To provide an update on the projected outturn for financial year 2008/09 for Adult Social Care and Strategic Housing.

The Committee considered the projected outturn as of the end of January 2008-09 for Adult Social Care and Strategic Housing.

The Management Accounts Manager reported that the forecast outturn position on Adult Social Care showed a deterioration on the October position of £289k, which had resulted in a revised forecast outturn of an overspend of £566k.

There were a number of factors associated with the overspend position.  The most significant one related to the assumption around Continuing Health Care, for which the October position had assumed that the PCT would provide £942k.  A review of the cases in question had meant that 7 clients now did not meet the required criteria.  There was a high probability that others would be in the same position, so the cost assumption had therefore been reduced to £500k.

The additional significant factor in the increased forecast was an increase in domiciliary care costs of £512k. This had been partly offset by the reductions in residential care, but there was also an emerging under-utilisation in the Rose Gardens block contract. The Council was contractually committed to pay for a fixed level of support, but out of a provision for 20 high care packages there were presently 12 voids. At the same time, the level of spot contracts for domiciliary homecare had increased rather than reduced.

In reply to a question from a Member, the Director of Integrated Commissioning said that that whilst the voids at the Rose Gardens had been reduced, this was an ongoing issue for the contract.  In relation to Leadon Bank Care Home, Orchard Lane, Ledbury, the Council was working with the provider to ensure that they would improve their Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating the next time they were rated.  He added that one of Councils domiciliary care providers had been zero rated by CQC, and clients were not being placed with this company at present.  The Council would go back to the company in order to recover costs against the outstanding block contracts.  He went on to say that in order to prevent a reoccurrence of this situation, the Council was moving to spot contracts for domiciliary care.  There were now only a few long term contracts across the Council and PCT, one of which was with Shaw Healthcare.

The Management Accounts Manager went on to say that the overall forecast outturn for Strategic Housing had improved from the October report, with a decrease in the overspend from £321k to £148k. This was largely due to continued reductions in the use of bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation.

The Head of Strategic Housing reported that the number of families in B&B accommodation had been reduced to zero in January 2009, and had remained at that level.  He went on to say that there had been an increasing number of referrals to the Service, especially in the number of teenagers being excluded from home.  Mediation interviews were being undertaken in order to help to reduce these occurrences.

In reply to a question from a Member, he said that the Landlord Accreditation Scheme would be launched shortly.

The Cabinet Member (Social Care Adults) said that the Homelessness Team was extremely small and that, considering their workload, they had performed miracles in achieving the results that they had.

RESOLVED:      That the Committee recognise the efforts made by the Homelessness Team and recommend that consideration should be given to improving their staffing levels and budgets.