Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Andrew Clark, Pat Milner, Stephanie Moffat, Chris Reid, Jean Rein and Jane Taptiklis.

Bob Smith told members that he would now represent both South Bucks District Council and Chiltern District Council on the Board, and that Martin Holt would therefore not be attending anymore.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2012 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

Matters arising

Page 2 – Item on user and carer involvement in contract management – Nadia Ashraf and Graeme Finch to come to the next meeting – Action: NA

Page 2 – Item on health checks to come to next meeting – Action: AMD

Page 2 – Dignity in Care Update – this had been circulated (attached).

Page 3 – Partnership Boards to receive item on ‘Better Healthcare in Bucks’ changes at their next meetings – Action: HW

Page 4 – Item on Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and the recommendations in the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy to come to a future meeting – Action: HW

Rachael Rothero told members that the JSNA was currently being developed and that the document would be ready January / February 2013. Piers Simey would be invited to attend the meeting to talk about the needs in Buckinghamshire.

Some ‘Policy into Practice’ sessions were currently being run and members of the Executive Partnership Board and other Boards should be invited.

Page 5 – Partnership Boards to receive an item on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) / Mental Capacity Act (MCA) at their next meetings – Action: HW

Page 5 – The Minutes now referred to members by name, as requested.

Page 5 – Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust had been added to the Terms of Reference.

Page 5 – Group to be set up re: Legacy of Paralympics, including Andrew Clark, Tracey Underhill, Debi Game, Chris Reid, Fred Charman and Jean Rein as members. Links to be made with Chris Williams and with the County Council Corporate Equalities Group - Action: RR

Rachael Rothero said that the 2012 Group could be invited to attend a meeting of the Executive Partnership Board – Action: HW

Chris Reid had also written to District Councils asking them to submit their legacy plans.

Page 12 – Group to discuss response to changes in benefits – Steve Goldensmith reported that there was a Corporate Group looking at the changes and that the members listed had been invited to attend this. Rachael Rothero reported that Chris Williams, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire County Council, was planning to set up a task and finish group to help people through the changes.

Ian Cormack said that a lot of incorrect information was being circulated.

Steve Goldensmith said that the Prevention Partnership Board had echoed this concern, and had noted that frontline staff needed training.

Rachael Rothero said that the changes could have an impact on the charging policy and on demand for services.

Bob Smith said that the changes could lead to a ‘knock-on’ effect on homelessness.

Mary Buckman said that there were also concerns about private tenancies, and how this would be managed. Service users who were not in contact with a care manager would struggle the most.

Chris Stanners said that it was very helpful to have a report from each board.

Members noted the Reports.

Debi Game, Bucks SUCO

David Bone and Debi Game reported as follows:

·         David Bone had taken over as Interim Co-Chair from Ian Cormack and Alison Lewis.

·         SUCO (Service User and Carer Organisation) was applying for charitable status. The plan for charity status had been presented to the SUCO Board on 28 November 2012.

·         The charity commission had just changed its requirements for small organisations, and applications could now be made online.

·         The SUCO website was now in place, and the problems with accessibility had been rectified.

·         Interviews were being held for the Chair and Co-Chair on 20 December 2012, and there had been three applications.

·         SUCO had written to 150 voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) to inform them about SUCO.

The Chairman said she was very keen for SUCO to have a really strong service user and carer membership, and asked how this was being built up. Debi Game said that in the last quarter she had been to all the partnership boards to discuss SUCO. Writing to VCOs was part of SUCO’s drive to recruit service users and carers. 5-6 organisations had already come back and asked for presentations to be made to their support groups, and Debi Game had made 12 presentations. SUCO was also working to formalise the work of service users and carers.

Three potential service user and carer representatives would be interviewed by the Co-Chairs, and another three would be ready soon.

Chris Stanners asked how SUCO would work with Local Healthwatch when it was set up.

Rachael Rothero said that there needed to be a relationship between SUCO and Healthwatch so that the voices of service users and carers were heard.

Debi Game said that until Local Healthwatch was up and running SUCO could not forge a relationship but that she had made contact with Diane Rutter, who was running the interim organisation.

Rachael Rothero said that fundamental changes were taking place in statutory services, and that this was a unique and critical opportunity for service users and carers to be involved in discussions.

Chris Stanners asked what training would be offered to service user and carer representatives.

Debi Game said that SUCO was working with Sarah Gammon (Human Resources, Buckinghamshire County Council) and an induction pack was now ready. Induction training had been held on 30 November 2012 for carer representatives for the Carers Partnership Board. Ian Cormack had attended the training and said that it had been very good. Ian Cormack thanked Sarah Gammon and Marcia Smith, who had given a presentation about Social Care priorities.

The plan was to offer the training quarterly on a rolling programme. Once the induction programme was complete, Sarah Gammon and Debi Game would then roll out update workshops.

Debi Game said that SUCO was keen to see Social Care Outcomes Framework reflected in the partnership board priorities, and noted that this was not reflected currently.

Rachael Rothero said that the Social Care Outcomes Framework formed the basis of the partnership board priorities.

Social Care reported through the Local Account,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Linda Warmbier, Project Manager, Day Opportunities Transformation Project

Linda Warmbier, Project Manager, was welcomed to the meeting.

Linda Warmbier gave a presentation (slides attached) and said the following:

·         Linda Warmbier had taken over as Project Manager from David Cowell in January 2012.

·         The new Model for Day Opportunities had been set up to give people more choice and control; to give the opportunity to use direct payments to buy services; to meet the needs of people with highly complex needs (through day opportunities centres); and to develop a range of services that people wanted to buy (work with providers was going on).

·         There would be six Day Opportunity Centres for older people, learning disability clients and people on the autistic spectrum. The largest sites would be in High Wycombe and in Aylesbury.

·         The Hartwell Centre in Aylesbury would be completed in late 2013 and would include a hydrotherapy pool.

·         Burnham Centre would be the last centre to be developed, and would open in spring 2015.

·         The Day Centre in Princes Risborough had been taken over as a community enterprise in June 2012. Bourne End Centre would become a community enterprise in December 2012, in conjunction with the Fremantle Trust.

·         Bharti Quinn was leading on some market-shaping work, developing a range of community alternatives and identifying what clients wanted and needed. She was working closely with providers to ensure a range of options was developed. This work had gone very well.

·         The Endeavour Garden Centre would be moving to Missenden Abbey early in 2013.

·         Back2base planned to support people to work in the Day Opportunities Centres (on the receptions desks or in the kitchens).

·         The Council offered a brokerage service for day service clients, and over 120 clients had used this.

·         Community services were monitored through six-week and six-month reviews. Questionnaires were also being developed.

·         A tender for the management of the Day Opportunity Centres had been considered, but this had been halted, and an options appraisal had been carried out. The preferred option was to set up a Local Authority Trading Company. Currently clients could not buy services which were managed by the County Council. However they could buy services managed by a Trading Company. A business case was currently being developed.

Ian Cormack asked if there were issues in mixing people with challenging behaviour with vulnerable people. Linda Warmbier said that they had looked at the way in which buildings were designed, and staff had had a big input into this. There would be zoned areas for client groups. The Day Opportunity Centres were for people with higher needs.

Ian Cormack asked about the staff who worked with clients who had challenging behaviour. Rachael Rothero said that as part of the restructure a lot of staff had left. However the service was now up to full complement and this ensured that people with the right skills, expertise and ethos were in place.

Ainsley Macdonnell said that it was important that clients groups were not viewed in ‘silos,’ and that opportunities for compatibility were not missed.

Ainsley Macdonnell, Senior Joint Commissioner, Learning Disabilities - Buckinghamshire

Ainsley Macdonnell and Diana Fentiman were welcomed to the meeting. They both worked on accommodation and support based projects. Diana Fentiman was the Project Manager for the ‘My Life, My Home’ Project.

They told members about the different kinds of accommodation:

·         Care and Support in people’s homes (usually domiciliary care)

·         ‘Shared Lives’ Scheme (people live within a family environment)

·         Individual Supported Living and 24 hour support (people have their own front door and tenancy, and there may be communal areas)

·         Shared houses (people still have a tenancy and 24 hour support but accommodation is on more of a shared basis)

·         Registered residential care (own room in a property with staff on site)

The accommodation projects are:

·         Project Care – reprovision project for older people’s services and Learning Disability services.

·         Project Abode – another major reprovision project for people with learning disabilities

·         Home Options – reprovision for people with mental health needs

·         My Life My Home – picks up all other accommodation and support developments for all adult care groups

Shared Lives

This gave clients the opportunity to live with families in their homes, and was very good for clients who had previously lived at home (it was a step towards independence), and for learning disability clients whose parents were getting older.

Shared Lives accommodation was also used for people who had had a period of hospitalisation. It could be used for short-term respite as well as long-term support.

Shared Lives accommodation was suitable for learning disability clients as well as older people or people with mental health issues.

Adaptations to properties could be arranged for those with mobility issues.

Carers were recruited, trained and monitored by ATEGI, an independent provider organisation.

Shared lives accommodation was a very different model to supported living, and clients lived as part of a family.

Shared Lives accommodation was very cost-effective. Currently there were 22 long-term placements and 31 carers.

Project Care

This project had been running since 2004, and was coming to an end. Project Care was countywide, and was a project for the redevelopment of care homes and other accommodation-based provision which was outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

The final care home in the Project was being developed in Chesham for older people and would be completed in 2014.

The most recent scheme opened was Hawthorne and Whitebeam. This provides 14 learning disability flats with communal facilities and a seven-place shared house.  This had previously been an older people’s care home. People living nearby had welcomed the development and had invited the builders to their Christmas party.

Residents there had their own space (e.g. they could have a pet) and paid their own rent.

Project Abode

This project had started around the same time as Project Care. 52 learning disability clients had been in NHS homes (small homes with nursing/ healthcare staff). The homes had been in a poor state, with some shared bedrooms. The homes have been handed over to McIntyre Housing. Some have been redeveloped, and others  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

4 March 2013, 1:30pm, venue tbc

4 March 2013, 1:30pm, venue tbc