Agenda item

The report reports on the consultation agreed by the Executive Member in October 2007, and the progress in delivery of the initial commissioning plan for the Long Term Commissioning Strategy. It seeks agreement to undertake an option appraisal in respect of the Council’s residential care homes, to consider the opportunities and costs to develop appropriate care choices for older people in York.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to agree that:

(i)                 Any opportunities to lobby Government regarding the funding requirements for older people’s services should be used (Option 1);

(ii)               Work to develop new low level and preventative services to increase health and well being should continue through the joint project with the Primary Care Trust (Option 2);

(iii)             Work to develop personalised budgets for older people should be undertaken as part of the Transforming Social Care agenda (Option 2);

(iv)              Any consideration of further savings targets within home care services will be undertaken only within the context of the review process of the current 3-year contracts and Service Level Agreements (currently December 2009) (Option 3);

(v)                An option appraisal be undertaken to explore the opportunities to develop more appropriate specialist residential care and housing choices for older people, in partnership with other providers, and to consider the options for the development of Council run homes to provide more specialist care (Option 3).

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED: That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:      So that the Council can begin to address the challenges that face social care services for older people, taking into account the feedback received from the consultation process.

Members considered a report which presented the outcome of the above consultation, authorised by the Executive Member in October 2007, together with progress on delivery of the commissioning plan for the Long Term Commissioning Strategy, agreed by Members in January 2007, and sought approval for further action to develop appropriate care choices for older people in York.

The consultation had comprised two events for stakeholders at the start and end of the process, a survey of over-50’s in the City over a 4-week period in March / April and four focus groups, meeting during April / May.  Results of the survey were summarised in Annex A to the report and conclusions from the focus groups were set out in Annex C.  In the light of these results, and in line with the report presented last October on The Future Challenges, Members were asked to consider the following options:-

Option 1 – increase the funding available for older people’s services, by lobbying Government, increasing Council Tax and / or redirecting funding from other council services.

Option 2 – reduce demand for services, by raising the eligibility level, developing new preventative services and / or providing older people with resources to choose their own arrangements through personalised budgets.

Option 3 – deliver services more efficiently, by considering further savings targets in the context of the review process of current contracts and SLAs and / or undertaking an option appraisal to explore opportunities to develop more appropriate specialist residential care, both in-house and with partners.

A full analysis of the above options, incorporating views from the consultation, was provided in paragraphs 21 to 47 of the report.  The recommendation was that a combination of the suggestions presented under each of these options be adopted.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member be advised to agree that:

(i)                 Any opportunities to lobby Government regarding the funding requirements for older people’s services should be used (Option 1);¹

(ii)               Work to develop new low level and preventative services to increase health and well being should continue through the joint project with the Primary Care Trust (Option 2);²

(iii)             Work to develop personalised budgets for older people should be undertaken as part of the Transforming Social Care agenda (Option 2);³

(iv)              Any consideration of further savings targets within home care services will be undertaken only within the context of the review process of the current 3-year contracts and Service Level Agreements (currently December 2009) (Option 3);⁴

(v)                An option appraisal be undertaken to explore the opportunities to develop more appropriate specialist residential care and housing choices for older people, in partnership with other providers, and to consider the options for the development of Council run homes to provide more specialist care (Option 3).⁵

Decision of the Executive Member

RESOLVED: That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:      So that the Council can begin to address the challenges that face social care services for older people, taking into account the feedback received from the consultation process.