Agenda item

Adrian Crook, Director of Adult Social Services and Community Commissioning to present the proposed saving options for Adult Social Care: Outcomes of the Public Consultation report to the committee. Report and appendices attached.

Adrian Crook presented a report setting out the outcomes of the public consultation in relation to the proposed saving options for Adult Social Care.

 

It was explained that as a result of the reductions in public spending and the impact of the recent pandemic, Bury Council must reduce its spending significantly over the coming years. The council’s overall aim is to keep providing the current level of service but find less expensive and better ways of doing this. 

 

Over the next three years Adult Social Care (ASC) propose to make savings of just over £12 million out of the current ASC budget of £52 million. This will be achieved in a number of ways: looking at what and how ASC buy care and support for those who need it, transforming services and working towards a multi-generational disability service.

 

As a large part of the Adults Social Care budget (£12,393,409 per annum) is spent on Persona Care and Support Limited (Persona), this contract has had to be reviewed and reduced to help achieve the savings. The current savings target for Persona is £2.5m over two financial years 2021/22 and 2022/23, which equates to just over 20% of the Persona budget. Adults Social Care are working with Persona to address the consequences of the financial challenge

 

Given some of the proposals may have a direct impact on current and future Persona customers, a public consultation was undertaken. This report outlines the details, findings, and recommendations from the public consultation.

 

The public consultation focussed on five elements. 

 

• Reduce the number of unused places in the day care services, close Pinfold Lane Centre and relocate the dementia day service to a designated area at Grundy.

 

• Reduce the number of unused places in the short stay residential care service, close Spurr House leaving Elmhurst open for short stay residential care.

 

• Develop a multigenerational disability service therefore providing one assessment and care management service for all customers whatever their age, concentrating on the needs and strengths of the individual, not their disability and offering seamless transition to adulthood. 

 

• Questions about participants use of Adult Social Care transport to inform future policy development.

 

• An opportunity for people to suggest any alternative saving suggestions they may have. 

 

A six-week public consultation was undertaken starting Monday the 24th May 2021 concluding on Friday 2nd July 2021. Several methods were used to try to maximise the opportunity to capture views of people who use Persona services, their families and carers, our partners, along with the public and future users.

 

It was reported that the report had been presented to Cabinet on 21 July and the following proposals had been approved:

 

Proposal 1 – day care 

• As proposed reduce the number of unused places in the day care service. Close Pinfold Lane Centre and relocate the dementia day service to a designated area at Grundy. 

 

Proposal 2 – short stay/ respite 

• As proposed reduce the number of unused places in the short stay service, closing Spurr House leaving Elmhurst open for short stay care.

 

Proposal 3 – all age disability services

• As proposed further explore a multigenerational disability assessment and care management service and if co-production indicates bring forward an options paper

 

Those present were given the opportunity to ask questions and make comments and the following points were raised:

 

• Councillor Simpson, Cabinet Member, Health and Wellbeing explained that this was not something that the Council wanted to do but there were no other options as the Government would not provide the funding for Adult Social Care to enable that the services are provided in their current form.

 

• Councillor Lewis referred to that fact that the aging population was only going to rise and asked what would happen in 5 to 10 years with regards to care provision. Councillor Lewis mentioned that the number dementia diagnoses were increasing and that social isolation was more common and also increasing.

 

Councillor Simpson explained that the Council had a duty of care to provide care services but more people were looking to receive that care in their own homes. Grants have recently been distributed to every ward in Bury to help deal with social isolation and different ways of working were being considered particularly within community groups.

 

Adrian Crook explained that 20 years ago as people got older they might choose to move into a care home where they would stay for the last 10 years of their lives. The demand to live in care homes has continued to reduce year on year and was not now the popular choice as a care option in older age. People were now choosing to stay in their own homes with support and may only require the use of a care home facility at the very end of their life. This type of care would be very specialist nursing and more complex and this type of provision is not something that could be given at Spurr House

 

• Councillor Lewis asked if the data relating to this could be sent to him.

 

• Councillor Birchmore explained that she had telephoned Spurr House to find out about the services they provided. 

 

Councillor Birchmore explained that she had first-hand experience of care services as her mother had been diagnosed with dementia. Councillor Birchmore explained that hew mother had been stick in hospital as there was nowhere for her to be moved to and had she been a Bury resident she could have been moved into Spurr House and not had to spend Christmas in hospital.

 

Councillor Birchmore also asked whether it was possible that people did not know about Spurr House?

 

Adrian explained that all respite care unless self funding is accessed and  arranged through the social worker teams who are all aware of Spurr House. Adrian explained that the emergency admissions had been changed in Bury over the last 18 months and all emergency placements went to intermediate care facilities where there were doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. This was the best practice model and had further reduced the demand for Spurr House as this was a standard residential care home.

 

• Councillor Brown referred to paragraph 2.4 of the report relating to Grundy Day Care Centre and Spurr House and reducing the number of unused places in the day care services and reducing the number of unused places in the short stay residential care service. Councillor Brown asked for assurance that what would be left would cover the needs of the residents in this borough.

 

Adrian reported that the capacity that Adult Care would continue to buy from Persona which was 27 beds would be able to consume all of the respite activity that was previously provided by Elmhurst and Spurr House.

 

• Councillor Birchmore referred to the statement that Councillor Simpson had made in relation to 77% of the respondents that had voted against the recommendation had actually been multiple votes from the same people. Councillor Birchmore asked how this could be identified. Councillor Birchmore also stated that multiple respondents could live together at the same address.

 

Councillor Simpson explained that this could be identified by the users IP addresses. The IP addresses were anonymous, but it could be shown that small number of devices answered the survey multiple times and more that twice.

 

• Councillor Hayes asked whether the other GM boroughs were experiencing similar reductions in the use of these type of facilities and were they also making closures?

 

Adrian explained that Adult Care Services had a duty to make sure that the provision of care was sustainable. There were currently a large number of standard residential care vacancies across the whole of Greater Manchester which was resulting in home closures as a response to under occupancy.

 

Other boroughs don’t provide in house respite services in the same way that Bury do as Bury purchase from our own provider rather that from private providers.

 

• Councillor Brown referred to short stay residential care homes and asked whether residents crossed borough boundaries to move into them?

 

Adrian explained that this would be a choice, and was a mix. If a resident from Bolton wanted to stay in a home in Bury they could do,  but most of the time the placements were made by social workers so they were more likely to look in their local borough.

 

• Councillor Lewis referred to the consultation process and the statement that the consultation process was carried out in a way that would maximise the responses received but there were only 117 responses which seems very low. Councillor Lewis asked how the consultation was carried out as he hadn’t heard about it. He also asked whether packs were posted out to residents?

 

It was explained that 701 consultation documents were posted by hand to Persona customers, engagement was carried out with Healthwatch, Age UK Bury and all health providers, all Bury Councillors were sent an email setting out the consultation, the information was available in the Bury Times on the Council website and social media. Focus groups were held and Zoom conferences.

 

• Councillor Lewis explained that he was concerned by the low level of responses that were received.

 

Councillor Simpson explained that despite all of the work done to promote the consultation she was not surprised by the low number of responses as it was generally unusual to get high responses to consultations relating to social care.

 

• Councillor Birchmore stated that the email to Councillors was sent before the bank holiday so this could have meant that it was missed.

 

• Councillor Holt referred to Bury People First and asked what this was.

 

It was explained that Bury People First is an organisation that was commissioned to carry out the consultation sessions with people with a learning disability and they provide an excellent service and captured some really good feedback.

 

• Councillor Pilkington stated that it was regrettable that a decision like this had to be made but given that the numbers of people accessing the facilities were decreasing it was something that had to be done, Councillor Pilkington stated that it was vital that there was a joined up approach and that there was a quality offer from the voluntary sector across the authority.

 

It was agreed:

 

1. That the contents of the report be noted.

 

2. That all those present be thanked for their input.

 

3. That regular updates be brought back to the Scrutiny Committee.