Issue - meetings

The report sets out for the scrutiny of Committee members the BCP Council Adult Social Care response to the COVID19 pandemic as at mid-July 2020.  It provides details on how Adult Social Care has worked with the local NHS and the Care Sector to ensure that local people who require information, advice, guidance,  assessment, care and safeguarding have continued to be supported  through the period of national lockdown and the subsequent gradual easing of lockdown measures. 

It also outlines the work undertaken with the Adult Social Care sector in order to support all social care providers as they have worked with skill and commitment to provide quality care to service users and carers through the unique and highly complex circumstances of the pandemic.

This work has been conducted in the context of rapidly developing and changing national guidance for the health and care system.

The report also outlines the financial impact of COVID19 for the Adult Social Care sector and the funding provided to the sector by the Council through Grant monies from Government.  It provides information on the financial situation for BCP Council Adult Social Care Directorate in 2020/21.

 The Corporate Director for Adult Social Care updated the Committee on the Council’s response to the COVID pandemic. The main points of the update were:

·       COVID had adversely impacted the service provision.

·       88 people had died from COVID related illness in care homes.

·       A new national plan was created for Adult Social Care in April 2020, along with a national task force and local care home support planning mechanism.

The Service Director for Adult Social Care Services informed the Committee of the changes in services that had occurred during the COVID period. The main points were:

·       Broadly, most Adult Social Care services had continued, however certain adjustments had to be made.

·       Telephone and video conferencing with clients had been utilised where possible.

·       The Coronavirus Act 2020 allowed certain easements to be made to statutory activities; this included the closure of day centres where social distancing could not be observed.

·       The Home First model allowed assessments to be made once patients had left hospital.

·       A much larger number of people enquired to the crisis line on financial and food issues.

·       Safeguarding concerns had increased over the last three months; however, many concerns had not developed into investigations.

Members heard from the Corporate Director for Adult Social Care of the issues that had arisen for the adult social care sector were:

·       Financial pressures

·       Personal Perspective Equipment (PPE)

·       Deep cleaning

·       Staffing, for example absence and sickness.

It was heard that to resolve these issues, BCP Council had given a 10% uplift for commissioned providers’ costs from late March to mid-July and that this funding was being reviewed. Furthermore, the Government had created an Infection Control Fund that was targeted primarily at how the sector utilises staff. A key risk in this area was found to be staff moving areas or working in more than one setting. Further funding from Government was being sought to continue to respond to the pandemic.

The specific issue of PPE was discussed, and the Corporate Director for Adult Social Care explained that Adult Social Care providers had generally reported sufficient levels of PPE. Furthermore, the frequency at which providers asked for assistance from the Council had dropped.

Weekly testing of staff and monthly testing of residents in care homes was being rolled out.

On financial matters, the Committee were informed that additional costs would mean that some of the planned savings in the budget would not be met and that despite Government funding the gap totalled £30 million for the Council as a whole. Certain savings had been identified to combat this, such as legacy savings from Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) budgets, holding vacant posts open and training costs. Finally, the Committee were informed that the Corporate Director for Adult Social Care and the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care were regularly presenting the case to Government for additional funding support.

The Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care gave her condolences to the 88 individuals who had died due to COVID. The Portfolio Holder also gave thanks to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77