phil Lloyd County Manager (Community Care) Adults
Ceri Harrison Head of Change Management & Modernisation
|
|
2 |
Transforming the Quality of Dementia Care |
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_085570
|
Sheelagh Connolly County Manager – Older People
|
|
3 |
The Children Plan |
|
Rick Howell Children's Services Development Manager
|
|
4 |
“High Quality Care for All”, Lord Darzi’s Review of the NHS
|
http://www.ournhs.nhs.uk/2008/06/30/high-quality-care-for-all-nsr-final-report-launched/
|
Neil Ryder Director of Joint Commissioning |
|
5 |
Heritage and Museums Service Forward Plan 2007-210 |
|
Guy KilminsterCounty Manager – Cultural Services Emma Chaplin – Heritage and Museums Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
Minutes:
The Panel was requested to consider its future Work Programme. In order to assist Members in their determination, presentations were given on the key issues as follows:
Personalisation and the Transformation of Adult Social Care
Phil Lloyd, County Manager (Community Care) Adults, attended the meeting and gave a presentation on the above matter. There was a rising costs relating to the provision social cost in that people were living longer and needed to be supported. This issue was addressed in the Local Authority Circular 1 of 2008, which required a whole system change to the delivery of social care, to enable every person across the spectrum of need to have choice and control over the shape of his/her support in the most appropriate setting. This would mean that everyone who received social care support, regardless of their level of need, in any setting, whether from statutory services, the third and community or private sector or by funding it themselves, would have choice and control over how the support was delivered.
Following the presentation Members of the Panel raised the following issues:
§ It was queried whether there were year by year targets in respect of adult social care. It was reported that targets were set by the Commission for Social Care Inspectors. The new system marked a change, in that, instead of the Local Authority organising the care provision, individuals would receive an amount of money and contract with the social care provider directly.
§ It was considered that a system which provided the opportunity for people to remain in their own homes should be welcomed and care provided to those who needed it.
§ With regard to payments to be made to individuals it was queried whether there would be a process for monitoring this. It was reported that this was already the case and that the County Council was one of the best performing Authorities in terms of direct payments. To date there had been no evidence of misuse of funding. A new device was to be introduced (the Kent Card), which was similar to a credit card and would be credited with the appropriate amount and would mean that the Local Authority could see any statements, to allow monitoring.
§ It was considered that delivery of the service should be done in the most cost effective way and should be considered at the same time as the budget setting process. It was queried what Members could do to assist with this process. It was noted that a whole system response to social care should result in a reduction in costs and there needed to be strong support from Members in respect of this.
§ Information was sought in respect of the likely numbers of recipients and how the budget would be funded. It was agreed that this information would be provided to the Panel at a future meeting.
§ It was considered that the Carer Strategy needed to be taken into account when consideration was given to this matter.
§ The Panel’s role in the transformation of adult social care was queried. It was reported that work was already under way and the County Council were working on proposals, which would be made available to the two new Cheshire Authorities. The role of the Panel was vital to make sure that the proposals were fit for purpose and also to advise on how this matter should be taken forward. There would be a number of milestones in the process, which would be submitted to the Panel for comment, before formal approval by Cabinet.
Transforming the Quality of Dementia Care
Sheelagh Connolly, County Manager - Old People, attended the meeting and gave a presentation in respect of the above matter. Reference was made to the Department of Health Executive Summary “Transforming the Quality of Dementia Care”, which was currently out to consultation, with comments invited by September 2008.
The aim was to secure significant improvements across three key areas in relation to dementia services: improved awareness; early diagnosis and intervention; and a higher quality of care and support in hospitals at home and in care homes. The final document would be produced in early Autumn 2008
Following the presentation Members of the Panel raised the following issues:
§ It was queried whether there were any pharmaceutical or other solutions to prevent dementia. It was noted that developments were constantly being made. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence had produced evidence, which did not support the use of drugs. New technology provided the ability to provide systems in people’s own homes to monitor and check what the issues were and to focus on the specific needs of individuals. In addition, there was a lot of information available in respect of the architectural design of buildings to assist people with dementia.
§ It was queried whether it was proposed that support and respite would be provided to carers, in addition to those with dementia. It was confirmed that support would be provided both for individuals and also respite for carers.
§ Reference was made to the provision of memory clinics and it was considered that early diagnosis was important. It was queried how the public would be made aware of this. It was noted that when the strategy was developed it was intended to launch a national campaign and it was suggested that a publicity campaign should also take place locally, at some stage. It would also be important to work jointly with the South and East Cheshire PCTs in respect of this issue.
§ Information was sought in respect of the current number of those suffering from dementia and the predicted figures for the next 10-15 years, split across East and West Cheshire and also where resources were available, including residential care facilities and memory clinics and how these were divided across the two new Authority areas. It was agreed that this information would be provided to Members of the Panel following the meeting.
§ It was noted that, in the presentation, reference had been made to problems associated with access to local services and it was queried where funding for local services should come from. It was considered that funding was an issue for the whole of society.
Cheshire Children and Young People’s Plan
Rick Howell, Children’s Services Development Manager, attended the meeting and gave a presentation in respect of the above matter. The Children’s Act 2004 required that every Local Authority produce a Children and Young People’s Plan, to be reviewed annually. The expectation was that this would be led by the Local Authority, on behalf of local partners in a given area. The Children’s Plan, prepared by Cheshire County Council on behalf of the Children’s Trust had been circulated to Members of the Panel. It was noted that whilst the Plan was written for all children, it focused on those children potentially vulnerable to poor outcomes.
It was noted that the new Cheshire East Authority would need to have a Plan in place and it was suggested that the current Plan be adopted for the first year. The Panel might wish to give consideration as to how the Children’s Plan and Community Trust should operate, as there were a number of different ways as to how business could be carried out, involving partners. It was suggested that a report in respect of this should be submitted to a future meeting of the Panel. A new set of regulations would be published shortly strengthening the expectations of the Children’s Trust and improving outcomes for children and young people.
Following the presentation Members of the Panel raised the following issues:
§ It was queried whether the reference to four special schools in Cheshire East included the school attached to the David Lewis Centre. It was reported that this was an independent sector organisation and any inspections would be carried out by Ofsted.
§ Reference was made to the increasing problem of alcohol related matters with regard to young people and it was queried how this issue was to be addressed. It was noted that part of the challenge was to identify vulnerable children early and to provide support to parents and individual young children. There also needed to be improvements in respect of enforcement and this would need to involve the police.
§ It was considered that one of the big changes within Local Authorities was the requirement for Councils to act as “corporate parents” and this was a large step forward in the role of psychological services in Cheshire. It was also considered that there was a lot of good work going on in schools and that more parents should be encouraged to be school governors.
High Quality Care for All - Lord Darzi’s Review of the NHS
Neil Ryder, Director of Joint Commissioning, attended the meeting and gave a presentation in respect of the above matter. In the previous year, the Prime Minister had requested that Lord Darzi take forward a review of the NHS. The review had taken one year to carry out and a copy of the NHS next stage review final report summary had been circulated to Members of the Panel. The key points of the review, which linked with Local Authorities, was that one of the main messages was that the NHS needed to move forward in terms of measuring quality. The review highlighted issues in respect of demographics, advancements in treatments, the nature of disease and expectations in the work place. The review also picked up the issue of personalisation of services, in common with the paper considered earlier in the meeting relating to personalisation and the transformation of adult social care.
It was noted that Lord Darzi was keen to take forward issues within the regions. A copy of the summary of the vision for health and health care in the North West for the next ten years, produced by NHS North West (the strategic health authority) was circulated to the Panel. In addition the Department of Health document “NHS Next Stage Review - Our Vision for Primary and Community Care: What it means for Local Government” was circulated. Some of the key messages related to the piloting of individual budgets for health care and the requirement for Local Authorities and PCTs to work together in its provision. It was noted that the Panel would have the opportunity to influence how this would be carried out.
Following the presentation Members of the Panel raised the following issues:
Reference was made to Government recommendations in respect of healthy eating and it was considered that many poorer families could not afford to do this. It was queried whether this was being considered. It was reported that, through community enterprises, businesses were encouraged to make healthy food available. However, in the past certain areas of the County had not had an equal right to investment in respect of health.
Heritage and Museum Service Forward Plan 2007-2010
Guy Kilminster, County Manger - Cultural Services and Emma Chaplain, Heritage and Museums Officer, attended the meeting and gave a presentation in respect of the above matter. It was noted that there were several areas that the Panel might want to consider, around the heritage and museums service in East Cheshire. East Cheshire would not have responsibility for directly running the museum service, however, existing Authorities supported a number of museums, including the Silk Museum at Macclesfield, Congleton Museum and Nantwich Museum, through the provision of grants and professional support.
Copies of the Cheshire County Council Heritage and Museum Service Forward Plan 2007-2010 had been circulated to Members of the Panel. The DCMS had set out its priorities for UK museums over the next ten years in “Understanding the Future” (October 2006). These were that museums will fulfil their potential as learning resources; museums will embrace their role in fostering, exploring, celebrating and questioning the identities of diverse communities; museum collections will be more dynamic and better uses; museum workforces will be dynamic, highly skilled and representative; museums will work more closely with each other and partners outside the sector.
The issue for the new Cheshire East Authority related to the level of support which should continue to be provided and the provision of grant aid. There was an opportunity to increase grant aid or to appoint a Museums Managing Officer. These issues would need to be considered as part of the budgetary process decisions, to be made in the next few months. It was noted that one specific area which needed to be addressed related to excavational archives, which were on deposit at the Salt Museum in Northwich and consideration would need to be given as to whether it would be better to deposit future excavations somewhere in East Cheshire. One option would be to increase the facility in one of the other existing museums or to have a Service Level Agreement with a neighbouring Authority, for them to hold the material on behalf of Cheshire East.
Following the presentation Members of the Panel raised the following issues:
§ It was considered that there was potential to encourage and develop the educational aspects in respect of museums and that this should be considered at some point in the future.
§ It was considered that museums were a vital part of the area’s history. Reference was made to the Railway Works in Crewe and it was considered that this should be developed.
§ It was noted that Congleton Museum was successful, as it provided different themes, which changed on a three monthly basis and provided interest for visitors. It was suggested that this approach might help to encourage visitors to the museums in Macclesfield.
§ Reference was made to improvements made at Christ Church, Macclesfield which had involved local people, and it was considered that when people wished to be involved they should be encouraged.
§ Reference was made to a recent presentation attended by Members in relation to Tatton Park and it was suggested that the museums should be promoted in a similar manner.
Work Programme
The following items should be included on the future Work Programme:
1 Personalisation
2 How Cheshire East sees its role as Corporate Parent
3 Value Added
4 Public Health issues/healthy eating
5 Dementia
6 The Children’s Plan - How do we customise to Cheshire East and what are the key themes?
7 Review of how the Cheshire East Authority is utilising its potential as a new Authority and ensuring synergies are realised
8 Heritage and Museums Service - Focusing resources
9 Transforming learning communities
RESOLVED
A draft Work Programme be produced for the next meeting of the Panel.