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

The Committee received a report on the performance of the Adult Social Services and Strategic Housing Performance Monitoring to 31 October 2008.  The Performance Manager drew the Committee’s attention to a number of performance indicators (PIs) that had the prospect of exceeding their targets in the Adult Social Care Directorate.  These were C31, (People with MH helped to live at home), C62 (Carers), C72 (Older People admitted to permanent residential care), C73 (Younger adults admitted to permanent residential care), D40 (reviews).   In the future, reports would be available from the Frameworki system, which had been launched in November, and would allow for comprehensive reporting of all relevant PIs and would provide a new corporate performance management system called PerformancePlus, which will go live in the first half of 2009.  Appendix 3 of the document outlined the National Indicator sets.

He went on to say that following the user consultation events that had been held in August, a feedback brief had been produced which set out the views and suggestions from those involved. These findings were now being used to inform the development of an Involvement Strategy across Health and Social Care.

In response to a comment from a Member, the Director of Joint Commissioning said that work would be undertaken to review how performance was identified.  At present, the Council assessed areas through the Comprehensive Performance Report, which were not necessarily assessed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which considered wider issues than the Council’s  Performance Indicator set.

The Performance Manager said that the performance of the Strategic Housing Service was monitored against the new National Indicators (NI’s) and current Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI’s).  NI 155, the target to deliver 200 units by end of year was currently on track, although the likelihood of achieving the target remained challenging.  The current financial market was likely to severely hit targets for future years as a result of the downturn in house building.  

A Member remarked that there was an opportunity for the Council to increase its social housing stock in this period of decline in house prices.  The Head of Strategic Housing replied that the Council was trying to encourage developers into lease agreements in order to bring properties that had been left empty back onto the market.  The Council would ensure that a proportion of these would be let at housing benefit rates.  He added that where there was a risk of individuals losing their houses, the Council provided access to a Court desk worker to enable the Citizen’s Advice Bureau to provide support. 

The Performance Manager went on to say that early indications were that the target for Indicator BV64 (delays in receiving information of properties that have been brought back into use using the Rent Deposit scheme) would be achieved by year end.  A Member suggested that it could be beneficial to undertake a discussion with letting agents across the County in order to find short term compromises for rented accommodation.  The Head of Strategic Housing concurred, and added that the rents charged by landlords would be affected by market forces, and were currently being reduced across the County. 

RESOLVED:

That;      (a)     The report be noted;

                        and;

(b)         Areas of concern should continue to be monitored.