Agenda item

Report of the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care, Devon County Council (ACH/23/156), attached

The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Officer for Integrated Adult Social Care for Devon County Council (ACH/23/156) on the requirements placed on Integrated Adult Social Care through the CQC assurance framework and support for the Service in its preparedness. The Report highlighted the role of Members in this process and how they remained briefed and appropriately involved.

Members’ discussion points and comments with the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care; and Head of Adult Care Operations and Health, included:

• The importance of the review was stressed and the external judgment on Devon’s Adult Social Care services was welcomed.

• The implementation would start from April, although there could be a delay as recruitment was underway for inspectors with more recent experience of adult social care.
• The process was likely to start with a self-assessment process and officers were busy working on this. It would be similar to an OFSTED inspection.
• Joint work was being undertaken with the Local Government Association, Directors of Adults Social Care, and the Department of Health and Social Care working with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 
• Officers in Devon were being involved in developing the new framework for the CQC, which would be broad and look at how the authority implements its Care Act duties.
• Local authorities had a duty around market sufficiency and performance with external providers would be examined.
• The Council had duties around prevention and wellbeing and also had responsibilities around integration with health and social care and safeguarding.
• The new framework had four themes of working with people, providing support, ensuring safety, and leadership and workforce, and evidence for these would need to be provided.
• Members and officers needed to be aware of both the strengths and weaknesses in the service so they would be able to demonstrate this to the inspectors
• It was difficult to predict what the CQC might ask but it would likely be determined by risk. There could be a specific focus on financial sustainability or on criteria to reside (previously called delayed transfers of care).
• There was a good understanding of services that worked well and areas that needed improvements for better outcomes for people and action was being taken to do this.
• Members were encouraged to visit local adult social care teams and talk to staff and ask questions and find out about the experiences of people who receive adult social care
• Information about what would be presented to the CQC when they visited was being brought together in a document and it was agreed this would be shared with the Committee
• The importance of the role of the Scrutiny Committee in holding the service to account to help the Council get to a position where it was assured that services were delivering.
• Reassurance was given that the self-assessment work would be a living document which would be updated

Due to the importance of this item, it was agreed that this should be regularly reported to the Committee. This would be scheduled on the forward work programme.

RESOLVED:

(a) that the Committee

1. recognise the requirements placed on Integrated Adult Social Care through the CQC assurance framework, and supports the service in its preparedness; and

(b) that the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Committee be supported in its role regarding assurance of local authority delivery of its duties defined by part one of the Care Act (2014) by:

               i.         Being offered further Masterclasses on this and related topics by

request.

              ii.         Being offered succinct briefing notes on related matters such as the

Care Quality Commission Assurance Framework, Care Act (2014) duties, Annual Report summary, Vision/Strategies summary.

             iii.         Being offered group or individual briefing sessions ahead of any inspection visit by the Care Quality Commission.