Agenda item

1.    Mrs Cole, Deputy Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) introduced this item.  The three main areas raised through the consultation on the Making a Difference Every Day Strategy were:

a.    Support to remain independent.

b.    Spend money and funding appropriately.

c.     One consistent contact.

2.    Ms Sydney Hill gave a presentation to Members of the Committee which is available here:  Agenda for Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday, 28th February, 2024, 10.00 am (kent.gov.uk)

3.    In response to a question about engaging with communities which did not have full access to digital communication Mr Smith explained that the digital offer would never replace the need for face-to-face contact and access to telephone contact, it was vitally important to get the basics right. 

4.    In relation to a question about the growing number of people being referred with mental health issues Ms Hill explained there had been a significant impact, both post covid and secondary impacts on people’s mental health, it was one of the areas of continued growth in support services.       

5.    Mr Smith commented that the report back to Scrutiny was timely, the creation of community teams was a recognition of the feedback received, putting social workers back into the communities.  The next phase was to build on these teams. 

6.    KCC was working with NHS partners to ensure a better experience for individuals and investing in the enablement offer to ensure, where possible, people could return home.  In response to a comment about difficulties in contacting Adult Social Care by telephone Mr Smith recognised that response times were not where they wanted to be.  There was a national workforce problem which was reflected in Kent, however he recognised the commitment and time invested by the current staff in Adult Social Care.  Mr Watkins commented that he would review KCC’s website to ensure communication options for contacting ASCH were more prominent. 

7.    In response to a comment about how the Strategy was radical Mrs Cole explained that the Strategy supported people to connect to their communities and ensured the KCC was aware of the best and most appropriate support for people to enable them to remain living at home.  Mr Smith highlighted the legal aspects of ASCH and the responsibilities of the service which went alongside the person-centred care which had never truly been delivered and this Strategy involved people in decision making and had been co-designed and co-produced by those people who drew on the support of ASCH. 

8.    In relation to ASCH workforce Ms Hill explained that this was broad and included a range of staff, there was plans to address workforce gaps in the short, medium and long term whilst bearing in mind the aging workforce.  Recruitment campaigns aimed to attract people into Kent, this included a market premium for North Kent where there was competition from London.  There was an annual apprenticeship programme and ASCH was working closely with CYPE colleagues around recruitment campaigns for newly qualified social workers and with universities in relation to student placements. 

9.    Plans were in place for a mid-point review of the Strategy and the approach for co-production would form part of the discussions around this review.

10. Ms Hill explained that there were clear interventions which required a qualified social worker or physiotherapist practitioner to attend to, there were also a range of activities which did not need a qualified practitioner, so it was important to ensure interventions were evaluated to determine where a qualified practitioner was required and where supervision was required. 

11. A Member commented that the Strategy was transformational, the cost of ASCH was an existential threat to the financial stability of the council and the Strategy was as much necessity as what KCC would like to be doing.  The Strategy was saving money as well as providing better care to those being looked after with increasingly complex needs in an extremely difficult market.  Mr Watkins agreed that this was the key Strategy in the Council’s most challenged directorate, quantitative evidence and data was important and this would be looked at as part of the mid-point review.  Mrs Cole commented that the Key Performance Indicators were also useful and these would continue to be closely monitored.     

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Committee note the Making a Different Every Day Strategy.