Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest reported at the meeting.

Submitted – The Minutes (previously circulated) of the meeting of this Scrutiny Committee held on 9 January 2024.

Resolved – That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of this Committee held on 9 January 2024, be approved as a correct record.

Verbal Update from the Assistant Director, Adult Services

The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, advised Members that there was no further update in relation to Darlington subsequent to the previous meeting.

Members were informed that Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be completing an inspection of Adult Services at Durham County Council within the next six months, with their self-assessment being provided to the CQC over the course of the coming weeks.

RESOLVED -  That the update be noted.

Presentation by the Service Manager (Safeguarding and ACT)

The Service Manager, Safeguarding and ACT, provided an update on Care Homes in Executive Strategy Measures. The presentation advised Members on the Executive Strategy process, the specific providers and services that had come out of Executive Strategy, the current providers and services within Executive Strategy, and the preventative steps being taken.

Members entered into discussion in relation to staffing levels in care homes and the arrangements in place to ensure that appropriate levels are maintained. The Committee were keen to learn more about staff training, whether training logs could be requested, who is able to access this training, and the training available for unpaid carers, and how unpaid carers can access this. Members acknowledged the upskilling and collaborative work that had been undertaken throughout this period.

Discussion ensued on the financial implications of those residents of Darlington who are presently residing in homes in another authority area, whether there was any financial redress from those authorities taking places in the Darlington area, and whether Darlington Borough Council could reserve block placements with its providers.

RESOLVED – That the content of the presentation be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Adult Services

The Assistant Director of Adult Services submitted a report (previously circulated) to provide Members with performance data against key performance indicators for 2023/24.

The submitted report outlined performance information in line with an indicator set and Scrutiny Committee distribution agreed by the Monitoring and Coordination Group on 4 June 2018, and subsequently agreed by Scrutiny Committee Chairs.

The submitted report stated that the indicators were aligned with key priorities and the majority are used to monitor the Council Plan. It was stated that other indicators may be referenced when appropriate in narrative provided by the relevant Assistant Directors, when providing the Committee with performance updates. Twelve indicators were reported to this committee, ten on a six-monthly basis and two annually.

It was reported that eight of the twelve indicators were reported on at the end of Quarter 2 of 2023/24, of which two indicators were showing performance better than the same period as of last year. Two indicators indicated that performance had declined in comparison to the same period as last year, however, were still being monitored and managed. One indicator remained the same as last year, and three indicators were not comparable and would be reviewed at a point in time.

The submitted report also stated that due to recent ASCOF/Client Level Data (CLD) changes there were four indicators that were no longer being reported, and that the new indicators that will replace them were currently under development.

Concerns were expressed as to whether residents were being discharged from hospital too soon, and discussion ensued on the conflicting national and local pressures involved. Members noted the increase in younger adults (aged 18-64) presenting with increased complex needs, and ascertained whether this was an ongoing trend. Members scrutinised the support available for families and unpaid carers looking after people within a domiciliary setting. Members were keen that the Carers Strategy was shared with carers. Discussion ensued on why Darlington has the third highest proportion of people using social care services, and the reasons for this.

RESOLVED – That the performance information provided in the submitted report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Adult Social Care

The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care, submitted a report (previously circulated) to enable the Committee to receive and comment upon the Annual Report of the Darlington Safeguarding Partnership (DSP) for the period of 2022/23.

The submitted report highlighted that Local Safeguarding Partnerships are required to produce an Annual Report to account for that Partnership’s achievements over the previous year and assess the effectiveness of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements within the local area. The submitted report summarised and reflected the work of the Partnership over the 2022/23 period.

The Chair of the Darlington Safeguarding Partnership was unable to attend the meeting and Members were advised that any questions on the report could be forwarded to the Chair accordingly.

RESOLVED – That the contents of the report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Law and Governance

The Assistant Director - Law and Governance submitted a report (previously circulated) requesting that Members gave consideration to the Work Programme items scheduled to be considered by this Scrutiny Committee during 2023/24, and to any additional areas that Members would like to be included.

RESOLVED – That the content of the report be noted.