Agenda item

To provide an update on the current status and developments in the regulated care sector for Blackpool including residential and nursing provision and care at home services. 

Ms Smith presented the Adult Social Care overview report which covered topical areas of work and plans.

She explained that the shortage of dementia beds for elderly people was a particular issue as numbers of people with dementia were rising fast. A recent ‘expressions of interest’ invite had been issued to potential care partners as a way of fact-finding and jointly developing solutions.  She confirmed that there had been good interest with fourteen responses including some unlikely organisations who might have new ideas / resource. The Commissioning Service was reviewing the responses and this would allow the local care provider market to be developed based on future needs, costs and supply options. She added that one of the main current providers was also looking at developing a new care provision within the next two years.

Ms Smith referred to care support being provided in people’s own homes (‘care at home’). This was a growing demand issue both locally and nationally with the increasingly population particularly elderly people. There were resource pressures involving the people capacity to deliver care and costs of care. Care at home support was being developed jointly with other partners

She added that the Quality Monitoring Team, part of the Commissioning Service, was proactive in working with, and providing support to, care providers and people being cared for. This also involved quality monitoring and requiring improvements.

Ms Smith concluded that the Care Quality Commission, who were the national regulator of all care providers and services, had given good ratings overall for nursing/care homes and for ‘care at home’ providers commissioned by the Council.

The Chairman queried what plans were being pursued to implement improvement recommended by the Commission. Ms Smith explained that action plans would need to be produced by those providers for the Commission and the Quality Monitoring Team would also be involved in scrutinising the plans and progress.

She added that sometimes wider improvement was requested beyond what the Commission sought. The Quality Monitoring Team could meet providers to ensure that they understood requirements and had capacity to deliver a viable plan. Community nursing staff might also be involved in providing support. Enhanced monitoring processes would be put in place where necessary and actions could be imposed such as suspending a provider from taking any new clients until improvements had been made and there was good assurance. Sustainable improvement was important.

Members queried the risk of bullying of vulnerable people by staff or other residents and queried what safeguards were in place to prevent this from happening, particularly as vulnerable people were often reluctant to raise issues. Ms Smith acknowledged that this could be challenged but added that all staff and other people had a duty to safeguard vulnerable people. All care providers had polices which they needed to promote and the Care Quality Commission did inspect safeguarding. People were more likely to come forward with concerns if safeguards were in place. She added that Healthwatch, who acted as the service user’s voice, had ‘enter and view’ powers to inspect care/nursing homes. GPs might also identify issues.