Agenda and minutes

Media

Items
No. Item

10.

MEMBER DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members were asked to consider whether they had 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 what they were.

 

The following declarations were made:

 

Councillor Michael Collins

Personal interest in item 5 (proposed Public Health Commissioning Intentions 2021-22) as a Governor of Wirral University Teaching Hospital, and as his daughter works for the Hospital as well.

Councillor Mary Jordan

Personal interest in item 5 (proposed Public Health Commissioning Intentions 2021-22) as she works for the NHS, was a Trustees of IncuBabies and had a son working for the NHS.

Councillor Tom Usher

Pecuniary interest in item 5 (proposed Public Health Commissioning Intentions 2021-22) as an employee of Autism Together

Councillor Moira McLaughlin

Personal interest in item 5 (proposed Public Health Commissioning Intentions 2021-22) as she had a daughter working for the NHS

 

11.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 131 KB

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2020.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Resolved – That the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2020 be agreed.

12.

PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Legal Services informed the Adult Social Care and Health Committee that no Public questions, or requests to make a statement had been received.

13.

Proposed Public Health Commissioning Intentions 2021-22 pdf icon PDF 184 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Julie Webster, The Director of Public Health, introduced a report that sought agreement to progress Public Health’s proposed commissioning intentions for 2021-2022.

 

The proposals in the report linked to the delivery of the Wirral Plan 2025 and the statutory responsibilities of the local authority in respect of public health:  services which helped people live happy, healthy, independent and active lives, with public services there to support them when they needed it.

 

The report set out that the Health and Social Care Act (2012) gave Wirral Council statutory duties across three “domains” of Public Health, as described in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.  These duties covered the following components:

 

  Health improvement – including reducing lifestyle related ill-health and inequalities in health, and addressing the underlying determinants of health;

  Health protection – ensuring that comprehensive plans are in place across the local authority, NHS and other agencies to respond to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies;

  Health service improvement - providing NHS Commissioners, including Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), with expert advice and support to improve and evaluate the quality and efficiency of health services.

 

It was noted that the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) should both inform and influence the commissioning plans of the Council and so influence how the Public Health grant was attributed. These responsibilities were delivered through a combination of external contracts, internal investment and running costs.

 

The Director of Public Health informed that the report was intended to provide transparency in relation to commissioning intentions that were delivered through external contracts, emphasising that it was funded through ringfenced grants.

 

Members questioned the timescales and specific areas such as drug/alcohol support.

 

Officers noted that the figure given in the recommendation (2) (£1,811,483) should actually read £1,548,858.

 

Resolved – That

 

(1)  the Director of Public Health be authorised to:

 

i  re-commission a Stop Smoking Service totalling up to £4,884,600 (£697,000 per annum) for an initial five-year contract (1 October 2021 – 30 September 2026) with the option of two one-year extensions.

 

ii  re-commission a Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Programme totalling up to £262,625 (£52,525 per annum) for an initial three-year contract (1 October 2021 – 30 September 2024) with the option of two one-year extensions.

 

iii  extend a further 11 contracts in 2021/22 as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.

 

(2)  the decision to re-commission contracts totalling £1,548,858 for four Children’s Public Health Programmes, for initial one year contracts (1 September 2021 – 31 August 2022) with the option of a one year extension for each to be made by Children, Young People and Education Committee be noted.

14.

Proposal for Roll out of Lateral Flow Testing in Wirral pdf icon PDF 98 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Julie Webster, the Director of Public Health, introduced a report that outlined a proposal for the roll out of Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) in Wirral. The Wirral: Mass asymptomatic Testing – Lateral Flow Antigen Testing paper was attached as an appendix to the report.

 

The report informed that LFTs were a simple-to-use point of care solution for rapid COVID-19 testing. LFTs offered rapid turnaround time (20-30 mins) without the need for laboratory processing. As part of the Tier 3 agreement with Liverpool City Region LFTs were being offered to Directors of Public Health (DsPH), to enable local teams to direct and deliver community testing based on their local knowledge. 10,000 had been offered initially, which would eb aimed at high risk populations.

 

The proposal was to utilise LFTs locally to:

-  Identify & isolate infected people more quickly than relying upon symptomatic testing alone. Done well, this had the potential to reduce transmission.

-  Reducing the probability that anyone present was infectious and would allow more time-limited contact between people, supporting economic and social stability.

 

In order to gain maximum population benefit from this new technology the proposal was to undertake multiple pilots within Wirral across a variety of settings. This approach would allow the benefits to be evaluated and the consequences of the use of LFTs within different settings across the Borough. In this way it would build in a phased way towards the appropriate use of mass asymptomatic testing within the Borough.

 

Members had questions about some details such as the precise accuracy of tests and the numbers who could be reached. It was emphasised that people with a positive result would be offered a further, more accurate, test.

 

Resolved – That

 

1)  the recent developments regarding Lateral Flow testing be noted. 

2)  the proposals for the roll out of Lateral Flow Testing in Wirral be supported.

15.

Development of Contact Tracing in Wirral pdf icon PDF 94 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Julie Webster, the Director of Public Health, introduced a report that provided options and made a recommendation for the future direction for contact tracing in Wirral.

 

Members discussed the options in the report and queried the issue of borders, but it was explained that with contact tracing people could travel and still be contacted.

 

Resolved: That the option to deliver locally supported contact tracing, plus targeted local contact tracing where intelligence identifies high transmission risks, be supported.

16.

Adult Social Care and Health Performance Report Quarter 2 2020-21 pdf icon PDF 75 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning provided the 2020/21 Quarter 2 (July-September) performance report in relation to Adult Social Care and Health. The report was designed based on discussion with Members and an initial draft reviewed by the Committee at the meeting 13 October 2020. The Committee approved that report and requested it as an agenda item at future committees.

 

Jason Oxley, Assistant Director Care and Health Commissioning for People, introduced the report and statistics on performance.

 

Members questioned the numbers of care homes below ‘good’ status, and also those not paying the Real Living Wage, and the limited influence we had to improve standards. They appreciated the style of the report but suggested a working group to consider data analysis and data reporting.

 

Members also queried the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and their use at end of life. Members requested that further information on current practice in relation to Deprivation of Liberty be presented to committee members.

 

Resolved: That the content of the report be noted.

17.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 85 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members gave consideration to the report of the Director of Care and Health that set out the proposed Adult Social Care and Health Committee Work Programme 2020/21 as detailed in the appendix to the report.

 

The Adult Social Care and Health Committee, in co-operation with the other Policy and Service Committees, was responsible for proposing and delivering an annual committee work programme. The work programme aligned with the corporate priorities of the Council, in particular the delivery of the key decisions which are within the remit of the Committee. 

 

Members were aware that the plan required review as the Covid-19 pandemic developed.

 

Resolved: That the proposed Adult Social Care and Health Committee work programme for the remainder of the 2020/21 municipal year be noted.

18.

Covid Update pdf icon PDF 75 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A report of the Director of Public Health referenced to the published surveillance data for Wirral in relation to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Julie webster, Director of Public Health presented the report ad spoke about the daily monitoring and the rates of increase which had dramatically increased to a peak of 226 on 19 October but decreased since hen to around 74 at the last record, showing that there was still widespread community transmission. Christmas was considered a difficult time and restrictions may have to continue until Spring or until the majority of people had been vaccinated, although it was unlikely to disappear and would need to be managed in the future.

 

Members commented on the value of local testing and contact tracing.

 

Resolved: That the report be noted. 

19.

FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS FOR BUDGET WORKSHOP

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair added this item as urgent business as the decision was required before the next scheduled meeting of the Committee. It was to consider feedback from the private Budget Workshops held since the last meeting and to consider which of the options.

 

Graham Hodkinson, Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning, explained the context of the budget process, explaining that the Council was under considerable budget pressure as a result of the pandemic and was seeking ways to reduce debt and costs with the aim to get the budget balanced within five years.

 

Councillor Kate Cannon moved the following Motion, seconded by Councillor Samantha Frost:

 

Adult Care and Health Committee wishes to protect services where a reduction in budget would lead to more costly demand pressures occurring subsequently.

Adult Care and Health Services will contribute significantly to savings over the next 5yrs by aspiring to delivering it’s services efficiently, to a high standard and in a way that ensures people can be independent for as long as possible.

Committee has considered all of the options and wishes to proceed with;

Budget Option 2- £500,00 saving from Wirral Evolutions

Budget Option 3- Strength based assessments as well as all of the in year savings to be re-profiled into 21/22

For the reasons stated above, them being that cuts impacting on the quality of services will lead to greater costs in future years.

We therefore reject;

Budget Option 1- Rationalising contracts to the voluntary community and faith sector.

Budget option 4- Discontinuing paying the real living wage fee rate to care providers.

Budget option 5- Reduction of NHS care providers- Social care contracts.

Budget option 6- Adult social care staffing reduction

Budget option 7- Public Health staffing reduction.

 

Members debated this Motion, how it affected partnership working and suggested internal processes around contracts be reviewed too.

 

Councillor Phil Gilchrist move an amendment, Seconded by Councillor Mary Jordan:

committee believes steps should be taken that will ensure a more effective operation of the shared aids and adaptation services with a view to a co-ordinated and improved services.

 

Councillor Kate Cannon accepted the amendment.

 

Resolved: That

 

(1)  Adult Care and Health Committee wishes to protect services where a reduction in budget would lead to more costly demand pressures occurring subsequently.

(2)  Adult Care and Health Services will contribute significantly to savings over the next 5yrs by aspiring to delivering it’s services efficiently, to a high standard and in a way that ensures people can be independent for as long as possible.

(3)  Committee has considered all of the options and wishes to proceed with;

Budget Option 2- £500,00 saving from Wirral Evolutions

Budget Option 3- Strength based assessments as well as all of the in-year savings to be re-profiled into 21/22

For the reasons stated above, them being that cuts impacting on the quality of services will lead to greater costs in future years.

(4)  We therefore reject;

Budget Option 1- Rationalising contracts to the voluntary community and faith sector.

Budget option 4-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.