Agenda item

Background:

Overnight short breaks for individuals aged five to eighteen with complex health and social care needs in Medway and Swale are currently provided by Medway NHS Foundation Trust at Preston Skreens (Minster, Sheppey) and Aut Even (Rainham). This report outlined the consultation undertaken, between 6 March 2013 and 12 June 2013, following notification by the Trust of their intention to stop providing overnight short breaks at Preston Skreens.

The report summarised the options that had framed the consultation, with further detail given within Appendix 1. Members were advised that the options had been informed by the views of stakeholders, best practice and previous reviews of short breaks provision in Medway. It was also noted that surveys, consultation events, one-to-one interviews, and taster sessions had been adopted to ensure that all families who already, or may need to, access overnight short breaks in Medway had the opportunity to respond.

Members were advised that there were 91 responses to the proposed options survey:

·                    88 (97%) of responses were received from Medway residents;

·                    29 (32%) of responses were from overnight short breaks users;

·                    62 (68%) of responses were from non-users of overnight short breaks.

Overall, the preferred option from the main survey was Option 1A (Extend the range of day, evening and overnight short breaks for disabled children and young people and their parent carers living in Medway and Swale). It was, however, noted that users of overnight short break units were more likely to choose Option 1B (To bring together local authority and NHS funding to extend provision at Aut Even to seven days a week and purchase additional overnight short breaks from alternative residential overnight short break providers).

To ensure that all recipients of overnight short breaks had an opportunity to respond, a further booster survey was sent out to families at Preston Skreens and Aut Even. From this an additional 19 responses were received. 13 out of the 19 respondents to the booster survey said that their preferred option was Option 1B. This included 3 of the 6 respondents from Preston Skreens.

The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered this report on 16 July 2013 and details of the discussion were set out in the report. It was noted that the Committee had recommended that the Cabinet agree that Option 1A and 1B be implemented and that the Medway NHS Foundation Trust be requested to continue provision at Preston Skreens until adequate alternative provision is available for affected families. An update since the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was set out in the report.

The Portfolio Holder, during the discussion on this item, further updated Members by advising that agreement had recently been obtained to enable access from 16 years of age, to the services provided at the Napier Unit and through Medway’s Shared Lives scheme.

A Diversity Impact Assessment was attached to the report. It was noted that a full impact assessment was not considered necessary.

Reasons:

To demonstrate to families that the Council have listened to their responses to the short breaks consultation; to minimise destabilisation of the short breaks service during a period of uncertainty and to ensure that the Council has capacity to meet current and future short break needs.