To receive verbal updates from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health.
Minutes:
1. Graham Gibbens (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health) gave a verbal update on the following issues:
West Kent ASC provisions tour
On 11 July 2018, Mr Gibbens visited various care homes and extra care housing schemes which included Strawberry Hill Extra Care Scheme in Dartford, Tunbridge Wells Care Centre, Thomas Place Extra Care Scheme in Maidstone and the Maidstone Care Centre in Penenden Heath.
Opening of the changing place in Sessions House
On 20 July 2018, Kent County Council celebrated the opening of the new changing place in Sessions house, in memory of Steven Kissock.
Art Ability event in Sessions House
On 20 July 2018, an Art Ability event took place in Sessions House which was an exhibition of arts and crafts by people with a learning disability across Kent.
Visit to the Central Referral Unit in Ashford
On 26 July 2018, Mr Gibbens visited the Central Referral Unit at Kroner House in Ashford and reminded Members that they were welcome to visit the site at any time.
Select Committee – Social Isolation
On 17 September 2018, Mr Gibbens was interviewed as part of the Social Isolation Select Committee and answered a series of questions relating to Loneliness and Social Isolation.
Upcoming Events
World Mental Health Day would take place on 10 October 2018. Mr Gibbens encouraged Members to take part in activities that were taking place in their divisions. Safeguarding Awareness Week would commence on 8 October 2018 and end on 12 October 2018.
Kent Housing Group Excellence Award
Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council had won the Kent Housing Group excellence award for Farrow Court, HomeBridge and Cherry Tree Court in the excellence partnership category. Mr Gibbens congratulated all officers that were closely involved in receiving the award. The award recognised and celebrated outstanding individuals, teams or projects that had delivered against the odds to ensure excellent service for the residents and communities across Kent and Medway.
2. Penny Southern (Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health) introduced Damien Ellis (Head of Service Provision) as he was supporting Adult Social Care to cover the Director post for Disabled Children, Learning Disability and Mental Health. She then gave a verbal update on the following issues:
Annual ‘Rise 4 Disability’ Show
The annual Rise 4 Disability show took place on Tuesday 18th September in Detling. The show was a major annual event with a mission to unite all disability services. There were many presentations that were delivered at the show by social care, health, housing, mental health, learning disability, prisons and disabled children’s services teams. The show was a positive demonstration on how Kent County Council and its partners worked together.
The Future Direction of Adult Social Care and Health
The ‘Your Life, Your Wellbeing’ strategy in Kent was being refreshed to help Adult Social Care and Health plan the future, Michael Thomas-Sam had taken a lead role in the strategy’s refresh and had hoped to present progress and share targets and visions for the refreshed strategy to the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee meeting in November 2018. A staff engagement event would take place in Ashford in November 2018 to ensure that the entire Adult Social Care workforce in Kent were kept up to date and engaged in future work. Anne Tidmarsh (Director, Older People and Physical Disability) was the workforce lead for the Sustainability Transformation Plan which would propel health and social care integration in Kent.
a) In response to a question, Penny Southern said that officers would be able to provide more information to Members in relation to prison visits. Mr Gibbens said that Members of the Committee could attend the prison visits, providing prison security permitted.
3. RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.