Issue - meetings

To provide background information on the development and consultation of the new Adult Social Care Strategy 2025-28.

The Head of Transformation & Integration presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The purpose of the report was to provide background information on the development and consultation of the new Adult Social Care Strategy 2025-28.

Adult Social Care (ASC) required a clear public facing strategy that encompassed our vision and ambitions for the next 4 years. Having consulted within the Directorate and completed a public consultation, reassurance was felt that this was the right strategic approach for ASC.

The Committee discussed the report, including:

• In response to a query about delivery plans and how progress could be monitored, the Committee was advised that progress updates could be provided through the Transformation work reporting.
• In response to a query about what provision was available for those who were not considered safe in their homes, the Committee was advised of the process which would be followed in this situation and the work which was being commenced to enable early intervention and the benefits of that were highlighted.  There was an acknowledgement that not everyone had access to technology and the ways Adult Social Care tried to ensure information was available to all was highlighted.  The need to ensure the strategy was shared with hard-to-reach people was highlighted by a Committee Member.
• In response to a query regarding how targets would be monitored and the benefits of linking activity and financial data, the Committee was advised that there was some work ongoing as part of the transformation programme to link financial data to performance and whilst monitoring of performance indicators was not currently included, they could be added if desired.
• The Director of Adult Social Care advised that links to that information could be included in the strategy and details of the Performance Quality and Improvement Board were shared which monitored all areas of Adult Social Care.
• In response to a query regarding the strength-based approach using the three conversations, the Committee was advised of the progress of implementation and that feedback from staff and residents had been positive. The Director of Adult Social Care advised they would welcome bringing staff to the Committee to feedback on how the approach was working in practice.

Following discussions, Cllr Salmon proposed the following recommendation which was agreed by the Committee:

The Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee RECOMMEND to Cabinet:

• the inclusion of some clear targets ideally linked to the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) within the Adult Social Care Strategy; and
• the inclusion of an overview of how to better integrate performance and activity data with finance data in the Adult Social Care Strategy.