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  • Issue
  • Issue details

    16/00098 - 'Your Life, Your Well-being' - a vision and strategy for Adult Social Care, 2016 - 2021

    Proposed decision: To approve ‘Your Life, Your Well-being’ as the Vision and Strategy for Adult Social Care 2016-2021, with the supporting Accommodation Strategy for Adult Social Care and the Community Support Market Position Statement.

     

    How the decision relates to Corporate Objectives: 

    Two out of the three KCC Strategic Outcomes are key driving outcomes for the strategy. These are:

    1. Older and vulnerable residents are safe and supported with choices to live  independently’, together with the following supporting outcomes:

    ·         Those with long-term conditions are supported to manage their conditions through access to good quality care and support

    ·         People with mental health issues and dementia are assessed and treated earlier and are supported to live well

    ·         More people receive quality care at home avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and care homes

    ·         The health and social care system works together to deliver high quality community services

    ·         Residents have greater choice and control over the health and social care services they receive

    1. Also, the strategic outcome – ‘Kent communities feel the benefits of economic growth by being in-work, healthy and enjoying a good quality of life’, together with the following supporting outcome:

    ·      Physical and mental health is improved by supporting people to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.

     

    Demand for care and support is increasing, which is making finances come under pressure.  At the same time, public expectations are changing; people want a life, not a service. Adult social care needs to continue to respond to these challenges, and the new strategy sets out how we will do this.

     

    The five-year strategy explains plans for the future and it provides the basis for health and social care integration, which is in progress, and aims to deliver more person-centred care and support for people.

     

    The strategy breaks the approach to adult social care into three key themes. These are:

    ·         Promoting wellbeing – supporting and encouraging people to look after their health and wellbeing to avoid or delay them needing adult social care;

    ·         Promoting independence – providing short-term supportso that people are then able to carry on with their lives as independently as possible, and;

    ·         Supporting independence – for people who need ongoing social care support, helping them to live the life they want to live, in their own homes where possible, and do as much for themselves as they can.

     

    Four ‘building blocks’ support the above themes. They are, ensuring effective protectionfor people (safeguarding), developing a flexible workforce, smarter commissioning and improving the way we work with key partners.

     

    The strategy will be delivered through the next phase of the transformation programme journey that we are already on. The details of how we will deliver it will be set out in an implementation plan which is being developed. In summary, this will include activity over the next 18 months around the following:

    ·         Assessment - this involves investigating the current delivery model and assessing against the proposed alternatives, supported by best practice. It means confirming the expected financial benefits and the changes needed to achieve the benefits. It also involves developing options to inform the next stage;

    ·         Design – this means testing changes in specific areas and refining the expected financial benefits and, before putting into practice across the county;

    ·         Implementation - this means putting changes into practice across Kent and monitoring the benefits and making sure that performance is consistent.

     

    Financial Implications:

    The financial implications associated with the implementation of the strategy are broadly contained in the Medium Term and Financial Plan 2016-19 and the specific allocation for the adult social care portion out of the Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Directorate budget.

     

    Legal Implications:

    None, other than the main responsibilities for Adult Social Care which are defined in the Care Act.

     

    Equality Implications:

    An equality impact assessment has been completed, which has been updated using the findings of the consultation.  It should be noted that, due to the relatively low number of responses, it has not been feasible to break down the information by respondent type in detail.  The Equality Impact Assessment has been kept under review throughout the development of the Strategy and will be fully considered when the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health makes the decision to approve the Strategy.

     

    The matter is referred to in the Business Plan/Medium Term Capital Programme.

    Decision type: Key

    Reason Key: Affects more than two Electoral Divisions;

    Decision status: Recommendations Approved

    Division affected: (All Division);

    Notice of proposed decision first published: 03/10/2016

    Decision due: Not before 14th Dec 2016 by Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee
    Reason: in order that the proposed decision can be published for a mimimum of 28 days, in accordance with statutory requirements

    Lead member: Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health

    Department: Social Care, Health & Wellbeing

    Contact: Michael Thomas-Sam, Strategic Business Adviser, Social Care 03000 417238 Email: michael.thomas-sam@kent.gov.uk Tel: 03000 417238.

    Consultees

    The proposed decision was discussed at the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee Meeting on 11 October 2016 and again on 6 December 2016, prior to the Cabinet Member taking the decision.  The minute of this discussion vis set out below:

     

    Mr M Thomas-Sam, Head of Strategy and Business Support, and Ms S Annan-Veitch, Policy Advisor, were in attendance for this item.

     

    1.            Mr Thomas-Sam introduced the report and presented a series of slides (included in the agenda pack) which set out the context of the strategy, the range of responses received during the consultation exercise and the resulting changes made to the draft strategy since last reporting to the Cabinet Committee in October 2016.  Mr Ireland added that the strategy had been generally well received in focus group sessions with staff and partners as part of the consultation. The strategy was both forward-looking and aspirational in seeking to determine the future of social care in Kent.  Mr Ireland and Mr Thomas-Sam responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

     

    a)    the strategy had been awarded a  crystal mark by the Plain English Campaign  at its first attempt, for which Mr Thomas-Sam received Members’ congratulations;

     

    b)    the easy-read version of the document was also much welcomed, and Members asked that this be made available to all Members ahead of the strategy being considered by the County Council on 8 December;

     

    c)    concern was expressed that, as the strategy was aspirational, and as the economic situation worsened and staff and resources became more scarce, the County Council may not be able to put into practice what it had set out in it.  Mr Ireland responded that, although aspirational, the strategy was not naïve, and although external events would have an effect, the strategy was robust;

     

    d)    it was important that such a document take account of the support needs of people with learning disabilities, especially young people making the transition from children’s to adults’ services.  Ms Southern advised that much work had been done on the needs of the 16 – 25 age group and was now continuing to identify the best model for the 26+ age group.  This would be reported to the Cabinet Committee when completed; 

     

    e)    concern had been expressed during the consultation that some people may be forced into living independently when this did not suit them or was not what they wanted.  Mr Thomas-Sam reassured Members that the revised strategy relied on ‘needs–led’ assessments which would be carefully undertaken to ensure that the support being put in place was appropriate;

     

    f)     in response to a question about how well the strategy had been received by the voluntary sector, Mr Thomas-Sam advised that the County Council had increase the emphasis placed on the role of the voluntary sector and had linked the strategy to those of other organisations which provided related services; and

     

    g)    concern was expressed about the impact of carers needing to continue in paid work later in life and hence not being so able to fulfil the carer role that they might traditionally have taken on, and how this shortfall could be covered.  Mr Thomas-Sam advised that part of the role of the carers’ assessment process would be to take account of changing patterns such as this. Furthermore, information about carers’ issues had been revised in the equality impact assessment in response.   

     

    1. The Cabinet Member, Mr Gibbens, thanked Mr Thomas-Sam and the officer team for the huge amount of work which had gone into preparing and developing the strategy. He praised the clarity of the document and supported the sharing of the easy-read version with all Members prior to its consideration by the County Council.

     

    3.            RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, to:

     

    a)     approve Your Life, Your Well-being as the vision and strategy for adult social care from 2016 to 2021, with the supporting Accommodation Strategy for Adult Social Care and the Community Support Market Position Statement;

     

    b)    delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other nominated officer, to refresh and/or make revisions as appropriate to the above documents during their lifetime; and

     

    c)    delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other nominated officer, to undertake the necessary actions to implement the decision,

     

    be endorsed.

     

    The strategy was also presented to County Council on 8 December 2016, where Members endorsed the document.

     

    Other consultation planned or undertaken:

    KCC has consulted widely on the new strategy which commenced on 30 September 2016 and it closed on 4 November 2016. 

    Financial implications: Michael Thomas-Sam Head of Strategy and Business Support 03000 417238 Michael.thomas-sam@kent.gov.uk

    Legal implications: 16/00098

    Decisions

    Agenda items