Agenda item

To consider the Adults, Health and Wellbeing overview report.

As part of the annual opportunity to hold Cabinet Members and services to account, as well as understand the challenges and issues arising at the start of the current year’s work programme, the Committee was presented with the overview report from the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC) Adults, Health and Wellbeing directorate.  Introduced by the new SBC Director of Adults, Health and Wellbeing, and supported by the SBC Director of Public Health and SBC Assistant Director – Adult Strategy and Transformation, the report drew attention to the following:

Adult Social Care

Priorities for the year ahead and support for these, including:

• Reviewing the intermediate care offer.

• Focusing on developing further opportunities for supported and residential living within the Borough to enable less out-of-area placements.

• Developing a Workforce Strategy.

• Continuing to work with care providers to develop the care market within the Borough and improve quality of care.

• Developing co-production with people with lived experience.

Challenges and opportunities, including:

• Several key frameworks will be recommissioned in the next 18 months.

• Market Position Statement (MPS) for 2023-2026 completed – will be used to ensure sufficient provision for projected future need.

• Service demand, inflation / financial challenges and recruitment issues continue to impact upon the sector.

• Transformation Programme will continue, with a focus on recruitment and retention, leadership development / networks, activity programmes, and staff skills.  Success of the SBC Well-Led Programme (finalist in MJ Awards 2023) and the Care Home Legends initiative highlighted.

• Recognising the importance of resident wellbeing, a L2 Activity Provision in Care qualification was developed by the Learning and Skills Team – initial intake in June 2023 oversubscribed; second intake in September 2023.

• Responding to medication management issues identified via CQC and PAMMS inspections – commissioned support from NHS Medicines Optimisation Team, created Care Home Quality Group to upskill staff around medication, and created L3 Medication Management qualification (accredited and recognised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)).

• Nationally recognised local systems in place to enable timely hospital discharge (including use of Rosedale Centre and Rapid Response (care at home) options) – integration key and SBC focused on what more can be done to maintain / enhance this success.

• Created a new Lived Experience Co-ordinator role in November 2022 to transform the Council’s co-production approach.

Officers highlighted the new CQC inspection regime for Adult Social Care within Local Authorities which was introduced from April 2023 – more information on this, and the Council’s preparations for an inspection of its existing offer, would be shared with the Committee in the future.

The SBC Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care spoke of the importance of raising the status of people working within the care sector (which also had the potential to help with ongoing recruitment challenges).  The Council’s Well-Led Programme had supported this drive and had enabled / encouraged managers to more effectively share best practice / ideas / concerns.  The positive quality assurance audit of SBC by the Teeswide Safeguarding Adult Board (TSAB) was noted, as was the successful partnership-working with local NHS Trusts to facilitate more timely hospital discharges (whilst maintaining checks on readmission rates to ensure individuals were being discharged appropriately).  Involvement in a regional group looking at recruitment to the care sector and how to attract people into the area was also outlined.

Acknowledging the benefits of good quality leadership in creating better care, a brief overview of the established SBC Well-Led Programme was provided.  Feedback from participants had demonstrated the value of the course, with senior staff now seeing each other more as colleagues (willing to assist where possible) rather than competitors.

The new SBC Director of Adults, Health and Wellbeing reflected on her recent appointment and early stages in the role, including the national awareness of the positive work going on within the Borough, particularly around good practice, partnership-working and regeneration.  The locality had a strong sense of identity and there were firm foundations upon which to develop future plans. Members queried why Stockton-on-Tees was held in such regard by others and heard that relationships with local NHS Trusts, end-to-end thinking around hospital discharge, and the close proximity of community health and acute health services were not the norm for all local systems.

Public Health

Priorities for the year ahead and support for these, including:

• Driving forward the Asset-Based Community Development approach.

• Continuing to address inequalities across all areas of work.

• Developing and implementing a local health and wellbeing model and offer for children, young people and families.

• Further develop the approach to working with the adult population (including transition from childhood) to ensure services are available and accessible.

• Further develop ‘healthy places’, creating the environment for good health.

• Protect the health of the population (e.g. screening / major incident plans).

• Support local / regional development of the Integrated Care System (ICS).

Challenges and opportunities, including:

• Recruitment to high-level roles remains an issue – national gap for Consultants in Public Health and Public Health Specialists.

• Asset-Based Community Development model provides opportunities around how the Council and its partners support communities as both facilitators and enablers.  Pilot being developed to support those with multiple complex needs.

• Building on previous health inequality work, further development of relationships with Primary Care is envisaged (aided by a new ‘place’-based Stockton-on-Tees Committee involving co-working with NHS colleagues).

• Health and Wellbeing Strategy to be refreshed – framework for capturing impact to be devised.

• Established links to family and parent groups will inform the developing model for the 0-19 provision (up to 25 years for SEND).

• Demand for adult services continues to grow – looking at provision of earlier intervention which can prevent escalation into more intense support needs.

• Work ongoing around wider determinants of health (e.g. employment, safety, access to green space, etc.).

The SBC Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture referenced Health and Wellbeing Board discussions around tobacco control / vapes.  Vaping had become a fast-evolving issue which the Council and its partners should be vigilant over and would potentially need to take a stance on.

AGREED that the Adults, Health and Wellbeing overview report be noted.