Minutes:
Sally Grundy, LLR and Northants Alzheimer’s Society, delivered a presentation (attached for information). The following points were made:
· The commissioning process had led to a more streamlined service, with the client and carer at the heart of what they do.
· There had definitely been a postcode lottery situation. There was now bigger team working, with more flexibility to move resources to meet demand. It was reported there was a big demand in the city.
· The service in its early stages was nearing the first quarter for reporting.
· There had been some problems with ward not knowledgeable with regards to the community service. Now a worker in the hospital could work on the ward and follow-up patient care when discharged from hospital.
· The service would also inform the hospital early they had a patient in the community coming in with dementia.
· There was a single point of access, with one telephone line open from 8.30am to 5.00pm, manned by a trained member of staff. The triage line enabled workers to go out to patients, and also provided information / signposting to the website.
· It was reported that there were 7,000 hits on the website between October to December end from Leicester City.
· There was a group offer of support for the carer in the form of a six-week programme. Carers were encouraged to get together to create their own peer support network.
· The advocacy service was going well, and referral numbers had increased dramatically. There were 51 referrals from October to December and the waiting list of 70 people had been cleared.
· Information work had increased, working with GP practices and targeting key and harder to reach communities. There had been some initial teething problems during staff recruitment, but the service was improved, and it was hoped it would meet the KPI target of 125 referrals a year.
It was questioned whether the new KPI target would be met if the number of new referrals slowed down. Members were informed the KPI was originally 50, but as the wider service offer had grown, so the KPI had increased. It was reported that when performance indicators were set, the service looked to past performance and future demand, noting that the service would be gathering referrals from a variety of different sources, and not just diagnosed dementia but also memory worries. It was also noted that KPI targets would be monitored, with regular meetings between the service provider and commissioner to talk about issues if they arose.
Officers were asked if a person who presented as having dementia, what the service would do if it were established the symptoms were not due to an infection or stress. The meeting was informed that usually the person with dementia does not have an insight into their illness, but usually a carer would call, not just about memory loss but, for example, loss of coordination. People would in the first instance be signposted to their GP to place them on the system at the earliest point, but would be supported and provided with information throughout the process, probably up to 16 weeks.
The Chair asked that information be sent to all ward councillors, and requested a pack of information be sent to her, to enable a discussion with community services.
Members enquired who funded the peer support network, and were advised the carers information six-week programme was funded through contract. Activities were provided for the person with dementia, and enabled the carer to have a confidential discussion in another room, and were more likely to open up with a private conversation. Volunteer support was provided to encourage peer groups to meet outside of the service. Members suggested that if there was any opportunity for a small fund to enable volunteers to meet one or two times a year, this would help to develop a future volunteer workforce.
It was recognised that when families got together, for example, at Christmas, the number of referrals went up. Members recommended that those responsible for writing the Winter Care Plan take account of the increase in referrals and GP assessments, and that Alzheimer awareness campaigns be included at events and holiday programmes. The Scrutiny Policy Officer was asked to word the recommendation in consultation with the Chair.
The Chair suggested that ward funding be used for some of the events for example the Jo Cox event in the summer, to ensure people with dementia be included as part of those events.
The Chair thanked the officers for the presentations.
AGREED:
That:
1. the Dementia Service update be welcomed;
2. information be sent to all ward councillors on the dementia support services;
3. those responsible for writing the Winter Care Plan take account of the increase in referrals and GP assessments, and that Alzheimer awareness campaigns be included at events and holiday programmes.