To note the Cabinet Member Report on the final draft of the Strategic Delivery Plan for Transforming Adult Services 2012-15.

The Committee noted the final draft of the Strategic Delivery Plan for Transforming Adult Services 2012-2015.  The Cabinet Support Member (Adult Social Care) introduced the report and highlighted the following principal areas:

a)    That the Strategic Delivery Plan had been developed to take account of national policy direction, the demographic profile of Herefordshire and to build on the vision of encouraging people to take responsibility for their own lives and access formal health and social care services only when necessary.  It provided a single document setting out the overall approach for adults over the next three years and contributed to the Joint Delivery Plan, the strategic aims of the council and its partners, and was a key part of achieving a balanced budget position.

b)    All Councils and Health communities were facing significant challenges due to reduced budgets and increased demographics. There was a need to have sustainable systems and services and which offered value for money.  This was a national as well as local issue and the strategic delivery plan set out a transformation programme over three years;

c)    Various Council services, NHS Herefordshire, Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Wye Valley NHS Trust and 2gether Foundation Trust had been involved in the development of the plan, which had been approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

In the ensuing discussion the following principal points were made:

·         The Assistant Director People's Services Commissioning said that an Adult Social Care Forum would be set up for the Health and Wellbeing Board, and that a progress report on the Delivery Plan would be provided to Cabinet on an annual basis.  It was important that the Plan was delivered though the Localities, and their active engagement was being sought.

·         The Cabinet Support Member said that whilst the Locality System was not perfect, he had visited three Locality Teams, and had been impressed by the commitment they had shown.  Problems that had existed between the Panel and the Locality Teams were being worked through.

·         The Assistant Director People's Services Commissioning said that the initial issues that had faced the Service with the introduction of the Frameworki software were being sorted out, and the process was being slimmed down.  The Agresso software had been introduced in April 2011, and work was in hand to further reduce the complexity of the system.

·         A Member said that the needs of full time carers should be focussed on.  He expressed concern at the cost of the service, and suggested that greater efficiencies should be possible using technology based care.

·         A Member asked how this Plan would help to deliver the £8m of savings that were required, and asked that a report be provided that gave clarity to the performance and progress of the transformation programme.

RESOLVED:

That:

a)    as part of the Delivery Plan there should be sufficient support for full time carers in order to ensure that they were in a position to continue their caring role effectively;

b)    a report be brought to the next meeting on the progress that has been made and the benefits that have been accrued as a result of the integration of the Frameworki and Agresso software systems since April 2011.

c)    a schedule of performance reports outlining the savings that were being achieved through the Strategic Plan for Delivering Adult Services be brought to the Committee on a quarterly basis.

d)    an emphasis should be put on rolling out the lessons in healthy living received by school children in Herefordshire in order to promote healthy eating in older people.

The Committee adjourned at 13.34 for a lunch break, and resumed at 14.03.