Agenda item

(i)         That the impact of ‘Progress for Providers – Creating a Place Called Home Delivering What Matters’ be noted; and

(ii)        That the actions and initiatives underway to further develop the programme be supported.

                        The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced a report to provide an update on ‘Progress for Providers – Creating a Place Called Home … Delivering What Matters’, and also informed the Committee of the recent success at the Social Care Wales Accolades Awards 2018. He invited the Senior Manager, Safeguarding and Commissioning to present a short video on Progress for Providers and to report on the main considerations as detailed in the report.

The Senior Manager, Safeguarding and Commissioning provided background information and advised that a recent key change in the care sector has been the introduction of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 which required the sector to move away from commissioning task based services and move towards ensuring providers supported people to achieve their own personal outcomes and to promote well-being.  She continued that this ethos was also reflected in the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales Report of 2014 ‘A Place to Call Home? – A Review into the Quality of Life and Care of Older People Living in Care Homes in Wales’ which was appended to the report.  To take this concept forward the Authority extended an open invitation to all residential care homes in Flintshire and 16 of the 26 Nursing and Residential Care Homes committed to be part of the programme.  The Senior Manager advised that these homes worked alongside the Authority’s own in-house provider services, social work teams, Occupational Therapists, management teams etc. to implement person centred practice. 

The Senior Manager explained that to recognise the progress that the care homes were achieving in implementing person centred care practices the Authority developed its own ‘Progress for Providers’ self-assessment toolkit.   To show progression the Authority introduced 3 levels of accreditation which are validated by the Flintshire Contract and Commissioning Team in partnership with the Care Home Managers.  In September 2018 the project was publicly recognised winning the Social Care Wales Accolades Awards for ‘Excellent outcomes for people of all ages by investing in the learning and development of staff’.  The project was also a finalist in the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Awards – ‘Celebrating outstanding achievement and innovation within UK local government service delivery’.  In conclusion the Senior Manager reported on the progress which had been made to date by residential care homes in Flintshire, as detailed in the report. 

Councillor Hilary McGuill raised a concern around care homes which had not yet committed to the Programme.  The Senior Manager explained that all the care comes were aware of the Programme and were engaged but at different stages of progress.     She advised that the Contract Monitoring Team worked closely with care homes, providing guidance and support, to improve performance where necessary to enable them to achieve the desired outcomes and standards.

Councillor Gladys Healey commented on Flintshire residents who attended care homes in other areas, citing Wrexham and Cheshire as examples, and asked how the care homes were monitored.  The Senior Manager explained that all authorities had a Contract Monitoring Team and the monitoring of practice was replicated across the region.   In response to concerns expressed by Councillor Healey around poor practices the Senior Manager outlined the interventions taken by the Contract Monitoring Team to identify and prevent any decline in care standards.

RESOLVED:

(i)         That the impact of ‘Progress for Providers – Creating a Place Called Home Delivering What Matters’ be noted; and

(ii)        That the actions and initiatives underway to further develop the programme be supported.