Agenda item

The report provides a detailed view of the outturn position for Public Health (PH) and Adult Social Care (ASC) for 2022/23.

Members considered a report that provided a detailed view of the outturn position for Public Health (PH) and Adult Social Care (ASC) for 2022/23.

During discussion of the item, Members raised questions regarding; the performance analysis in ASC; pressures on the workforce; the overall satisfaction of people who use the adult social care service; breastfeeding; smoking in pregnancy; sexual health; Be Independent; Yorkcraft, and future budgetary forecasts.

Officers confirmed that:

·        The continued ambition was to reduce the use of agency staff and build strong performing teams within ASC.  The right recruitment and retention packages were in place to increase the social work cohort and all vacant ASC Heads of Service had been filled, which would support the next recruitment drive during Social Work Week in March 2023.

·        Following the recruitment of a Head of All Age Commissioning, that team was now more robust and would support delivery of future budget savings.

·        Yorkcraft were considering their business plan to achieve more commercial sales.

·        Be Independent was a key part of the council’s preventative offer. Further work was required to stabilise the organisation and support the underachievement on the sales income budget.

·        The number of Adult Safeguarding concerns reported had risen and structures were in place to manage the impact on staff.

·        Following the Adult Social Care User Survey, an additional survey had been issued to customers who had identified they were not satisfied with the service, and officers were working on the identified pockets of dissatisfaction. Officers were also collaborating with Healthwatch York to ensure the needs of our customers were being appropriately met.

·        Smoking in pregnancy was a high priority and additional resource had been achieved to try to encourage pregnant smokers to quit. 

·        Additional funding had been obtained from the Humber and Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to support the breastfeeding agenda. The aspiration in York was to become a breastfeeding friendly city and to progress community services to achieve baby friendly status.

·        The budget set for 23/24 would be sufficient and mechanisms were in place to enable a more balanced budget next year.

The Director of Public Health informed Members that the percentage data highlighted within the final sentence of paragraph 53 of the report was inaccurate.  It was reported, following the meeting, that the data had been checked for accuracy and the correct figures for April to September 2022 were:

·        87% (over 90% originally reported) of clients who set specific health goals have achieved at least one of the goals and 69% (over 70% originally reported) of all the health goals set have been achieved. 

Members noted that a Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment was expected to take place within ASC and they thanked officers for the report and update.

Resolved:

(i)       That the report be noted.

Reason:  To update the Committee on the third quarter financial and performance position for 2022-23.

(ii)      Statistics relating to the York Sexual Health service to be included within future finance and performance monitor reports.

Reason: To keep the Committee updated.

(iii)        That an update be received at a future meeting on the improvements implemented to address the dissatisfied outcomes identified in the Adult Social Care User Survey.

Reason: To ensure the needs of our customers were being appropriately met.

[An adjournment took place between 7:43 pm and 7:48 pm]