Agenda and minutes

Councillor Reema Patel requested that the minutes be amended to include the following at Agenda Item 3 (Declarations of Members Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Non-Pecuniary Interests) :-

“Councillor Reema Patel declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to Agenda Items 7 and 8 by virtue of being a member of Unison”

Subject to the inclusion of the above amendment, the minutes were agreed as a correct record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of 23 April 2015 are agreed as a correct record.

There were none.

Councillor Barry Rawlings declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to Agenda Item 11 (Mental Health Social Work: Community Support Model) by virtue of being a member of Unison.

Councillor Reema Patel declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to Agenda Item 11 (Mental Health Social Work: Community Support Model) by virtue of being a member of Unison.

There were none.

The Committee noted the details of the submitted public questions and the public answers which were provided with the agenda papers for the meeting.  Responses to the supplementary public questions were given at the meeting.

There were no public comments. 

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Barry Rawlings introduced the Member’s Item in his name, which requested that the Committee be provided with a report containing the following:

“A forecast of the number of service users for Adults Services the council expects to have over the next 10 years.

Please could a breakdown be provided ie. those with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, expected increase in number of service users with mental health issues, and those that will need to transition to the service on turning 18 etc.”

Following discussion by Members, Councillor Rawlings requested that the forecast also included service users who are transitioning and are 18 years old. 

The Community and Well-being Assistant Director undertook to provide the Committee with a briefing note outlining national projections for growth over the next ten years.  The briefing would include data from The Care Act model, and project the number of future service users based on assumptions. 

In addition to this briefing, the Committee also requested that further information on this matter is also provided in the “Adults and Safeguarding Annual Performance Report including the Adult Social Care Local Account” item which will be considered by the Committee at their July meeting.

RESOLVED that the Committee give their instructions to Officers as set out above.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Reema Patel introduced the Member’s Item in her name which requested the following:

1.1         To ask the Adults & Safeguarding Committee to take up the Mental Health Challenge which sets out ten actions that will enable councils to promote mental health across all of their business.  Those ten actions are:

1.    Appoint an elected member as ‘mental health champion’ across the council

2.    Identify a lead officer for mental health to link in with colleagues across the council

3.    Follow the implementation framework for the mental health strategy where it is relevant to the council’s work and local needs

4.    Work to reduce inequalities in mental health in our community

5.    Work with the NHS to integrate health and social care support

6.    Promote wellbeing and initiate and support action on public mental health for example through our joint health and wellbeing strategy

7.    Tackle discrimination on the grounds of mental health in our community

8.    Encourage positive mental health in our schools, colleges and workplaces

9.    Proactively engage and listen to people of all ages and backgrounds about what they need for better mental health

10.Sign up to the Time to Change pledge.

Please could officers provide a briefing to the committee setting out what the council is currently doing towards each of these actions.

Responding to a question from a Member, Dawn Wakeling, the Adults and Health Commissioning Director advised Members of the following points:

·         That whilst overall responsibility for Mental Health came under the portfolio of the Adults and Health Commissioning Director, every day responsibility for mental health matters at the Council came under the portfolio of the Head of Joint Commissioning and Caldicott Guardian.

·         That at their meeting on 4 June 2015, the Barnet Health and Wellbeing Board had considered the agenda item titled “Progress Report on Mental Health Provision” which responded to a number of points raised within the Member’s Item.

·         That Barnet was part of a trail blazer with other West London Boroughs who were working together to encourage people with Mental Health conditions into employment where appropriate.

Following discussion, Councillor Patel MOVED that the Committee receive a further in depth report addressing the issues set out within the Member’s Item.  Votes were recorded as followed:

The motion was lost.

RESOLVED that the Committee give their instruction on the Member’s Item as set out above.

The Chairman introduced the report, which requested authority to authorise variations to the contract with The Barnet Group Ltd for Your Choice Barnet in order to change the pricing and service delivery model for transport escort services and unplanned non-attendance at high dependency Day Centres, and included a clause that all employees and agency staff are to have their Right to Work status confirmed.

A Member asked for confirmation that the recommendations contained within the report concerned finance and administration, and that there would be no impact on service users.  Matthew Kendall, the Adults and Communities Director confirmed that the proposals would not impact on service quality or safety.

The Chairman MOVED the following amendment to the Recommendation:

That the Adults and Safeguarding Committee agree to authorise variations to the contract with The Barnet Group Ltd for Your Choice Barnet in order to:

i)             Change the pricing and service delivery model for transport escort services and unplanned non-attendance at high dependency Day Centres.

ii)            Include a clause that all employees and agency staff to have their Right to Work status confirmed.

Votes were recorded as follows:

The Motion was carried and became the substantive motion.

The Chairman moved to the vote.  Votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was carried. 

RESOLVED that:

That the Adults and Safeguarding Committee agree to authorise variations to the contract with The Barnet Group Ltd for Your Choice Barnet in order to:

i)             Change the pricing and service delivery model for transport escort services and unplanned non-attendance at high dependency Day Centres.

ii)            Include a clause that all employees and agency staff have their Right to Work status confirmed.

The Chairman introduced the report, which requested the acceptance of a variation of the contract with Housing and Care 21 for Short-term Enablement Homecare Service to meet increasing demand for the service and to extend for a further year as provided for in the contract.

The Committee noted that the extension would be funded from a move from the domiciliary budget to the enablement care budget.

The Chairman moved to the vote on the recommendations as set in the report.  Votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED that:

1.    That the Adults and Safeguarding Committee approve a one year extension to the contract until the 5^th September 2016.

2.    That the Adults and Safeguarding Committee approve a variation of the contract to purchase an additional 300 hours per week from 15^th June 2015 until contract end.

The Chairman introduced the report, which a provided the Committee with a briefing on the progress being made towards meeting the second wave of statutory requirements of the Care Act 2014 due to come into force on 1 April 2016, and outlined the future policy decisions that will be required.

The Committee noted the progress made on the first wave of the legislation since it went on 1 April 2015.

The Chairman moved to the vote on the recommendations as set out in the report.  Votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED that:

1.    That the Committee agree to the proposed approach for the implementation of the second wave of Care Act reforms.

2.    That the Committee agree to the proposed timetable for sign-off of essential policy changes as contained within this paper.

The Chairman introduced the report, which set out the Council’s approach to responding to concerns with providers in the regulated care market.  The Chairman noted the Care Quality Commission’s inspection regime had changed last year. 

James Mass, Assistant Director for Adults Social Care informed the Committee that the Council’s priority was the safety and wellbeing of residents.  The Committee noted that the London Directors of Adult Social Services have commissioned a review of the London Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures to Safeguard Adults from Abuse, and that Barnet was working closely with the Local Authorities involved with this piece of work.

The Committee noted the approach was to ensure that the highest risk areas would have resources focused on them first.

Ms. Wakeling commented that The Care Act 2014 placed a legal responsibility on Local Authorities to have a good and sustainable care market.

The Committee requested that they be provided with a report on concerns with providers within the regulated care market every six months.

The Chairman moved to the vote on the recommendations as set out in the report.  Votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED thatthe Adults and Safeguarding Committee agree the approach to responding to concerns with providers in the regulated care market.

The Chairman introduced the report, which set out the progress made in delivering the commissioning intentions for working age adults with mental health needs, which had been agreed by the Committee in March 2015 as part of the Five Year Commissioning Plan.

Ms. Wakeling advised the Committee that the specification would change the way that social workers are deployed, and that social workers would form part of the enablement pathway.

Responding to a question from a Member about the success of an employment initiative provided by Twining Enterprise, Ms. Wakeling advised the Committee that the pilot scheme had shown a high success rate.

The Chairman moved to the vote on the recommendations as set out in the report. 

Votes were recorded as follows:

RESOLVED that:-

1.    The committee approve the Mental Health Service Specification and agree to receive a Full Business Case in September 2015.

2.    The committee note the main milestones of the implementation plan and the required steps to take this forward.

3.    The committee approve the renewal of the Section 75 Partnership Agreement between London Borough of Barnet and Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey Mental Health Trust to deliver integrated social care for two years, to enable a safe transition to the new service model.

The Chairman introduced the Committee’s Forward Work Programme, as set out in the report. 

The Chairman noted that the Committee had requested to receive a report on a six month basis on the approach to concerns within the regulated care market, and suggested that the report be considered at the Committee’s November meeting. 

Following a request from a Member, Matthew Kendall undertook to provide the Committee with a briefing on upcoming commissioning and tender arrangements for this year. 

RESOLVED that the Committee note the Forward Work Programme. 

There were none.