Agenda item

(1)        Mr McKenzie and Ms Duff introduced the presentation slides which set out information relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, the significant pressures and challenges for ASC both nationally and locally, the three pillars within ASC outlining the overarching areas of focus for development and the basis for ASC’s diagnostic approach and the projects that had been planned.

(2)        Mrs Bell (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health) emphasised the significance of the project and said that it affected the whole directorate in every aspect of work that the service undertook. She added that Mr Smith had wealth of experience of working within ASC in other authorities and had been able to draw upon what he had experienced and bring it to Kent to provide a more modern, innovative, data-focused service, not only for the staff but for Kent’s residents and clients. She stated that the diagnostic would be submitted to future meetings of the Committee as it progressed through the different stages of implementation.

Officers then responded to a number of comments and questions from Members, including the following: -

a)    Mr McKenzie referred to the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had had on ASC services and said that whilst the number of Covid-19 cases had reduced over the summer nationally, a second spike was likely. He said that ASC were actively preparing for a second spike of Covid-19 by working closely with the health service, the voluntary and community sector, district councils and communities.

b)    Ms Duff reiterated the comments that Mr McKenzie had made in relation to the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had had on ASC services and said that the Council had worked very closely with the district and borough councils and communities to set up community networks to support people locally. She said that the whole communication experience had changed significantly for users and that many of the barriers that had been present before had been removed. She added that the community focus had significantly strengthened support to the public and information sharing.

c)    In terms of staffing, Ms Duff said that there were a number of staff within ASC that continued to work remotely but had also taken the opportunity to explore all ways of communicating with partner organisations and clients. ASC’s front door service and area referral management teams had moved back into the office because it was important for them to be able to draw upon the support for themselves and access professional support. Ms Duff added that ASC were looking at increasing face-to-face assessments with the public to ensure that their voices were still heard and that statutory responsibilities in relation to the Care Act were met.

d)    Mr McKenzie reiterated Ms Duff’s comments and said that ASC’s approach had been adjusted to ensure best practice, best use of staff and resources and to continue to support staff in every way possible. In terms of trusted assessors, as part of the work that had been undertaken  with health colleagues in relation to the new discharge to assess model, ASC were exploring opportunities to put arrangements in place that ensure that the assessments of professionals could be trusted.

e)    Ms Duff referred to Kent’s ‘Making a Difference Everyday’ person-centred programme which focused on innovation and modernisation and said that often the idea of savings and the budget overtook what was trying to be achieved in terms of modernisation, she said that whilst ASC were working towards making savings and running efficient services, it was also important to continue to meet the needs of the public and staff.

f)     Mr McKenzie emphasised that the project focused on sustainable, long-term change for ASC and said that it would be difficult to predict a specific timeframe in relation to each aspect of the project. Ms Duff referred to the continuous improvement cycle and constant challenge within ASC and the need to refer to national and international data to help support the sector, especially during these unprecedented times.

g)    Mrs Bell emphasised that the project would not be a ‘quick-fix’ and was a long-term project which changed the way in which Kent County Council delivered social care services in Kent.

h)    Mrs Bell talked about PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PWC) involvement in the project and confirmed that further information would be provided to Committee Members outside of the meeting in relation to the arrangement that was in place with PWC.

(3)        RESOLVED that the information contained within the presentation slides be noted.