Agenda item

Helen Groombridge, Adult Social Care and Health Performance Manager, was in attendance for this item. 

1. Mark Albiston introduced and gave an overview of the Q2 performance report. It was said that the trend of increasing demand for Adult Social Care services had continued. It was noted that there was a significant workforce challenge that affected Kent which was also the case nationally, certain areas of Kent, particularly the East Kent coastal areas, experienced a very significant challenge. 

2. In response to comments and questions, it was said.

(a) It was confirmed that the statistics on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) were only of those completed under the framework, others completed under the Mental Health Act would not be included in these figures. Ms Groombridge said that figures on all DOLS were available but not released publicly. The Member asked if these could be shared with the committee to discuss.   

(b) A Member said that absolute reporting was preferred to relative performing. A comparison may not fully explain how well a service is performing for Kent residents. Mark Albiston said that comparisons were presented to provide context for the performance figures.  

(c) It was asked what plans were in place to meet the target for care needs assessments. How was demand going to be forecasted to ensure that going forward adequate resources were in place to meet the level of demand and meet the targets. Mark Albiston said that planning was constantly ongoing and the Recovery Plan would have more detail on this and would be brought to the committee with the Q3 performance report. Mr Smith said that there was a challenge to recruit staff qualified to complete these assessments and the vacancy levels across the county varied significantly. Mr Smith noted that there were several plans in place to help reduce demand going forward. Mr Watkins said that prevention would be key to creating savings in the budget going forward while maintaining frontline staff numbers, it was noted that the number of social workers was anticipated to increase but more work was needed as they were still behind where they wanted to be. Mark Albiston and Jim Beale gave examples of recent successful recruitment campaigns and the plans going forward to engage on social media and sell Kent as a place to live and work. 

(d) Asked by a Member if a net £46 million increase to the budget was at a scale to meet the demand and if the authority was adequately prepared for the level of demand going forward and would not be caught out. Mr Watkins said the increase to the budget should meet the net increase in the number of people entering care services. It was noted that the challenge was from the increase of instances of people with multiple and complex care needs who took greater resources to treat. The recommissioning of large contracts would help ensure that people's needs are met in the right way and in a way that is financially sustainable for the Council. 

3.    RESOLVED the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee noted the performance of adult social care services in Quarter 2 2023/2024.