Agenda item

Report of the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care (IASC/23/05), presenting the main recommendations of the Local Government Association Peer Challenge Report, and to summarise the Council’s Improvement Plan in response, attached.

RESOLVED that the responses outlined in section 3 of the Report be noted.

(Councillors Biederman and Brazil attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Integrated Adult Social Care (IASC/23/05), which presented the main recommendations of the Local Government Association Peer Challenge Report, and summarised the Council’s Improvement Plan in response ,which had been circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The background to the Devon LGA Peer Challenge which took place on 19-21 July 2023 was contained on its website and included:

·       Links to LGA Peer Challenge and CQC Assurance guidance.

·       Details of the Peer Team.

·       Position Statement and Self-Assessment.

·       Peer Challenge Timetable.

·       An archive of Communications.

·       Reports and other documents including the Council’s opening presentation, leadership survey, a summary of case audit activity, and closing feedback presentation.

The LGA presented feedback to a conference of stakeholders on 21 July 2023 and delivered a final report to the Council on 21 September 2023 which had been published by the Council on 22 September 2023. 

The Council had worked with stakeholders to define an Improvement Plan and once the Report had been finalised and received it would be added to the ‘outcomes and reports’ tab of the Devon LGA Peer Challenge website with an outline of next steps.

Further stakeholder communications would also take place alongside and as an outcome of political governance.

Section three of the Report highlighted the recommendations of the LGA Peer Challenge Team under six main headings which included raising awareness, prioritisation of transformation, collecting and using feedback, practice quality assurance, co-production and preparing for assurance.

As well as what the Council had done and would be doing in response to the recommendations, including, but not exclusively, established a LGA Peer Challenge website, briefings for stakeholder groups including Scrutiny Masterclasses, updating of CQC Assurance communications plan, establishing a CQC Assurance website, a review of transformation programme to recognise changing priorities, updated vision and strategies to frame transformation, focus on financial sustainability, publish a summary of the transformation programme and alignment with Improvement Plan, Medium Term Financial Strategy and the Council’s strategies and plans, complete a Self-Assessment building in a range of feedback, exploring cost-effective options for collecting and using feedback and improve collection and reporting of complaints.

For quality assurance, case audits had been undertaken and the Practice Quality Assurance Framework was being developed as well as developing a business case for investment on the basis that strengths-based practice could save money as well as improve outcomes by promoting independence. In terms of co-production, benchmarked current good practice, conversations to work better with the voluntary and community sector, publicising opportunities of the Co-production Working Group and Commissioning Involvement Group in order to formalise the co-production offer through a clear policy and consider the representation of people with lived experience in governance processes.

For preparing for assurance, the LGA Peer Challenge would be a ‘dress rehearsal’ for any future CQC inspection and documented lessons learned from the process. The Step-Up plan arrangements would be finalised as well as maintaining inspection readiness through regular meetings of the Step-Up team reporting to the Assurance Board.

The Director for Integrated Adult Social Care also updated on recent masterclasses and the staff and stakeholder survey on leadership of the service, which she encouraged as many people as possible to complete (https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=gzehjWjLP0S7S5l_d_1b-zA0S7mlCotFt3O18StASIhUNVY2TlM4NTJUWVlTNVhSTlpaNEVUN01UOS4u)

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Director’s Report having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED that the responses outlined in section 3 of the Report be noted.