To report on the national performance indicators position and other performance management information for the Adult Social Care and Strategic Housing Divisions.

The Committee noted the report on the performance indicator position and other performance management information for the Adult Social Care and Strategic Housing Divisions within the Adult and Community Services Directorate.  The following areas of consideration were highlighted by the Improvement Manager:

·         That Internal Audit has carried out five audits in relation to Strategic Housing, and that the previously audited areas had shown an improvement, whilst those that had not been audited before were deemed as being satisfactory.

·         That the official launch of the Quality Assurance Framework and Team Evidence Portfolios had taken place on 25th June. Thirty internal teams had been represented at the event and initial feedback was positive. Thirty six Portfolios had been allocated to teams or individual managers. The Evidence Portfolios would be considered at routine Team Performance Appraisals and would be used to inform peer review sessions at the Performance Champions Clinics throughout the year.

·         The DVD project to promote Adult Social Care Services across the County was progressing well and the final version of the disc had been produced. A launch event to promote the DVD and the work that took place in Herefordshire was planned for Thursday 4th September at the Courtyard.  A booklet was also being produced to accompany the DVD which would set out the range of services offered by Herefordshire Council.

·         The Improvement Manager reported that end of year out-turns for the performance indicators for Adult Social Care showed that sixteen indicators had performed better than the 2006-07 position. Whilst only six indicators had achieved target, seven others had missed target by very small margins.  He added that these had all been deliberately set as stretch targets.

·         That there was a national set of indicators covering Adult Social Care Services, published by the Department of Health.  Performance was ranked in five bands, known as ‘blobs’, and ranged from Band 1 – “investigate urgently” to Band 5 – “very good”.  The bands were highlighted in the out-turn information. In two of these, C72 and D54, the Council’s service was rated as one of the top six in the Country.  D40 and D55 had been praised by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI)

In the ensuing discussion, the following principle points were made:

·         That the good news reflected in the results for the year should be mentioned in Herefordshire Matters.

·         That whilst the PI D54 (equipment delivered within seven days) remained in the top banding, not all equipment delivered within the period was installed within the time frame.  The PI was targeted at delivery of the equipment.  The Interim Director of Adult Social Care added that a new van and driver had been enlisted into the Equipment Services, and improvements would be made to the delivery and fitting of equipment.  A self-assessment scheme would also be introduced that would allow people to assess their own needs for simple equipment.  This would also help to reduce the backlog of individuals awaiting assessment by Occupational Therapists for aids over £2k in value. 

·         In reply to a Member’s question, the Interim Director of Adult Social Care reported that initial feedback from the CSCI Annual Review had shown significant improvement in the Service. Assessment of Care Management had shown that the Service had managed a lot of change and had continued to improve performance.  Front line staff now felt more enthusiastic about the Service, and also felt that they had more of a voice in its running.  The role of elected Members had also been strengthened. She believed that they were no longer struggling to be a 1 star Authority, but were performing at the top of that level if not at a 2 star level.

·         A Member stated that PI BV202 (the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in the Local Authority area) was an inappropriate measure to be recorded, as it did only reflect the number of people on the streets over one night.

Resolved:

That      (a)      the report on Adult Social Care and Strategic Housing performance should be noted;

and;

(b)           that areas of concern should continue to be monitored.