Agenda item

The Strategic Director Social Care and Education submits a report updating on the development and implementation of the Joint Social Care and Health Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Dementia Strategy – 2019 to 2022.

Members of the Commission will be asked to note the contents of the report and provide any comments or feedback.

The Strategic Director Social Care and Education submitted a report to update the Scrutiny Commission on the development and implementation of the Joint Social Care and Health Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Dementia Strategy 2019 to 2022.

Bev White, Lead Commissioner, was present and provided the following additional information.

·         A dementia forum will be established and meeting in September around the time of World Alzheimer’s Day to further develop the implementation plan Details of the meeting would be sent to Commission Members.

·         The strategy covers Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) and will run for three years.

·         There are five workstreams – the Supporting Well workstream falls to the City Council to deliver and is led by Bev White.

In response to Members’ questions and requests, the following was noted:

·         There was no statutory duty to complete a Dementia Strategy, but it was considered good practice and important locally to ensure resources were pooled in a constructive manner to provide the best level of care for dementia patients.

·         A demographic breakdown of the 116 responses to the consultation on the strategy would be circulated to Commission Members.

·         A General Practitioner (GP) recording template had been developed to reflect particular needs of people presenting with dementia, and had been adopted by the majority of GP practices. The presentation delivered to the Programme Board would be circulated to Commission Members for information.

·         Micheal Smith (Healthwatch Leicester) stated that work undertaken with Healthwatch England and the CCG on engaging with dementia patients and carers would be shared with the Lead Commissioner.

·         Good support was received from the Housing Department who have recruited large numbers of Dementia Friends which helps raise awareness of dementia generally. Also, a number of customer services staff had become dementia friends.

·         The city had a high rate of diagnosis which is positive in then allowing people to seek support. Dementia is not exclusively an older persons’ condition. The city had worked very hard with the CCG to raise the profile of dementia, particularly via primary care services.

·         With regards to the action to contribute to a review of dementia training, it had arisen through feedback around the quality of personal care, particularly those in residential care. A review of training had commenced, and once available training was mapped out and its success evaluated, then it would be possible to develop recommendations.

·         Care staff received a mixture of training. For those commissioned by the Council, there would be specific dementia training: on the job, in the workplace and external, and some before joining, but all staff were required to reach a certain level of care which was checked through contract monitoring arrangements. It was noted that family carers did not necessarily receive training but information and support is available to them through the commissioned support service.

·         The placement of some dementia patients was still sometimes a challenge, particularly around those with behaviour challenges and was being looked at across LLR.

·         The city did not reflect the national picture, and no-one sat waiting in hospital if they were ready for discharge and had dementia. Patients would be moved into a temporary setting until a permanent position could be found, or a package would be developed so they could return home.

·         There were a number of voluntary services, memory cafes, Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK amongst others that offered services, and were a good source of support, advice and information to people.

·         An Alzheimer’s Society memory walk would take place on Sunday 22^nd September.

Cllr Kitterick arrived at the meeting at 18.13pm. There were no declarations of interest made.

AGREED:

1.    That the report be noted.

2.    Details of the dementia forum meeting to be sent to Commission Members.

3.    A demographic breakdown of the 116 responses to the consultation on the strategy would be circulated to Commission Members.

4.    A presentation delivered to the Programme Board would be circulated to Commission Members.

5.    Micheal Smith to share Healthwatch England work on dementia with ASC Officers

6.    A report would be brought back to the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Commission meeting on 17^th December 2019, along with the Action Plan.