Minutes:
1. Mr Gibbens gave an oral update on the following issues:-
a) Live appearance on the BBC’s Politics Show on 7 November: He had been interviewed on the future care of older people in the South East. This had been a good opportunity to raise and publicise the issue and the impact the White Paper would have on it.
b) the National Children and Adults Services (formerly ADASS) Conference in early November: The Coalition Minister for Social Services, Paul Burstow, and the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, had made some informative speeches about the new Health and Wellbeing Boards and joint working of Children’s and Adults’ Social Services. These presentations had emphasised the Government’s concern for Adult Services, and the need for Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) to be truly joint.
c) The Local Government Association Conference: He had spoken at this Conference on 15 November about equalities and supporting older people, and the importance of links between Health, Older Persons’ Services and transport systems.
d) Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme on young carers: This had highlighted a much higher prevalence of young carers than had previously been understood, with 1 in 12 teenagers being a carer for a family member. This figure was four times higher than previously thought.
e) new Health and Wellbeing Boards: The work of the new boards will be driven by Members, working with key strategic partners. Although their inception was included in the White Paper, much of the detail around the status and operation of these Boards is as yet unclear.
The Chairman said he would press for a joint briefing for HOSC and POSC Members on the new Boards, and the POSC should have regular update reports on the progress of the many threads of new work emerging from the NHS White Paper and its associated developments.
2. Mr Mills then gave an oral update on the following issues:-
a) Age Concern: Good local discussion was taking place between KCC and local Age Concern groups across the county, and an update item on this was offered for the January meeting of the POSC.
b) KASS management changes: Margaret Howard had recently been appointed as the Director of Operations in KASS on a secondment basis, with Cathi Sacco acting up in her former role as Director of Commissioning and Provision in West Kent and Anne Tidmarsh continuing in the equivalent role in East Kent. Mr Mills undertook to send a written update to all POSC Members to set out the latest changes.
c) the National Children and Adults Services (formerly ADASS) Conference: A new draft concordat, ‘Think Local, Act Personal’, was launched at the recent conference. This would succeed the ‘Putting People First’ concordat, which was launched in December 2007. In response to a question, Mr Mills confirmed that a draft of the new concordat would be sent to all POSC Members for their comments, and he offered an update item for the January meeting of the POSC.
d) New Government vision for Adult Social Services ‘Capable Communities and Active Citizens’: A new vision had been launched on 16 November, the day of the POSC meeting, and an update item on this was offered for the January meeting of the POSC.
e) Delayed Transfers of Care: This issue would continue to be closely monitored, as the number was always likely to rise in the winter months. However, Adult Social Services only ever had responsibility for no more than 20% of delayed transfers.
f) ‘Living Longer’ media coverage: Mr Mills had been asked on this programme to comment on an increase in the number of complaints received by KASS. He had advised that the increase was due to clients and families being more enabled to make a complaint. He also reassured Members that KASS received more compliments than it did complaints. He undertook to ensure that future ‘Complaints and Compliments’ reports to the POSC showed figures for both, set against an age profile, to give a fuller picture of the pattern.
g) ‘Unbefriended’ people in Care Homes: This issue had received recent media coverage, and Mr Mills advised Members that KASS had a statutory responsibility to intervene through safeguarding procedures if there was any evidence of significant harm to a resident who had no visitors or social contact. Caring for the elderly was increasingly being seen as a duty of everyone in society, not just Social Services.