Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision on the transformation of the service.

Ms P Watson, Commissioning Manager, Accommodation Solutions, was in attendance for this item.

1.            Ms Southern introduced the report and reminded Members that this was the latest in a programme of modernisation of day services for people with learning disabilities. Ms Watson set out the arrangements for the 14-week consultation.  They responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    the vital importance of good public consultation was emphasised, and a suggestion made that information about such service reviews in future could be sent to local households with council tax bills;

b)    in response to a question about equality impact assessments, how they worked and an example of their importance, Ms Southern explained that the equality impact assessment process was important but complicated, as clients engaging with a service would have a wide variety of complex needs. The equality impact assessment would be reviewed throughout each stage of the project to ensure all needs were included;

c)    a Member who had been involved in the modernisation of services for people with learning disabilities in Ashford, the first such service to be modernised, asked for an update on the progress of those service since modernisation.  Ms Southern explained that an annual review on progress was reported to the Project Advisory Group (PAG) and a review of all such services undertaken and reported to the Good Day Board,  which would monitor progress and draw out any lessons which could be learnt from previous exercises. That information could be shared with elected Members and made available on the County Council website;

d)    the clarity of the easy-read documents appended to the report was praised, as was the thoroughness of the consultation and the reporting of service users’ views. Ms Southern agreed that clarity of information was very important for the client groups concerned; and

e)    the now well-established custom of keeping existing services open until new services were up and running was praised as it would ensure there was no gap in provision.

2.            The Cabinet Member, Mr Gibbens, emphasised that, in all such modernisation programmes, he had always made sure that no facilities would be closed until replacement services were available. He undertook to ensure that an update report on past modernisation programmes was presented to a future meeting of the Committee.

3.            RESOLVED that:-

a)     the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, after taking account of views expressed by the committee, to proceed with the transformation of  the Swale Learning Disability Day Service and to continue the service into a more inclusive, accessible, community-based service, operating from community hubs, be endorsed; and

b)    the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other delegated officer, undertake the necessary actions to implement this decision.