To consider a quarterly report containing a schedule of performance reports outlining the savings that are being achieved through the Strategic Plan.

The Committee received a presentation on the Strategic Plan for delivering Adult Services from the Director of People’s Services.  In her presentation, the Director highlighted the following areas:

·         That savings within adult social care had been delivered in previous years through better contracting, applying eligibility, and managing down the costs of providers.  However, to deliver further savings a more radical approach was required that relied on a system wide transformation programme with key partners.   This will need to focus on large scale prevention and early intervention.

·         Transformational change included managing the demand for formal social care intervention: helping people to remain independent for as long as possible; building the capacity of communities to support people; prioritising the development of services that support people’s recovery after an accident or episode of ill-health; ensuring that personalisation works for those with on-going needs to enable them to plan and direct their own support and have a choice of cost effective solutions.

·         The overarching risk to delivery was the scope, breadth and depth of savings required and speed of change necessary given the demands in the service.  A zero growth budget has been assumed, with savings to be delivered from demand management.  There was a risk that initially placements would continue to increase until new approaches were in place across the service. Essential to achieving this were an efficient and effective reablement service, a clear and effective signposting service to prevent potential customers becoming service users and an effective review service which managed clients out of the system in a safe and controlled manner.  That there were limited resources in the system should not be underestimated.

In reply to a question from a Member, the Assistant Director People’s Services Commissioning said that there were a number of areas of contract re-engineering underway, and negotiations were in hand with providers such as Shaw Healthcare.  The vast majority were spot contracts, and block contracts regarding day care other than Shaw Healthcare would be discussed at a meeting with domiciliary care providers in order to help provide viable solutions, as it was in the interests of both parties to find a way forward.

In reply to a question from a Member, the Director went on to say that a variety of ways of streamlining processes were being used.  In the practice areas there was a need to change the culture of the service, and lean systems were not being used for this aspect of the change process.

The Cabinet Member (Health and Wellbeing) added that clarity for the clients for services should be provided so that a more targeted service could be provided for those who needed it.

In reply to a question as to whether it would be clear that the costs of two social care placements had been saved by these initiatives and that the transformation plan was in hand.  The Assistant Director People’s Services Commissioning replied that at the end of the current month it was intended that there would be a system in place that would identify whether the Service had met its profile.  The improved reporting structure would allow all parts of the system to provide greater reassurance.

RESOLVED:

            THAT:

a)    The Committee note the development of a system wide approach to integrated commissioning as part of the Health and Wellbeing Board  governance structures; and;

b)    The Committee was assured as far as it could be that the Adult Social Care 2013/14 savings and transformation plans and the governance structure to monitor delivery were in place.