Agenda item

This report asks Members to consider the Adult Social Care Strategy, which sets out the objectives and focus for Medway Adult Social Care over the next 4 years.

Discussion:

Members considered a report regarding the Adult Social Care Strategy, which set out the objectives and focus for Medway Adult Social Care over the next four years.

Members discussed the following issues:

·       Shift from reactive to empowerment – the point was made that often by the time people approached the Council for help with adult social care, they would have done all they could to prevent care being need. The Strategy did not address that and assumed most people were in a position to offer help. Therefore, being told at the point they asked for help that the Council would empower them to do more would be a difficult message to convey. The Assistant Director – Adult Social Care responded that the data showed that when people asked for help they were often not sure where to go and often did not meet the criteria for adult social care. The reference to empowerment was more about acknowledging that and signposting people to the most appropriate place for help. Feedback from partners was they often referred people to adult social care as they did not know where to suggest.

·       “Just enough” support  and delayed need– noting the aim that ‘just enough’ support would be provided to assist people to build on their current strengths and develop their abilities to look after themselves without becoming overly dependent on social care support, it was suggested that it should be clarified that “just enough” did not mean the right level of care would not be provided. The point was also made that these phrases seemed negative. The Assistant Director – Adult Social Care acknowledged there had been some concerns about the “just enough” phrase during the consultation, but this  meant to convey what statutorily the Council had to do and what support others could provide. However, she would revisit the “just enough” phrase. The reference to delayed need, a phrase commonly used in the Care Act, was about what prevention could be put in place and not meant to suggest care itself would be delayed.

·       Paying for care – the lack of any reference in the Strategy to the need to pay for adult social care was highlighted. The Assistant Director – Adult Social Care acknowledged there should be a link to the charging policy.

·       Women carers – noting women took on the majority of caring responsibilities, it was noted there was no reference to their right to have their needs as carers assessed.

·       Transition to adulthood – what changes young disabled people would see when they became adults was questioned. The Assistant Director – Adult Social Care advised a programme had been set up to make transition from childhood to adulthood much smoother and that people were being captured at an earlier age than before. This would look at the needs of an individual and assess what the next steps were if they were eligible for care. If they were not eligible then the Council would look at what other support was available.

·       Workforce – the need to include what training and support staff would need to make the Strategy work was queried and also how the effectiveness of the strategy would be measured. In response, Members were advised that targets sat underneath the Strategy and these would be measured to ensure the Strategy was delivering its outcomes. Members were assured that officers would be very focused on the details needed to achieve results, but this detail had been omitted from the Strategy so as not to lose its over-arching message.

·       Technology – noting the reference that technology will play an increasingly important role in enabling people to live independently and to self-manage their care needs, it was pointed out that a lot of older people did not have access to broadband at home.

·       Listening to families – an assurance was sought and given that families would be listened to where they were providing care to individuals.

·       Safeguarding – the point was made that if people were to stay in their own homes for longer then safeguarding would generally become more of an issue. Members were assured the service would work closely with the new Chair of the Adult Safeguarding Board and would look to quality assure its own providers to see if any needed support or if a service should be re-provided. If significant safeguarding concerns arose staff would be clear on what they needed to do.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to note the report and forward its comments to Cabinet