Agenda item

To provide an overview of the whole directorate including financial performance and impact of the pandemic.

Ms Karen Smith, Director of Adult Services presented the report to Committee and highlighted that services continued to operate in response to the pandemic and work was ongoing to ensure they were in a position to transition to recovery when appropriate. She advised that social workers had been working from home and within the office as necessary and that all urgent assessments that could not be undertaken by phone or online were being carried out face to face.

It was reported that Deprivation of Liberty Standards (DOLS) assessments had continued to be carried out albeit at a reduced level and that there had been a reduction in the number of placements into residential care, with an increase in demand for care provided at home. It was considered that an increase in demand for care at home could be due to the speed at which older people were being discharged from hospital once there was no longer a clinical need for them to remain. It was noted that an extra 2,000 hours of care at home had been provided during the previous year.

Ms Smith also provided an overview of the work carried out to support shielders, the CoronaKindness hubs and learning disability and other support services.

In regards to the financial position of the service, it was reported that the core budget of the service was as stable as it had always been with an additional £16.5 million of funding provided by Government in Covid support grants and other funding to address specific issues such as infection control.

Members referred to the increase in the number of safeguarding reports and queried whether there were any identifiable themes. In response, Ms Smith advised that there had been issues around consent for vaccinations and that there was a lack of clarity around the process for declining and the Mental Capacity Act. She added that some reports reflected the pressures around staffing and the provision of the right help and support at the right time. It was noted that the majority of reports were not upheld, however, sometimes indicated matters that could be improved.

The Committee queried the uptake of vaccinations amongst care home staff and Ms Smith advised that there had been high levels of uptake with one to one conversations taking place with individuals who had chosen note to have the vaccination in order to discuss their reasons for declining. It was noted that national discussions were ongoing to determine whether or not the vaccination should be mandatory for care staff. Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health added that all religious groups had expressed support for the vaccine and there were no evidenced concerns regarding impact upon fertility, which were two of the key reasons for vaccine hesitancy. He advised that advice and multiple opportunities were being provided to all staff.

Concern was raised that unvaccinated staff would be a threat to residents’ health and that families were worried regarding their safety. In response, Ms Smith advised that should workers change their mind at any point they could access the vaccine. She added that it was expected that families might start to ask and level of vaccination could in time affect their choice of placement. It was noted that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was also utilised at care homes providing an extra layer of safety.

The Committee thanked Adult Services for their work over the previous 12 months and the comprehensive report provided and requested that an update on service recovery arrangements be provided in approximately six months.