Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare:

·        any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        any prejudicial interests or

·        any disclosable pecuniary interests

which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal interests, not included on the Register of Interests, or any prejudicial interests or disclosable pecuniary interests that they might have in the business on the agenda.

·        Councillor Cannon declared that her husband was a Trustee of the Independent Domestic Abuse Services, in relation to the Community Safety Strategy.

·        Councillor Mason declared that his business had transported some patients who were treated at The Retreat, although to his knowledge not in the area being discussed.

·        Councillor Doughty declared that his partner was an ex-Director at The Retreat.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2017.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 20 June 2017 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda, or an issue within the Committee’s remit, can do so. The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Monday 24 July 2017. To register please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note this meeting may be filmed and webcast, or recorded, and that includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission. This broadcast can be viewed at: http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts or, if recorded, will be uploaded to the website following the meeting.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting. Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at: http://www.york.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/11406/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings_20160809.pdf

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report analyses the financial outturn position and performance data for 2016/17 by reference to the service plans and budgets for all of the services falling under the responsibility of the Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care.

Members considered a report analysing the financial outturn position and performance data for 2016/17 by reference to the service plans and budgets for all of the services falling under the responsibility of the Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care.

Officers gave a brief update to the report and suggested that a session be held with the Chair in order to identify key areas of focus moving forward, given the increased remit of the committee.

The Chair expressed concern that this was a sizeable and complex report , and stated that it confirmed the fears of some Members that the committee would be overstretched under the new working arrangements.

In response to Member questions Officers confirmed that:

·        In relation to the specialist smoking cessation service, there were ongoing discussions between the Executive Member for Health & Adult Social Care and the Director of Public Health.

·        There had been substantial work on reducing delayed transfers of care.

·        There had been significant issues around the closure of Archways, however the move towards community rather than bed based services and more rehabilitation in the home was a positive step.

·        There had been a reduction in the use of sub-contractors, however there were further savings to be made.

·        The directorate did not recover £55K from Be Independent for its support services budget as Be Indepenent was previously an internal service and this was not captured when the contract was outsourced in 2014. It was included in a package of services, including HR and IT, that was not reflected in the contract value. If this was reclaimed retrospectively it could have an impact on the sustainability of the organisation and CYC did not want to see provider failure with customers put at risk.

·        The number of homeless households in temporary accommodation was static and stable in comparison to other Local Authorities. Staff in the Housing Options Team had worked hard on early interventions.

·        There had been a review of Choice Based lettings in the previous year and there had been fundamental changes to the processing of applications. Interviews now took place before being put on the waiting list and the chances of being offered a property explained fully. As a result of this some applicants would then choose not to go on the list.

Members raised several issues that fell under the remit of Public Health and it was suggested that a representative from the Public Health Team be present for future reports. The questions would be passed on and responses circulated to the committee.

Resolved:  That members not the content of the report.

Reason:     To update the committee on the latest financial and performance position for 2016/17.

This paper provides an update to Members on the performance of Be Independent for 2017. It advises Members on the key performance areas included within the Council’s contract, highlights areas where increased monitoring is required and advises Members of any concerns regarding performance of the organisation.

Members considered a report providing them with an update on the performance of Be Independent for 2017. It advised Members on the key performance areas included within the Council’s contract, highlighted areas where increased monitoring was required and advised of concerns regarding performance of the organisation.

The Commissioning Manager was in attendance to present the report and answer Member questions. In response to some questions raised by Members he stated:

·        When the 5 year contract ended this would be tested on the marketplace. If there was no interest at this point there remained the option to bring the service back in house.

·        Spinning out a business with internal staff was a challenge as they would always focus on the needs of the customer first.

·        The demand for equipment loans fluctuated quarterly.

During debate Members felt it was important that reporting remained bi-annual.  

Resolved:  That;

                                             i.        Members note the performance of Be Independent.

                                            ii.        Members request that scrutiny reports continue to be submitted on a six monthly basis, as per the current arrangement.

                                           iii.        Agree that the next report to scrutiny focus on the business development of the service.

Reason:     To ensure ongoing and effective scrutiny of Be Independent.

This report and its annexes inform the Committee of the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of The Retreat in York along with the hospital’s quality improvement plans and a summary of the CQC action plan.

Members considered a report informing them of the recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of The Retreat in York along with the hospital’s quality improvement plans and a summary of the CQC action plan.

The Chief Executive and Marketing and Communications Manager (The Retreat) were in attendance to present this report and answer Member questions. They gave a brief background and reiterated how seriously this issue was being taken.

In response to Member questions they clarified that:

·        Following the inspection four staff members had been suspended and two were no longer in place.

·        Staff had raised concerns with the Director of Operations and immediate action had been taken. These concerns had also been reported to the CYC safeguarding team.

·        With regard to allegations of bullying, a staff survey had been undertaken and an action plan was now in place. It was clear that a change was needed to the overall culture, however  the bullying did involve a small cohort of staff.

·        Ligature risks and blind spots had been highlighted and this was difficult in an old building. A new Unit Manager was in place to ensure that staff have sight of patients at all times.

·        Staffing numbers and the use of agency staff were significant challenges in health care at present. The team were working hard to recruit more staff and reduce the use of agency staff. There had also been a Night Coordinator appointed to ensure the most effective use of staff at a vulnerable time. Agency staff would all be inducted into units and have to read all relevant policies before commencing work. They were also attempting to use preferred agencies to ensure some level of consistency.

Resolved:  That Members request an update on the progress of The Retreat quality improvement plan in 6 months.

Reason:     So the Committee are assured that concerns raised by the CQC are being addressed.

This report accompanies the York Safeguarding Adult Board Annual Report 2016-2017 and outlines arrangements in place to ensure that City of York Council discharges its responsibilities to protect adults with care and support needs from abuse and neglect, whilst maintaining their independence and well-being.

Members considered a report which accompanied the York Safeguarding Adult Board Annual Report 2016-2017 and outlined arrangements in place to ensure that City of York Council discharged its responsibilities to protect adults with care and support needs from abuse and neglect, whilst maintaining their independence and well-being.

The Committee were asked to accept assurance that arrangements for safeguarding adults were satisfactory and effective.

The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care was in attendance to present the report and answer Member questions. In response to some of these questions he stated:

·        The Prevent strategy was led by the Community Safety Team. The Leadership Group met bi-annually to discuss those areas which overlapped e.g. prevent, self care and suicide prevention.

·        When the review around assessment and care was being undertaken, there  was an awareness that the Safeguarding Board should not become too ‘lean’ in terms of resourcing.

·        The Future Focus programme was currently in the design phase  but would be taken as a separate item on the work plan at a later date. It was expected to take around 18 months to implement.

Resolved: That Members;

1.   note the SAB annual report and are assured that arrangements for safeguarding adults are satisfactory and effective.

2.   receive further updates on an annual basis.

Reason:     To assure the Committee arrangements for safeguarding adults are satisfactory and effective.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Safer York Partnership, the statutory community safety partnership (CSP) for the City of York, as the Health, Housing and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee now holds the portfolio for Community Safety.

Members considered a report which provided them with a comprehensive overview of Safer York Partnership, the statutory community safety partnership (CSP) for the City of York as community safety was now part of this committee’s remit.

Resolved:  That Members note the report.

Reason:     To give Members a clear overview of the Safer York Partnership.

This report summarises the Safer York Partnership’s Community Safety Strategy 2017-20 including the current trends, emerging priorities and the implications of the strategy.  

Members considered a report summarising the partnership’s Community Safety Strategy 2017-20 including current trends, emerging priorities and implications of the strategy.

The Head of Community Safety was in attendance to present the report and answer Member questions.

In response to Member questions Officers stated:

·        Serious Organised Crime were those which posed threat, harm and risk and impacted on quality of life. Nationally this included Child Sexual Exploitation, drug crimes, money laundering and trafficking. York had its share of these issues and the SYP could have a significant impact on these.

·        North Yorkshire Police had made it a strategic priority to keep the City Centre safe and OP ERASE was still a focus.

·        The Safer Neighbourhood Team and Local Area Teams were focused on broader community problem solving ensuring that focus was not just on the City Centre.

·        With regard to street begging and rough sleeping, an annual count took place around Oct/Nov and there was no indication the number had increased. Some individuals elect to stay on the street for a number of reasons despite the offer of a bed. There was no reason for anyone to rough sleep in York and they would always be encouraged to abide by the rules and come back into services. Members felt that more should be done to promote the text donation service, particularly to visitors to the city.

Resolved:  That Members note the content of the strategy and agree to provide support to the Council in delivering the strategic priorities contained within the strategy.

Reason:     To inform the Committee of the new Community Safety Strategy.

Members are asked to consider the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year.

Members gave consideration to the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year.

Resolved:  That the work plan be approved subject to the following  additions:

·        Consultation on a Mental Health Strategy for York be considered in September

·        A report on Future Focus programme be considered in October

·        A further report on The Retreat improvement plans be considered in January

Reason:     To ensure that the Committee has a planned programme of work in place.