Invitees

Cllr P White - Cabinet Member Adult Social Care Health and Wellbeing

Susan Cooper Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing

Jacqueline Davies - Head of Adult Social Care,

Mark Wilkinson - Group Manager - Learning Disability

Judith Brooks - Group Manager - Business Support

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing provided the Committee with an update on the development of preventative services and local community coordination in line with the implementation of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014

She explained to Members that the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 came into force on 6 April 2016.  The Act places a strong emphasis on the development of services that prevent or delay the need for formal care and support services.  She added that the implementation of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 has been coordinated by a project team in the Social Services and Wellbeing Directorate and included work on:

• Awareness raising sessions
• Provision of information about the Act and the Codes of Practice
• Provision of Information on the BCBC Website and Intranet
• Training Events
• Development of Policies and Procedures

Members commended the work of the Local Community Coordinator for Bridgend.  A Member asked where the Local Community Coordinators were based and if any were based South of the M4.  The Deputy Leader stated that there were currently three based in the Llynfi Valley which was part of a pilot carried out in that particular area.  He added that this was now planned to be rolled out to the whole of BCBC.

A Member asked if the current savings set aside for the project was enough or if this would diminish over the coming years.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing stated that the Authority would need to work hard with the third sector to ensure that it becomes a core service.  She added that the Directorate would be working across the Authority to ensure that Wellbeing and Prevention was understood by all staff.  The Deputy Leader added that it would be informative if a representative from the health services could be invited to future Scrutiny Committee meetings to discuss the subject.

A Member referred to the registers of sight and hearing impaired and other disabled people and asked who owned and who was able to access the information.   The Head of Adult Social Care advised the Committee that this was a new responsibility and the register would form part of a new IT system that had been developed.  She added that the Authority is signed up to a data sharing protocol that all individuals on the register would have given their consent for their information to be held.  She confirmed that the information held on the registers was protected.  A Member further queried how accurate the registers were if consent for their information to be held on the registers was not given from all individuals.  The Head of Adult Social Care advised that whilst it was down to individual consent whether they wanted their information to be included on the registers, they had not yet had anyone not give their consent. 

A Member queried the accuracy of an accessibility guide that provided details of accessibility information for venues such as restaurants, community centres and libraries that was launched on disabledgo.com.  The Head of Adult Social Care responded that she would feedback to the team responsible for the website and have them check the accuracies of the guide.

A Member questioned what support service was available on the weekends as the local community hubs operated Monday – Friday 9am-5pm.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing advised that she was aware that there was a need to focus on the service that was offered and stated that third sector organisations were able to operate outside of core business hours so they would look at how they worked.  She added that new software was currently being developed to enable access to support online outside of core hours.  A Member stated that there was a high percentage of older people that were not IT literate and unable to access the support, Members suggested  that being able to speak to  someone out of hours should be available.  Members also suggested reinstating the bulletin and utilising resources such as GP surgeries, job centres and police to share the information available to them.

A Member raised concern at the lack of access for disabled people to some publicly run clubs in the Bridgend area and stated that more should be done so that they are able to access and participate in the activities, in particular Bridgend Bowls Club. 

Conclusions

The Committee noted the report, which provided Members with an update on the development of preventative services and local community co-ordination in line with the implementation of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.

·         Members commended the work of the Local Community Co-ordinator for the Bridgend locality.

·         Members asked about the locations of the Local Community Co-ordinators and whether any were located south of the M4.  The Deputy Leader responded that the pilot carried out in the Llynfi Valley would now be rolled-out to other areas, and that a substantial programme of staff training had taken place to enable this.

·         Members queried whether current funding for the work is enough or whether this may diminish over the next few years.  The Officer responded that it was vital that this work becomes a core service and that the Authority needs to work with the third sector and seek out different funding streams.  The Deputy Leader suggested that, as the programme supports savings for health services, a representative from health services is invited to future Scrutiny Committee meetings where this subject is on the agenda in future.

·         Members raised queries regarding the security of the information held on registers about individuals using services for visually impaired people and asked who has ownership and access to the systems holding the information.  The Officer responded that the register is protected, that the Authority is signed up to a robust data sharing protocol and that all individuals on the register would have given their consent to their details being held. 

·         Members further queried the completeness of the information on the register considering that some people may not consent to being on it.  The Officer responded that they were unaware of any resistance from individuals to being on the register and that it was important to make people aware of the benefits of being on it.

·         Members queried the accuracy of some of the information provided on the ‘disabledgo’ website, and also raised concerns regarding the lack of information for visually impaired people. The Officer responded that they would feed the concerns back to the team responsible for the website.

·         Members raised concerns that day services hubs only operate during working hours, Monday to Friday.  The Officer responded that there is a need to shift the focus of services and support and gave the example of third sector organisations and other groups who routinely operate outside of traditional working hours. The Officer added that software was being developed to enable access to information and support outside of traditional working hours.

·         Members raised concerns regarding the lack of information in a variety of formats for people who do not or cannot use ICT. Members suggested solutions such as re-instating the bulletin, utilising staff resources such as GPs, district nurses, social workers and the Police and using locations such as job centres.  The Officer agreed that there should be a choice of formats.

·         Members raised concerns regarding the need for prioritisation of resources and funding for services in the community by health service providers and Welsh Government, and commented that while they commended health services in general there appears to be little evidence that they are fully committed to supporting prevention and wellbeing work based out in communities.

·         Members raised concerns regarding the lack of physical access for people with disabilities to some activities provided by third sector or partner organisations, for example the bowls club. 

Recommendations

·           The Committee recommends that representatives from a variety of roles within the health services are invited to future Scrutiny Committee meetings where this subject is on the agenda in future.

·           The Committee recommends that information on the disabledgo.com website is checked for accuracy and that information for visually impaired people is included.

·           The Committee recommends that further consideration is given to the provision of information regarding services in various formats and locations to address potential exclusion of those who do not have access to ICT or who can’t or don’t want to use it. 

·           The Committee recommends that the offer of activities from third sector or partner organisations to support wellbeing includes accessibility to ensure that the activities are inclusive for all to participate in.

Further information requested

·         The Committee requests further information on ‘Age Friendly Communities’ to illustrate what this entails and what the outcomes will be for individuals and communities.

·         The Committee requests copies of leaflets currently used to raise awareness of services.

The Committee requests information on the locations and projects covered by the current Local Community Co-ordinators