To seek approval from Cabinet to endorse the regional Western Bay Care Homes Commissioning Strategy for Older People and local implementation strategy for Bridgend County Borough; and explain the Strategy’s agreed objectives and commissioning priorities following the stakeholder consultation process.

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing submitted a report, to seek approval from Cabinet to endorse the regional Western Bay Care Homes Commissioning Strategy for Older People and local implementation strategy for Bridgend County Borough, and explain the Strategy’s agreed objectives and commissioning priorities following the stakeholder consultation process.

The Head of Adult Social Care confirmed that the Western Bay Care Homes Commissioning Strategy for Older People had been developed as part of the Western Bay Health and Social Care Programme.

She advised that the Strategy, post consultation (attached at Appendix 1 to the report), was endorsed for approval on behalf of the Western Bay partnership by the Community Service Board on 16th December 2016 and approval was now sought from partner organisations for the Western Bay Commissioning Strategy for Care Homes for Older People and its local implementation plans (Appendix 2 of the report referred).

The Head of Adult Social Care further added that in total there had been 300 comments on the above document, and the feedback received and detailed responses were contained in Appendix 3 of the report.

She then proceeded to advise of the objectives or the Commissioning Strategy which were detailed in paragraph 3.6 of the report.

The Commissioning Strategy sets out the challenges for the future as a result of the changing demographic profile across the population, not only for the health and social care system but also by the providers of residential care services, who are increasingly providing care to older people with complex needs, and those at the end of life.

The Head of Adult Social Care stated that building on this statutory and non-statutory guidance, and the feedback from the consultation process, the Western Bay Health and Social Care Partnership had identified a series of key strategic intentions. These were shown in paragraph 4.5 of the report.

She proceeded by advising that the Strategy provided greater focus on person centred working that promotes choice, dignity and quality of life, and the Western Bay partnership intended to develop an outcomes framework to measure the critical outcomes and results that commissioners will want to see delivered, such as quality of life and quality of care amongst others.

She concluded the report, by advising that the financial implications of the Strategy would be managed within the overall context of the MTFS.

The Cabinet Member Social Services and Early Help supported the report, whilst the Leader noted that the timescales associated with different elements of the Implementation Plans were showing as incomplete in terms of target dates, and therefore, he felt that an update report should be presented to Cabinet at a future date showing these as being targeted and/or completed.

He added that there was a lot of examples of good and effective care support plans in place in the Bridgend County Borough, though there was always some room for improvement in important areas such as this.

RESOLVED:                (1)    That Cabinet approved the Commissioning Strategy for Care Homes for Older People 2016 – 2025 and the local implementation plan for Bridgend County Borough.

                                    (2)        That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet confirming timescale dates for all elements of the Strategy’s Local Implementation Plans.