Minutes:
Mr Ellis (Head of Service (Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Adult and Children’s Services)) was in attendance for this item
(1) Officers presented a series of slides which set out information relating to the Adult Social Care and Health Being Digital Strategy, which described the changes to be put into place over the next few years to complement more traditional forms of care and support.
Officers then responded to comments and questions from Members, including the following: -
a) Ms Tidmarsh referred to the use of technology connecting people who were socially isolated and confirmed that handheld devices were readily available for these individuals. She added that many services within Adult Social Care and Health were already familiar with using the handheld devices and the devices were proving to be very effective.
b) Ms Tidmarsh confirmed that a demonstration session could be arranged for Members to use the handheld devices and familiarise themselves with the Carers App.
c) Mrs Southern confirmed that the provider of the MOSAIC system was ‘Serverlec’.
d) Mrs Southern reassured Members that all of Kent County Council’s systems were covered by the General Data Protection Regulation, and that the systems within Adult Social Care were covered through shared agreements with the NHS and other providers. She added that whilst there would always be a risk in handling and storing data, the infrastructure to mitigate risks was in place across Kent County Council.
e) Ms Tidmarsh said that provider forums and workshop sessions had been set up to share knowledge and best practice in relation to digital strategy and innovation work.
f) Ms Tidmarsh said that although digital services were being introduced for people who were experiencing social isolation and loneliness, these services would not replace face-to-face contact. Mrs Southern added that digital services would enhance and develop the services that were already in place within Adult Social Care and ensure that more time could be spent with individuals who preferred to have face-to-face contact.
g) Ms Tidmarsh confirmed that monitoring sensors were in place, should the assistive technology fail, to ensure that individuals were safe and remained in contact with staff.
h) Mrs Southern emphasised the positive approach that the elderly population had taken in embracing technology.
i) Ms Tidmarsh stated that often, technology was used to make a referral by a relative, on behalf of an older person. She referred to some of the recent public engagement sessions that had taken place and said that elderly people with long-term conditions would like to receive more support from a mixed support group in relation to the use of technology.
j) Ms Tidmarsh addressed concerns from Members of the Committee in relation to the affordability of technology for older people and said that technology would not be enforced on individuals, face-to-face contact would always be offered.
k) Ms Tidmarsh noted comments from Members of the Committee in relation to improving the accessibility features within Kent County Council’s website and ensuring that the different Apps that Kent County Council used were listed clearly.
l) Ms Tidmarsh said that an access strategy had been put in place for individuals with specific needs to allow them to access systems with ease. She added that work had been undertaken with colleagues in Adult Social Care’s Sensory team to further assess the needs of individuals with sensory impairments to ensure that they were fully supported.
m) Mr Ellis confirmed that in-house documents provided a range of different tools which allowed individuals to easily navigate around the document, such as changing the colour of the document’s border, inserting photos, changing frontline font sizes and colours, verbal dictation and embedding videos within the document’s content.
n) Ms Tidmarsh said that she would provide further information to Members of the Committee outside of the meeting as to whether the Carers App was accessible from a personal android device.
o) Mrs Bell (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health) expressed her strong support for exploring the potential of technology across Adult Social Care to improve the lives of the elderly and disabled, as well as assisting carers and social care staff. She referred to an Age UK report and a Local Government Association report, both of which were referenced within the February 2019 Loneliness and Social Isolation Select Committee papers, highlighting the benefits of digital technology. She assured the Committee that technology would never replace “face to face” contact, but the more support that could be provided to individuals which allowed them to be more independent, the more resource would be available for supporting individuals who needed it the most. She emphasised the importance of ensuring that Wi-Fi was readily available in facilities such as short break units to ensure that people could stay connected to their friends and families and did not feel isolated. Mrs Bell also thanked staff within KCC’s Adult Social Care and Health team for their hard work in implementing the Mosaic case management system which had been successfully launched in October 2019.
(2) RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.