Agenda item

1.    The item was introduced by Miss Morton, who highlighted that Quarter 4 performance was positive and stable, with no red- rated KPIs despite continued high demand. She emphasised improvements in independence, quality of care, and safeguarding demand, alongside reduced assessment backlogs. Miss Morton praised the service for their performance and progress made.

2.    The report was introduced by Helen Groombridge, Adult Social Care and Health Performance Manager, who provided an overview of the Quarter 4 report, the overall 2025/26 financial position, including benchmarking against national measures, and the new suite of indicators for 2026/2027. She highlighted increased demand and activity compared to the previous year, along with strong performance in long-term support and residential care against national benchmarks. She also outlined pressures in areas such as safeguarding, and advised that statutory returns were being submitted, with further updates to follow later in the year.

3.    In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    Ms Groombridge explained that indicator ASH13 reflected the average cost of new support packages for a specific period but was subject to updates due to backdated and late data entry. She advised that the measure represented only a small part of overall budgets and forecasting and may be removed in future to allow greater focus on more relevant financial indicators.

b)    Ms Gillivan added in relation to ASH13, that the commissioned cost of a support package was set at the outset and typically only changed through annual fee uplifts, or if an individual’s needs changed. She outlined that any reassessment of need may alter the cost, as pricing was based on individual circumstances. Ms Hammond also outlined work to address additional costs being added to placements beyond the base price, emphasising the need for clearer expectations and improved alignment with individual needs. She stated that future frameworks would include a banded approach to better reflect differing levels of need.

c)    Ms Groombridge explained, in relation to indicator ASH2, that the move to using the median target aligned with the CQC and national measures, enabling better benchmarking against other authorities. She reassured the Committee that other measures, including averages and performance against 28 days, would continue to be monitored locally, alongside regular tracking of assessment times.

d)    Ms Hammond advised that the direct payments figure reflected all service users, many of whom were older and may have found managing payments and employer responsibilities less suitable. She highlighted that while there was ambition to increase uptake due to the benefits of greater choice and control, the target reflected practical challenges and may not be achievable for all individuals. She also informed the Committee that officers could provide additional briefings on the performance dashboards and data available outside the Committee, for those that were interested.

e)    Sydney Hill, Director of Operations (Long- Term Support), outlined work undertaken to improve uptake of direct payments, including simplifying processes, developing the personal assistant market, and supporting micro-providers. She emphasised that despite these efforts, uptake had remained largely static and that further work may be needed to address perceptions and promote the benefits of direct payments.

4.    RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee note the performance of Adult Social Care services in Quarter 4 2025/26 and note the new suite of indicators for 2026/27.