Agenda item

Cabinet received the quarterly performance report for quarter two providing information about the key areas of performance for the authority.

The Cabinet Member for Customers, Communications and Performance, Miss Susan Carey, introduced the item for members and stressed the importance of performance data at a time when budgets were being reduced and pressures on demand lead services were increasing, to ensure that services were delivered to the same exacting standards.

Richard Fitzgerald, Business Intelligence Manager – Performance, was in attendance and spoke to the item.  He reported that performance was generally good with a majority of indicators recorded at ‘green’, target achieved or exceeded, and the net direction of travel was positive.  He went on to draw out important information for members as follows:

      i.        Customer Services

a.    Phone call volumes to Contact Point continued to reduce as a result of improved digital take-up.

    ii.        Economic Development & Communities

a.    Jobs created and safeguarded from Regional Growth Fund loan schemes was now over 4,000.

b.    Library visits and book issues had exceeded expectations in the quarter.

   iii.        Environment and Transport

a.    Performance and timeliness for highways repairs remained good and demand levels were as expected.

b.    The percentage of municipal waste diverted from landfill at 99% continues to exceed target.

   iv.        Education and Young People

a.    Ofsted inspection results for schools and Early Years settings continued to meet targets and achieve year on year improvement.

b.    Apprenticeship take-up and NEET figures for Young People had also shown year on year improvement

c.    Completion of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in timescale remained ‘red’ - below floor standard - with the service being under pressure due to a significant increase in demand, including work to convert existing SEN statements to EHCPs. Despite being behind KCC targets performance in this area was ahead of the national average.

    v.        Specialist Children Services

a.    The percentage of Care Leavers in education, employment and training continued to increase and had now achieved target. The number of local children in care remained stable at a new low level of 1,400

   vi.        Adult Social Care

a.    The percentage of contacts resolved at first point of contact increased in the quarter ahead of target. The number of clients supported with Telecare, also increased, now at 6,769, and was close to target.

b.    Clients referred to enablement remained significantly behind target, with the service continuing to support clients beyond the usual expected short-term period, due to difficulty in securing appropriate on-going home care support. There continues to be problems securing home care support in certain parts of the county, particularly in rural areas.

c.    The percentage of delayed discharges from hospital where social care is considered to be responsible increased in the quarter, but performance remained ahead of the local target of 30%.

  vii.        Public Health

a.    The number of Health Checks completed increased and moved further ahead of target.

b.    The number of universal checks delivered by the Health Visiting service also increased and moved further ahead of target.

He concluded by assuring members that those targets that were not currently being met were all subject to management action and were being closely monitored.

The Cabinet Member for Customers, Communications and Performance asked that thanks be noted to all staff for helping to achieve such positive targets under severe financial pressures.

The Leader requested that following additional money allocated to homecare from the Social Care New Monies, KCC should review with providers whether the consequent improvement in the terms and conditions of domiciliary workers had impacted positively on recruitment.  The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care confirmed that he would provide such a report at the next convenient opportunity, possibly February.

It was RESOLVED that the report be NOTED