Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillor H.J. McGuill declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 5 ‘Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’ as she was a member of the Community Health Council.

Councillor H.J. McGuill declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 5 ‘Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’ as she was a member of the Community Health Council.

Nominations will be sought for a Vice-Chair for the Committee.

That Councillor C. Hinds be appointed Vice-Chair of the Committee.

The Chair sought nominations for a Vice-Chair for the Committee.  A nomination for Councillor C. Hinds was duly seconded and on being put to the vote, this was carried.  No further nominations were received.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor C. Hinds be appointed Vice-Chair of the Committee.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th May 2013.

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 May 2013 had been circulated with the agenda.

Matters Arising

In response to a query by Councillor H.J. McGuill, the Environment and Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator advised that the Director of Community Services had emailed her to confirm that the Council’s website included a link to the FLVC website.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Presentation from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. 

(a)       That the presentation be noted;

(b)       That further information on any risks associated with crematoria be circulated to the Committee;

(c)        That an update on the outcome of the review of C.diff be reported to the Committee at a future meeting;

(d)       That the suggestion for engagement with GPs in England be taken into consideration in the development of the Enhanced Care at Home Service in North East Flintshire and an update provided to the Committee;

(e)       That a progress update on the implementation of the Home Enhanced Care Service be included on the Forward Work Programme;

(f)         That the briefing note on Dementia from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board be reported to the Committee; and

(g)       That the request to increase the number of x-ray sessions at Mold Hospital be taken into consideration.

The Chair welcomed the representatives from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and invited them to deliver the presentation, copies of which were circulated.

Mr. Andrew Jones, Executive Director of Public Health expressed his gratitude for the Council’s support on challenges such as the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccination.  He then gave a brief presentation on the North Wales Health Protection Team based in Mold which, although small, was part of a larger group on which additional resources could be drawn if required.  He outlined work undertaken by the team and statistics on disease notifications across both Flintshire and the whole of North Wales.  He outlined the North Wales response to the current outbreak of measles in Swansea, which had invoked an additional catch-up programme.  He said that although there was a reduction in the number of new cases in Swansea, the objective was for all children in North Wales to be vaccinated with two doses of MMR and work was being done with the Council to increase uptake levels.  He said that almost 9,000 children in North Wales had not received the MMR vaccinations which remained a challenge.

Dr. Judy Hart explained her appointment as a proper officer for communicable diseases, to work with Local Authorities on matters relating to Environmental Health, Emergency Planning and Public Protection.

The Chair noted that there was no mention of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) in the presentation.  Dr. Hart explained that C.diff was an organism which was not notifiable, unlike those which had been listed.  She said it was recognised that there had been an increase in cases within communities and hospitals but that it had a special remit in healthcare settings.

Councillor S. Jones referred to individuals who had been put off by the ‘3 in 1’ MMR vaccination due to previous bad publicity and asked if BCUHB was aware of the total number of people this related to and whether separate vaccinations could be offered as an alternative.  Dr. Hart gave explanation on single vaccinations that had been previously available but were no longer licensed.  The introduction of MMR vaccinations in the UK in 1988 had been successful in controlling the diseases and the health scare relating to this had been scientifically disproved, with health visitors and school nurses assisting by offering explanation on the evidence and safety profile to encourage a greater uptake.  Dr. Hart said that the organisation’s immunisation co-ordinator compiled information on the number of people who had not consented to the MMR vaccination and that further opportunities were offered when children were entering and leaving school.  There was an opportunity to pay for single vaccinations in private clinics, however there would be no audit.

Mr. Jones said that BCUHB was working with Councils to reinforce a consistent message that MMR vaccinations were safe and effective, and that efforts were focussing on those who had not consented to ascertain whether this was due to lack of access or reluctance.

Councillor M. Bateman asked if any public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Chair indicated that there would be a slight change in the order of business to bring forward Agenda Item 7 on Quarterly Performance Reporting due to time constraints and officer availability.  The remainder of the items would be considered in the order shown on the agenda.

(a)       That the reports be received;  and

(b)       That the Head of Social Services for Children forward the report on looked after children to the Environment and Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator and the Committee Officer for submission to the Committee and Children’s Services Forum.

A report was presented for the Committee to note and consider the 2012/13 Quarter 4/year end service performance reports, note the update on the Strategic Assessment of Risks and Challenges (SARC) contained within the performance reports and note the progress made against the Improvement Targets.

Social Services for Children

The Head of Social Services for Children gave a short presentation on the performance within the service area, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within the report.  She reported on the appointment of an additional interim Independent Reviewing Officer to provide support on reviews to comply with statutory requirements.  She also commented on a new report on looked after children across Wales to be made available on 17 July 2013 which she would forward to the relevant officers to share with both the Committee and the Children’s Services Forum.

Councillor H.J. McGuill felt that the two Flintshire foster carers who had been included on the Honours List should be congratulated on behalf of the Committee.  The Head of Social Services for Children was aware that the Director of Community Services was due to write to them both.  The Cabinet Member for Social Services added that the achievements of the foster carers had also been recognised at the recent Cabinet meeting.

The Chair congratulated officers on the positive report in light of the budget constraints.

Social Services for Adults

The Head of Social Services for Adults gave a similar overview on the performance in his service area.

In response to a query from Councillor McGuill on workforce absences, the Head of Social Services for Adults said that measures in place addressed both Adult’s and Children’s social care services to target specific areas where issues had been identified, in accordance with the Council’s policy.  As well as long-term absences, this included cases of repetitive short-term absences.  Although figures had increased during the year, it was hoped that an improvement would be seen as some issues had been resolved.

Councillor S. Jones stressed the importance of monitoring persistent short-term absences and felt that these should be separated from long-term absences.  The Head of Social Services for Adults assured the Committee that a measured approach was taken, supported by Occupational Health, however long-term absences would reach a point where consideration needed to be given to the post and access to any other support.  He confirmed that short and long-term cases were treated differently and said that if Members were able to raise any particular cases of concern, they would be investigated.

The Chair commented that this was a positive report where some areas were showing great improvement.

Resolved:

(a)       That the reports be received;  and

(b)       That the Head of Social Services for Children forward the report on looked after children to the Environment and Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator and the Committee Officer for submission to the Committee and Children’s Services Forum.

That a date be arranged for a workshop to enable officers to report back on the issues raised on the Social Enterprise (Double Click) Business Plan, including costs and the impact on service users.

The Head of Social Services for Adults introduced a report to consider the Business Plan to transform Double Click from a Social Services run work-scheme to a Social Enterprise.

Councillor D.I. Mackie commented that the business plan was difficult to read and raised queries on inconsistent figures provided in the plan relating to the cost of a Business Manager.

Although officers endeavoured to respond to the queries, a resolution could not be found.  The Chair said that the Committee could not be expected to accept the recommendations in the report without further clarity on costs.

The Head of Social Services suggested that a workshop be arranged to discuss the costs in detail.

Councillor Mackie said it was important that any further discussion include information on the current status on the project.  The Senior Business Advisor said it would be helpful to ascertain any other queries prior to the workshop.

Councillor H.J. McGuill felt that officers needed to address how the business would grow, what was targeted and how, whilst indicating any additional resources and equipment required.

Councillor S. Jones stated that the aim of the project was to benefit people and that evidence of this should be provided.

The Chair suggested that further discussion could be incorporated at the forthcoming Forward Work Programme workshop, however some Members indicated that they would be unable to attend.  The Chair proposed that a separate date be arranged for a workshop where officers could report back on costs and the impact on service users.  This was duly seconded and agreed by the Committee.

RESOLVED:

That a date be arranged for a workshop to enable officers to report back on the issues raised on the Social Enterprise (Double Click) Business Plan, including costs and the impact on service users.

That the Forward Work Programme be noted.

The Environment and Social Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator introduced a report to enable the Committee to consider the Forward Work Programme.  She advised that Rota Visit activity was on the agenda for the next meeting and reminded Members to complete their visits so that they could report back on that item, reinforcing the commitment to undertake rota visits.  Other items scheduled for the next meeting were Adult Safeguarding and a visit from the Welsh Ambulance Service.

The Facilitator stressed the importance of Members’ input at the forthcoming workshop to plan items on the Forward Work Programme, and that the Director and Heads of Service would be in attendance.  It was also hoped that the Directorate and Service Plans would be available to inform Forward Work Programme planning.

Councillor C. Hinds spoke of problems with the reporting process to the Emergency Duty Team which were resulting in delays to payments and asked that this be included on the Forward Work Programme.  She agreed to liaise with the Facilitator on this outside the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the Forward Work Programme be noted.

An update report provided by the Head of Service User Experience, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) on progress with the implementation of the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure was included on the agenda, for information.

There was one member of the press in attendance.