Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Adult Commissioning and Health (ACH/17/72) on the Provider Quality Support Policy, attached.

An Impact Assessment is also attached.

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

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Head of Adult Commissioning and Health (ACH/17/72) on the Provider Quality Support Policy. The Care Act 2014 placed greater emphasis on local authorities to support independent care providers and in response, in 2014, the Council established the Quality Assurance and Improvement Team to develop quality assurance arrangements across adult social care markets, work with providers, improve quality, share best practice etc. The report outlined there had been significant improvement in the quality of Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated care markets in Devon.

The Provider Quality Support Policy was the culmination of work over the last two years by the operations, safeguarding and quality teams in adult health and social care working together to support providers to achieve notable outcomes. However, in addition to CQC inspection outcomes the Policy adopted a range of ‘Early Indicators of Concern’ which were monitored regularly to identify where early intervention / support could help to prevent further escalation of concerns. Examples included safeguarding concerns, complaints, emergency hospital admissions and / or feedback and as a result of monitoring, procedures had become more proactive, enabling timelier support and / or intervention.

The main application of the Policy would be to manage provider quality concerns through ‘Provider Quality Reviews’ as described in the report. The Policy had been developed jointly by the Council, Torbay Council, NEW Devon CCG, South Devon and Torbay CCG and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

The Head of Service’s Report incorporated an Impact Assessment relating to the possible impacts of the proposal, which had been circulated for the attention of Members at this meeting in order that as part of its determination of the next steps in the process the Cabinet might have full regard to the responsibilities placed upon it to exercise its Public Sector Equality Duty, under s149 of the Equality Act 2010.

The Impact Assessment outlined that the Policy was a means of ensuring that providers met all their legal and contractual obligations (including equality considerations) and would enable proactive and timely support / intervention, therefore the assessment recognised the positive impact of the Strategy and that no unmanageable impacts had been identified.

The matter having been debated and the options and/or alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability, carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and Public Health impact) set out in the Head of Service’s Report and/or referred to above having been considered:

It was MOVED by Councillor Leadbetter, SECONDED by Councillor Hart, and

RESOLVED thatthe proposed ‘Provider Quality Support (to replace the current ‘Quality Threshold Policy’) be approved and adopted.

[NB: The Impact Assessment referred to above may be viewed alongside Minutes of this meeting and may also be available at:  http://new.devon.gov.uk/impact/].