Agenda item

MOTION: PROTECTION OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS OF WIRRAL

Minutes:

Proposed by Councillor Jeff Green

Seconded by Councillor Lesley Rennie

 

(1)  Council believes that caring for vulnerable adults with learning and physical difficulties is one of the most important functions of a fair and responsible society.

 

(2)  Council thanks the Care Quality Commission for their report exposing the failures within the Council’s provision of adult social services.

 

(3)  Council believes that this failure to protect our most vulnerable residents is a shameful failure of responsibility of senior Labour Councillors and that, by this failure, Wirral is reportedly the poorest-performing adult social services department in the country.

 

(4)  Council welcomes the Action Plan being implemented by the Interim Director of Adult Social Services to correct the failings of the past and gives its backing to the measures being undertaken by him, and the new Administration.

 

(5)  Council thanks the Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member and the members of the Interim Executive Board who meet regularly to ensure the changes identified by the CQC are implemented.

 

(6)  Council welcomes the contribution made to the consultation ‘Wirral’s Future’ by adults and users of adult social services, their carers and families and voluntary, community and faith organisations.

 

(7)  Council calls upon the former Labour Leader of the Council and the former Cabinet Member for Social Care and Inclusion to apologise to Council and the people of Wirral for their abject failure in the conduct of their responsibilities.

 

(8)  Council believes this failure to deliver care and failure to apologise since publication of the CQC Report, demonstrates that Wirral Labour is incapable of caring for the most vulnerable.

 

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2):

 

Proposed by Councillor Moira McLaughlin

Seconded by Councillor Brian Kenny

 

Delete all after paragraph (1). Insert:

 

(2)  Council recognises that there were failures in the provision of services for those with Learning Disabilities, and that the then Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and the then Leader of the Council both apologised publicly to service users for those failures and welcomed the recommendations of the Care Quality Commission.

 

(3)  Council recognises that criticisms centred around a failure to modernise at speed those services which are more traditional, such as day services, and on a continued reliance on residential care, rather than more community based alternatives.

 

(4)  Council believes that, while this has been recognised as a failure to provide the most up to date and stimulating alternatives, it arose from an attempt to tailor the pace of change to one which maintains the confidence of this vulnerable group of users and carers, and recognises the reasons why some are fearful and resistant to change. Council accepts that this slower progress has led to an over-protective, segregated service, rather than modern, integrated provision" 

 

(5)  Council further recognises that changes of the nature recommended by the Care Quality Commission will not be easy to achieve quickly precisely because they challenge the traditional way of providing services which users and their families and carers are familiar with and feel safe with, and that this is reflected in the responses to the consultation which urged retention of all Day Centres.

 

(6)  Council therefore believes that the Interim Director of Social Services should be supported in his moves to implement the Action Plan introduced following the Care Quality Commission report and that, while progress should be carefully monitored and scrutinised, it would not be appropriate for this issue to become a political football which can only distract from the very real and difficult issues that lie ahead.

 

Having applied the guillotine in accordance with Standing Order 7(8) the Council did not debate this matter.

 

The amendment was put and lost (24:40) (One abstention).

 

The motion was put and carried (40:24) (One abstention).

 

Resolved (40:24:1) -

 

(1)  Council believes that caring for vulnerable adults with learning and physical difficulties is one of the most important functions of a fair and responsible society.

 

(2)  Council thanks the Care Quality Commission for their report exposing the failures within the Council’s provision of adult social services.

 

(3)  Council believes that this failure to protect our most vulnerable residents is a shameful failure of responsibility of senior Labour Councillors and that, by this failure, Wirral is reportedly the poorest-performing adult social services department in the country.

 

(4)  Council welcomes the Action Plan being implemented by the Interim Director of Adult Social Services to correct the failings of the past and gives its backing to the measures being undertaken by him, and the new Administration.

 

(5)  Council thanks the Liberal Democrat Cabinet Member and the members of the Interim Executive Board who meet regularly to ensure the changes identified by the CQC are implemented.

 

(6)  Council welcomes the contribution made to the consultation ‘Wirral’s Future’ by adults and users of adult social services, their carers and families and voluntary, community and faith organisations.

 

(7)  Council calls upon the former Labour Leader of the Council and the former Cabinet Member for Social Care and Inclusion to apologise to Council and the people of Wirral for their abject failure in the conduct of their responsibilities.

 

(8)  Council believes this failure to deliver care and failure to apologise since publication of the CQC Report, demonstrates that Wirral Labour is incapable of caring for the most vulnerable.