Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest received at this point in the meeting.

The minutes of the Adult Social Care and Services Scrutiny meeting held on 12 September 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record.

No Items.

The panel will have a further discussion regarding the work programme for the municipal year.

The Chair advised that at the last meeting of the Panel, the work programme had been discussed and agreed.

Due to prior meetings, the Director of Place was not present during the discussion and as a matter of courtesy had been consulted upon to ensure the topics suggested would add value to service delivery.

After further discussion with the Panel, it was agreed that Hospital discharge would not be examined. This was because comprehensive plans were already in place and they would be little value in examining further.

The additional items on the work programme would remain and investigated through the municipal year.

AGRRED- That the work programme be amended to exclude Hospital Discharge.

Louise Grabham, Head of Strategic Commissioning & Procurement will be in attendance to provide a setting the scene with regards to the panels review of Care homes.

The Panel is also asked to Scrutiny review workplan which contains draft terms of reference for the review.

The Chair welcomed Louise Grabham, Head of Strategic Commissioning to the meeting, who was accompanied by George Wells, Commissioning Officer.

At the last meeting of the Panel, they had agreed to consider Care homes and consider their accessibility.

As way of background, the Head of Strategic Commissioning advised that the Strategic Commissioning and Procurement Team were responsible for commissioning a range of Adult Social Care Services, including Home Care, Residential Care, Independent Supported Living Services, Temporary Accommodation, Domestic Abuse Refuge Services and Complex Care and Support Services. This ensures value for money through thorough fee negotiations and partnership working with neighbouring local authorities, benefitting from economies of scale and intelligence sharing.

The panel learnt that Middlesbrough Council commission 28 older persons residential homes in Middlesbrough, 10 of which also able to deliver nursing care. The Council also commission several other, more specialist, residential placements, including for those with a learning disability, mental health condition, or those who require a forensic service.

Middlesbrough have one ‘in house’ residential service – Levick Court, which is registered for up to 16 service users, with 8 current residents.

Our Contract Monitoring Officers inspect our services to ensure they are delivering safe, effective care in line with their statutory responsibilities and our contracts. They work in conjunction with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and safeguarding team to quality assure.  The Council has no jurisdiction to close a care home if it feels it does not meet criteria set out by the CQC, however shares intelligence if the Council has any concerns.

In terms of accessibility of care homes, the Panel were advised that:

In each phase of the creation of a new care home, or the conversion or development of an existing building, inclusive design principles must be considered from the outset. Every effort should be made to ensure that a care home is accessible to all residents and visitors, and their accessibility requirements will vary:

•        Accessibility, in practice, means different things to different groups of people. Those who are physically disabled or frail will have different accessibility requirements to those with sensory, neurological or cognitive conditions.

•        Guidance can be contradictory, for example, on mirrors in elevators. The placement of a mirror helps a wheelchair user to back in or out of the lift safely without having to turn, helping to prevent accidents. However, NHS guidance advises removing or covering mirrors, as for some living with dementia, seeing a reflection they fail to recognise can cause anxiety, anger, or terror.

In designing a new care home, there are a number of factors to take into consideration:

·        Legislative context

·        Reasonable adjustments

·        Building regulations

·        British standards

·        Inclusive design

·        Individual need

·        CQC Fundamental Standards Compliance

·        CQC Key Questions

The Panel were provided with the below information:

Legislative Context

Adequate access to buildings and services is a requirement of the following legislation:

•        Equality Act 2010

•        Building Regulations

The Equality Act 2010 consolidated all previous discrimination law relating to buildings access, including the Disability Discrimination Act  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22/19

Item deferred.

Work Programme

Following a discussion with the Panel, it was agreed that at the next meeting, they would receive a setting the scene presentation on the Prevention and the services provided within Adult social care.

The next meeting of the Adult Social Care and Services Scrutiny Panel will meet on Tuesday 21 November 2023.

The next meeting of the Adult Social Care and Services Scrutiny Panel would take place on 21 November 2023.