Agenda item

The Executive Director, Communities, Adults and Health reported that councils have a statutory requirement to operate an adult social care complaints procedure and to produce an annual report on that procedure. The Head of intelligence, Business and Systems, LBB joined the meeting via the Teams link.

Cllr Cornelius enquired how the complaints about staff employed by care providers and the council and their communication would be rectified, and which department in the council the complaints are about. The Executive Director, Communities, Adults and Health responded that the staff are within the adult social care part of the Communities, Adults and Health Directorate, and could be occupational therapists, social workers, or financial assessment officers. Where a complaint about a provider is sent to the council the provider is asked to investigate, and the council will take further action if the outcome isn’t satisfactory. It is expected that the care provider carries out any additional training required.

The complaint could be about a care provider going to someone’s home or in a care home. One of the themes of complaints for home care is people not arriving on time and not following the agreed care plan. These don’t include safeguarding concerns, which may be received as a complaint but are dealt with under a safeguarding process which is separate to the complaints process.

Cllr Cornelius enquired why more cases were upheld this year and what is being done to change this. The Executive Director, Communities, Adults and Health responded that there have been some changes to the team, to funding for care for people leaving hospital, and there have been concerns about difficulties in getting continuing healthcare funding. The national funding regime for social care has changed and there is no longer a free year of care as there was previously. She added that every complaint is investigated thoroughly and carefully and there is no single trend in the type of complaints received. The team is committed to learning from complaints. 

Cllr Wakeley asked whether there are reasons why complaints are withdrawn, and whether the investigation stops in if a complaint is withdrawn. The Head of Intelligence noted that sometimes complaints are quickly resolved and so are withdrawn. 

Cllr Sargeant asked whether there is general awareness that people have to fund their own social care. The Executive Director reported that information is provided at first contact with residents, verbally and with leaflets. She agreed that the general public think that social care is free like the NHS.

The Chair noted that some of the complaints are following discharge from hospital. He asked whether the post-discharge reviews should improve this, how would they work and whether this is a long-term plan. The Executive Director responded that she hoped it would help. Barnet has had the highest level of social care hospital discharges and the highest level of discharges into rehabilitation beds in London, consistently since 2019.  It is important to ensure patients go home with support and have a review of their needs so that they don’t lose functioning.

A Member noted that there is an overrepresentation of complaints from white people and enquired whether enough is being done to show how people can make compliments and complaints particularly in underrepresented groups. The Executive Director noted that the complaints procedure is promoted to residents but more can be done. Recently the team has begun real-time feedback surveys as people go through care and support planning, which provides another opportunity for complaints and compliments.

RESOLVED that the Committee noted and approved the Annual Complaints Report 2022-2023.