Agenda item

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report providing an update on performance in Adult Social Care, and information on monitoring and improving quality.

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submitted a report and gave a slide presentation providing an update on performance in Adult Social Care, and information on monitoring and improving quality. Key points to note were as follows:

·       A new performance dashboard was being implemented.

·       The figures presented were subject to a built-in reporting delay to allow for data analysis and were therefore not fully up to date.

·       At the end quarter 2 the waits for review that were over a 24-month period were still an area of risk hadn’t got better or worse. Review team capacity had been increased but the number of cases requiring review had also risen.

·       Vacancies among Social Workers and other Social Care practitioners were noted, with recruitment and retention challenges recognised as a sector-wide issue. Improvements to HR arrangements, included the appointment of a dedicated Human Resources Business Partner.  Work was underway on a workforce plan covering recruitment and retention. A Social Care Academy built upon apprenticeship programmes and university partnerships. A head of the academy was now in place.

·       Positive performance included a reduction in discharges to care homes.

·       Overall waiting times benchmarked well across the East Midlands.

·       The bespoke Quality Assurance Framework provided a mixture of reporting and allowed for interrogation of practice.

·       Providers were rigorously assessed against service specification standards and underwent due diligence before contracting. A regular internal reporting regime monitored KPIs, and intelligence from multiple sources was used to risk-manage providers.

·       Regarding CQC ratings, an improvement had been made in relation to ranking across the East Midlands.

·       Next steps included developing a more consistent methodology for Quality Assurance, risk and complaint management would be among the areas for analysis and feedback was a key driver.

·       New streams incorporated the Leading Performance Initiative which covered psychology motivation, using data and Ethical leadership and social justice.

·       There would be a significant piece of work on Diversity and Inclusion which would involve a lived experience forum and co-production. A maturity matrix would be developed along with Diverse by Design tools.

In discussion with Members, the following was noted:

• Reviews were a significant priority and an explanation was given on how they were prioritised, such as monitoring last contacts.
• Benchmarking with other local authorities continued.
• For performance subgroups, figures would be clarified on specific abuse categories.
• The item could come back to scrutiny to review trajectories.
• Early warning indicators included staff feedback, social work engagement surveys, and workforce metrics such as lone working and absence levels to identify stress factors, with only a small number of reportable instances identified.
• There was a strong managerial focus within the organisation, with an opportunity to further develop leadership by strengthening motivation, promoting a values-based approach, and aligning this with a broad range of skills.
• Members noted the need to measure effectiveness, improve consistency in the use of quality markers, and establish a baseline to assess future results.
• Regarding recruitment, there was an expanded establishment, including both qualified social workers and social care practitioners, but there was a need to better understand retention. A report would be going to the Overview Select Scrutiny Committee on recruitment. Members noted that it would be useful for details to come back to ASC Scrutiny.
• There was a need to connect with schools and education providers to promote social work careers locally, many training in the city come from elsewhere and were likely to leave.
• Members suggested inviting the new Head of Academy to attend ASC Scrutiny, once established within the role and this invite could also include members of the Children, Young People and Education Scrutiny Commission.
• Members suggested consideration of supporting career changers and diverse career backgrounds, while also raising profile through wider promotion to match other career options.

Councillors Orton and Joannou left the meeting during the consideration of this item.

AGREED:

1)    That the report be noted.

2)    For the commission to receive a hyperlink to view the dashboard next time the item comes to scrutiny.

3)    For the Assistant City Mayor Cllr Dawood and any interested parties to meet with the board and officers to consider challenges around definitions of abuse relating to demographics and population movement.

4)    For the commission to receive the current figures on those awaiting a review.

5)    For the item to come back to ASC scrutiny.

6)    To invite the new Head of Academy to attend ASC Scrutiny, once established within the role. For the invitation to also include the Children, Young People and Education Scrutiny Commission members.