The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting as well as those watching the webcast.

Apologies were received from Cllr Tony Murphy who was substituted by Cllr Graeme Cooper.

Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

Members were asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests and any other relevant interest and to state the nature of the interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2025.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2025 be approved as a correct record.

No public or member questions, statements or petitions were received.

Notice of question to be given in writing or by email by 12 noon, Thursday 27 February 2025 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer via this link: Public Question Form and to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 10. The question to be put at the meeting shall not exceed 100 words in length.

For more information on how your personal information will be used, please see this link: Document Data Protection Protocol for Public Speakers at Committees | Wirral Council

Please telephone the Committee Services Officer if you have not received an acknowledgement of your question by the deadline for submission.

Statements and Petitions

Notice of representations (statements) and petitions are to be given in writing by 12 noon, 27 February 2025 to the Council’s Monitoring Officer.

To register your intention to give a statement please do so via this link: Public Statement Notification, and this will be dealt with in accordance with Standing Order 11.1.

Petitions may be presented to the Committee. The person presenting the petition will be allowed to address the meeting briefly (not exceeding one minute) to outline the aims of the petition. The Chair will refer the matter to another appropriate body of the Council within whose terms of reference it falls without discussion, unless a relevant item appears elsewhere on the Agenda. Please give notice of petitions to committeeservices@wirral.gov.uk in advance of the meeting.

Questions by Members to be dealt with in accordance with Standing Orders 12.3 to 12.8.

The Chair informed members that in order to assist in the order of business, agenda item 8 and 18 be considered last to allow the Committee to move into exempt sessions. The minutes are in the order of the printed agenda.

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The Assistant Director Early Help, Prevention and Effectiveness presented

the report of the Director of Children, Families and Education which provided an update on the 5-year partnership strategy, Domestic Abuse – No Excuse, launched in November 2020. It detailed the position at the time of writing and next steps on how partners were reviewing progress; understanding the need and co-producing Wirral’s next partnership strategy. A report had been taken to the Safer Wirral Partnership Board in January 2025 which outlined the headline outcomes for the 12 month period to October 2024. During this period there were 7,000 domestic abuse crimes in Wirral with an average of just over 400 per month. It was highlighted that Wirral had the lowest domestic abuse rate per ten thousand head of population at 219 compared to an average of 264.9 across Merseyside. It was noted that the increased volume of domestic abuse reporting could potentially relate to an increase in confidence in services.

The duties under the Domestic Abuse Act were outlined, including the need for accommodation-based support to be assessed, a strategy prepared and a Local Partnership Board established.

It was highlighted that there would be a focus on Domestic Abuse nationally in October 2025 and the new Wirral Domestic Abuse Strategy was due to be launched at one of the events during October 2025.

Members asked about the comparative data across Merseyside and about what was included in target hardening and this was discussed. Coercive control, including financial abuse, was discussed too. Members asked whether the perpetrator profile had changed over time and about elder abuse.

Resolved - That

1. The update be noted.

2.  A further report be received in June 2025.

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Due to unforeseen circumstances the Chair agreed to defer this report to Committee in June.

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The Director of Public Health, the Assistant Director and Consultant in Public Health and the Public Health Principal presented the report of the Director of Public Health and reported that as part of the government’s national drugs strategy (2021), Wirral Borough Council had received grant funding from central government to tackle drug-related harms each year since 2021/22.  The report provided an update on 25/26 grant funding allocations to tackle drug and alcohol-related harms, progress made in the delivery of grant funded allocations and the Wirral Drugs Strategy 2023-27.

The report set out the continued funding due to be received in 2025/26, that had been made available to support the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery agenda through the introduction of a single Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant (DATRIG) which included Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery (SSMTR) grant funding, Inpatient Detoxification grant funding (IPD) and Individual Placement Support (IPS). It was emphasised that the continued funding allocations were still subject to Department of Health and Social Care and Treasury approvals and final allocations could vary.

It was highlighted that the work the Council had done had been recognised as good practice nationally by the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Council’s involvement in the successful predecessor programme, Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery), led to the roll out of funding nationally.

Members asked about positive outcomes within the delivery of the service.

Resolved – That

1.  The provisional Delivery Plan outlined at appendix 1 of the report for the £4,376,408 Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery grant be approved.

2.  The provisional utilisation of the 2025/26 Inpatient Detoxification grant of £111,364 (indicative) be approved.

3.  The provisional utilisation of the 2025/26 grant funding for Individual Placement Support of £159,614 (indicative) be approved.

4.  The progress made to date in delivering the SSMTR, Inpatient Detoxification) and the Individual Placement Support programmes be noted.

5.  Delivery progress of the Wirral Drugs Strategy 2023/2027 be noted.

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The Interim Assistant Director, Integrated Services and Commissioning presented the report of the Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning which described the outcome of the annual engagement exercise with the Local Community Care Market for fee rates to be paid to care providers for 2025/2026. The service areas covered by the rates and fees were Residential and Nursing Care, Supported Living, Extra Care, Care and Support at Home, Direct Payments, Shared Lives and Specialist residential placements. It was reported that 49 providers responded to the four week engagement exercise in November and December 2024.

It was clarified to Members that not all care homes charged a top up above a standard rate. A top up was applied for something that was different or special within the care home such as a bigger suite or enhanced observations and the rate could be brokered and monitored for people, if requested. It was noted that the term elderly, mental or infirm should not be applied to people living with dementia.

Members asked about the increase in the rate of fees and this was discussed. It was clarified that the increase included increases in the real living wage and the increased national insurance contributions from 1 April 2025.

Resolved - That

1. The rates as set out in paragraph 4.2 of the report; to apply, with effect from 1 April 2025 to services commissioned by Wirral Borough Council and jointly commissioned services between Wirral Borough Council and NHS Cheshire and Mersey Integrated Care Board (ICB), in relation to Residential and Nursing Care, Supported Living, Extra Care, Care and Support at Home, Direct Payments and Shared Lives be approved.

2. The move to one fee rate for the Community Care Market given the high percentage of providers paying the Real Living Wage (RLW) and to pay providers who pay the National Living Wage by exception, be supported.

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The Head of Finance – People presented the report of the Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning which set out the financial monitoring information for the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee as at Quarter 3 (31 December) of 2024/25. The report provided Members with an overview of budget performance, including progress on the delivery of the 2024/25 saving programme and a summary of reserves and balances, to enable the Committee to take ownership of the budgets and provide robust challenge and scrutiny to Officers and where appropriate, Committees on the performance of those budgets.

At the end of Quarter 3, the financial outlook had deteriorated further since quarter 2. Current estimates forecasted an adverse outturn position of £7.810m (£6.527m in Quarter 2) on the Committees net revenue budget of £143.105m. This position was based on activity to date, projected trends in income and expenditure and changes to Council funding. Activity over the winter period had placed additional strains on hospitals and subsequently requests for social care. T

The Council had faced a severe financial challenge throughout the year to achieve a balanced budget. All possible measures to curtail spending and generate substantial cost savings had been applied. However, the current forecast showed that the Council would not be in a position to provide a balanced budget by financial year-end. Consequently, the Section 151 officer submitted an application for Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). Notification had been received that this application had now been approved.

The main pressures in the Adult Social Care and Health Directorate continued to be in relation to the cost of care with a forecast overspend of £10.8m which was partially offset by £1.5m overachievement of client income, which reflected the increased numbers of clients receiving support. The rising cost of residential nursing placements reflected the additional support needed by clients entering care from a hospital setting. Community Care forecasting had increased due to the complexity of those in care. Budget efficiency meetings continued to be held with senior managers to manage through a set of mitigating actions to be tracked and monitored over the financial year.  Directors had continued with the action plan to potentially reduce ongoing expenditure and mitigate the overspend. Additional resources had been brought in and remained in place to ensure that efficiencies in care packages were made as early as possible and the Director continued to engage proactively around a whole systems approach.  At the end of Q3, £6.596m of savings had been validated however, demand was still outstripping the mitigation programme. It was reported that as at year end there was forecast to be £6.2m ringfenced reserves remaining, all with specific conditions limiting their use.

Members discussed the increasing demand for services and debt collection, the numbers of children coming through to Adults services, budget efficiency meetings and the prevention agenda.

Cllr Gilchrist proposed a change to recommendation 2 to

replace the words “is still awaited.” with the words “has  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

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The Interim Assistant Director, Integrated Services and Commissioning presented the report of the Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning which was a performance report in relation to Adult Social Care and Public Health. It was highlighted that there had been an increase in the number of people accessing the service of around 500 people between Q3 in 2023 and Q3 2024. The number of people in residential and nursing care had remained relatively static until the winter period and had shown a slight increase at Q3.  Capacity had been maintained across all sectors of the market with an overall capacity level of 7.83percent. A steady improvement was reported in the CQC ratings for care homes, supported living and domiciliary care services. The new direct payments support service had begun. Domiciliary care at home continued to increase and this tied in with the Home First pathways and maintaining people at home. It was reported that in the community care market, more people were being brought onto the books but they were also staying on the books longer after a period of reablement and living longer. The number of people in receipt of assistive technology had increased. An increase in the number of people living in extra care was highlighted.

Resolved – That the content of the report be noted.

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The Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning presented this report which provided a quarterly performance report in relation to the Council Plan: Wirral Working Together 2023-27 for the Theme promoting independence and healthier lives. The report provided a focus on updating on measures that had changed in the Quarter 3 period, October to December 2024 and included performance context and mitigations in place where underperformance was identified. It was reported that there had been little change since the last quarter with three ambers, four reds, six neutrals and four green ratings. It was highlighted that some of the targets were annual targets, particularly around public health and would therefore remain the same.  Wirral was performing slightly below the target for people aged over 65 living at home 91 days after discharge from hospital. There was a trend in increasing cost in the average weekly cost of nursing care and with inflation and other costs this was expected to continue to grow.

It was pointed out that healthy life expectancy at birth and inequality at birth had not changed and this would need 5 to 10 years to show improvement. The Director of Public Health reported that there were a lot of measures behind the scenes which could make an impact on the figures and this information would be shared with committee.

Resolved – The content of the report be noted and be referred up to Policy & Resources Committee.

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The Director of Public Health presented the Public Health Annual Report (PHAR) which was an independent report of the Director of Public Health that highlighted key health and wellbeing challenges facing our local communities and provided information and evidence on key issues that partners should prioritise in the forthcoming year. It was a statutory requirement. This year, the Annual Public Health Report had focused on the important public health issue of addiction in Wirral, including substance use (smoking, drugs and alcohol) and gambling. This supplemented the State of the Borough report, which set out Wirral’s wider health and wellbeing needs.

Members queried the detail of the report including success measures, signposting and supportive charities.

Resolved – That

1. The Public Health Annual Report 2024/2025: From Darkness to Light, from Harm to Hope - Journeys of Addiction attached at Appendix 1 to

the report be endorsed.

2. The ongoing work to address addiction including developing collaborative strategies that embrace evidence-based practices and creating effective support systems for those suffering from addiction or its impacts be supported.

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The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care All Age Independence & Provider Services presented the report of the Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning which fulfilled the statutory requirement for the Council to produce an Annual Report about complaints made by, or on behalf of people who received support or services from Adult Social Care. The Annual Report also provided a mechanism by which the Council could monitor the quality and effectiveness of services. The report provided an overview and analysis of all complaints received during the reporting period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 which included the numbers of complaints received, key themes identified, responding to complaints (including performance data against statutory requirements), overview of complaints escalated to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, learning from complaints and compliments. The report would be shared on the Council’s website for the public to view.

There had been an increase of 32 percent in complaints compared to the previous year, rising from 161 to 213.  The number of people supported by Adult Social Care had increased by 21percent between November 2021 and November 2024 and the increase in demand may go some way to explain the rise in complaints.

The three key areas arising from the report were the same as in previous years and included financial and charging issues, social work concerns and the standard of care and support. 96percent of complaints were resolved at a local resolution stage and did not progress to the Local Government or the Social Care Ombudsman.

It was reported that 57percent of the complaints had been fully or partially upheld.

The Council was 100 percent compliant with all the recommendations noted by the Ombudsman and no public reports were issued against Adult Social Care.

Members asked about staff retention and it was reported that the position was stable and the numbers involved in the apprenticeship scheme would be shared.

Resolved – That the contents of the Annual Complaints Report (Appendix 1) relating to statutory Adult Social Care service delivery be noted.

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The Director of Adults, Health, and Strategic Commissioning introduced the report, together with the Assistant Director for Operation Delivery, which provided an update following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) three-day onsite assessment of Wirral Borough Council which commenced on 16 September 2024. During the visit, CQC conducted interviews with Elected Members, the Senior Leadership Team, frontline staff and teams, alongside statutory partners, key stakeholders, and people who access services and carers. The final CQC report and rating decision was published by the CQC in January 2025 and stated that the quality statement scores awarded to Wirral Council were: ‘Requires Improvement’. It was noted that it was three points off ‘good’ in the CQC assessment. The assessment made recommendations which will be reviewed to develop actions and vision, particularly where areas were identified that required improvement.

Members queried the best ways to improve the resilience of the department for the future.

Resolved - That

1. This report and published reports of the CQC’s quality statement and scores awarded to Wirral Council be noted.

2. The ongoing developments and Adult Social Care (ASC) Improvement Plan outlined within the report be endorsed. These actions would address the issues detailed within CQC’s Final Report and the ‘Requires Improvement’ rating awarded in January 2025.

3. Members Continue to work with and support the Director of Adults, Health, and Strategic Commissioning to achieve completion of the improvements required as set out within this report, using the ASCPH Committee to provide oversight of progress.

4. This report will also be used to update the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the Wirral Place Based Partnership Board.

The Chair of the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee introduced this report which detailed the annual work programme of items for consideration by the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee.

Members pointed out that Wirral was the only authority that made appointments from Adults Committee in June rather than at the Annual Council in May. The result was that there was no appointee in place to attend the first ICB Scrutiny Panel meeting in July. The Head of Legal would look into this and liaise with Cllr Mary Jordan, Chair of the ICB Scrutiny Panel.

It was agreed that the following item would be added to the work programme:

·  Domestic Abuse Annual Report – June 2025

Members would be invited to the Domestic Abuse event on 13 May 2025.

Resolved – That subject to the above additional items, the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee work programme for the remainder of the 2025/26 municipal year be noted.

The following item contains exempt information.

RECOMMENDATION: That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The Public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

Resolved - That, under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely discussion of exempt information as defined by paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act.  The Public Interest test had been applied and favoured exclusion.

Resolved – That Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee noted the exempt appendices to the report.