Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Christine Jones introduced the report on the care sector which examined the changes taking place in Wales and England, and the challenges being faced in Flintshire.

            The care sector across Wales and England was fragile with both domiciliary and residential care experiencing difficulties sustaining their business models.

There were significant pressures on local authority budgets which was acute in Flintshire.  The Council had agreed to an additional investment to meet the increases in independent provider care fees as part of setting the annual budget.  As a temporary solution the shortfall for 2016/17 of £646k had been funded from reserves for this financial year only.  The budget pressure remained unresolved for 2017/18 onwards and had been built into the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) as a recurring pressure.  This was due to the introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) on 1^st April 2016 which required all employees over the age of 25 to be paid a minimum of £7.20 per hour. 

The pressures on the system were causing businesses to fail across the UK resulting in insufficient available bed and domiciliary care packages to meet the needs of residents.

Flintshire’s older population was predicted to rise by 23% over the next four years with the number of older people with significant health and social care needs predicted to rise by 22% during the same period.  During that period there was a clear and ever present risk that the care sector would be unable to sustain itself if no action was taken.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) said the Council recognised the need to adopt a comprehensive strategy to address the significant threat with the aims of the strategy being outlined in the report.  There was also a need for national reform to the funding of the social care sector in Wales through open urgent discussion with WG.  By expressing the concerns for the sector and offering workable solutions, such as the removal of the £60 weekly maximum charge for non-residential services, it was hoped some spare resource capacity would be created.  Flintshire was also seeking to ensure that Health colleagues appreciated the importance of the role they played in sustaining the care sector and hoped to work collaboratively with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to bridge the ‘gap’ through shaped resources.

Councillor Shotton commented on the views expressed at the Social and Health Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on what was becoming a crisis in social care.  It was important to note the outcomes of the Independent Care Review that a reduction in provision was not an option, concluding that lobbying of WG would continue, which was supported by other Cabinet Members.

The Chief Executive stressed that social care was the biggest single service funding pressure for the Council.  A discussion was ongoing on charging caps which would be discussed at the North Wales Regional Leadership Board later that week with the topic being a substantive item on future agendas.

            RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4