Decision details

The Group Director, Community & Children’s Services provided Members with a comprehensive overview of the report before them, providing detailed information in relation to the consultation undertaken on the proposals, the rationale for the proposals on both a local and national level and the findings and suggested recommendations to be taken forward, regarding the future provision of the Council’s residential care homes and day services in light of the consultation feedback received.

 

The Group Director spoke of the need for the Council to review the residential care home and day care provision that it delivers internally as part of the modernisation of the future long term care it commissions for older people.  He added that doing nothing in respect of each proposal was not a viable option and without exploring the potential for re-designing the way that adult care was provided, it would not be possible to meet people’s changing expectations and increasing demand within the resources available.  This recognition for the need to change was also highlighted by the Care Inspectorate Wales.

 

The Group Director referenced the positive investment already taken forward across the County Borough with the Councils Extra Care facilities and the benefits that such provision provided, allowing residents to live independently, although accessing a package of care if and when required.

 

In respect of day care services it was noted that while the service provision remains popular among the people that use them and provides essential respite for carers, attendance at older people’s day centres has shown a decline over recent years, with the Group Director commenting that the provision no longer represents the most effective response to meeting people’s needs.

 

The Group Director reported on the consultation undertaken over a period from 14th January 2019 to 8th April 2019, following a decision by Cabinet on the 21^st November 2018 in respect of the preferred options for the future service delivery model for the Council's residential care homes and day care services within Rhondda Cynon Taf.  Members were advised that the results of the feedback were also subject to scrutiny at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on the 22^nd July, with the comments from which forming part of the report, to assist Members in their deliberations.

 

Members were referred to sections seven and eight of the report, which, following consideration of the consultation feedback and the views of Overview & Scrutiny, provided an outline of the preferred options for future service delivery model for the council’s residential care homes and day care services for older people.

 

Before concluding his review the Group Director advised of the timely discussions taken forward with staff and Trade Unions throughout the process to date adding that if the proposals were taken forward then a phased approach would be taken forward in respect of the decommissioning of services.  He also reinforced the message that the review undertaken was necessitated due to the need for change and to take forward the modernisation agenda and not due to austerity measures.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Community Services & Welsh Language thanked the Group Director for the comprehensive summary and took the opportunity to pay tribute to all the staff within the service, commenting on the excellent provision of care currently delivered by all staff involved in both residential and day care settings, which he added was echoed by residents. 

The Cabinet Member spoke of the various strategic conversations directing the need for review of services, touching on the extra care strategy and  regional commissioning policy and also spoke of the need of the greater expectation of current and future generations into the services that need to be provided.  The Cabinet Member referenced the informative work carried out through the independent review that was commissioned by the Council, the Council’s consideration of the information and the resulting consultation that was undertaken with the feedback presented before Members today.  The Cabinet Member spoke of the need and importance for the Council to retain a presence within the market provision going forward and for the Council to take a leading role in the provision and commissioning of services for the benefits of its residents. 

 

The Leader of the Council took the opportunity to advise of any potential staff implications resulting from any decision taken forward, and confirmed that no compulsory redundancies would be enforced, and requested to Members that this commitment be added to the recommendations when voted upon, to which Members agreed.

 

The Deputy Leader welcomed the commitment in respect of no compulsory redundancies and reiterated her thanks to the staff and service provided to some of the most vulnerable of residents across the County Borough.  The Deputy Leader also referenced the excellent new facilities within the Extra Care provision which she added provided investment in to the future wellbeing and provided the best provision that met resident’s needs. The Deputy Leader commented on the decommissioning proposal and queried how such a process would be managed if taken forward and requested that a single point of contact be put in place to manage all communication with both staff and residence.  The Group Director confirmed that such a process was already in place with an appropriate advocate working with staff, residence and families. The Deputy Leader also looked for assurance that to the best of the Council’s ability, any resident affected by any potential changes taken forward, would only be required to move once, to reduce any stress or inconvenience to them and their family, to which the Group Director confirmed.

The Deputy Leader concluded by thanking the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their consideration of the consultation feedback and their valuable contribution to the process.

 

The Cabinet Member for Education and Inclusion services commented that in respect of the proposals before Members, the quality of care was not in question but was centred around the future needs of residents adding that this was at the forefront.  The Cabinet Member queried whether the proposed model provided for catered for residents with ‘more complex’ needs?  The Group Director confirmed that there was this opportunity available through the options provided.

 

The Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development & Housing welcomed the provision within the Rhondda Fach area, commenting on the importance to have a spread of provision across the County Borough.

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure & Heritage Services spoke of her close affinity with the service, through previous family residency within the care setting and reiterated the excellent quality of care that was provided, although acknowledged that the current provision was not sustainable going forward with many residents wanting to live independently for as long as possible, with the Cabinet Member referencing such possibility through the Extra Care facilities.  These sentiment were echoed by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young people who spoke of the need to provide care provision that everyone would want to see for family and friends and for themselves.  The Cabinet Member also referenced the possibilities within the Extra Care provision for the care to progress with the residents.

 

The Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Well-being & Cultural Services acknowledged the need for the Council to retain a presence in the market and referenced the position in other Authorities, with some having very little or no Local Authority provision.  The Cabinet Member queried whether the proposal contained within the report provided the right balance going forward and whether the numbers to be retained provided a significant presence?  The Group Director confirmed that in his opinion the proposals created the correct balance and a significant presence for the Local Authority, especially when compared to other Authorities.  He added that the definition of complexity allowed the Authority to be flexible and spoke of the work that could be undertaken with the independent sector to develop.

 

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services reiterated previous comments, advising that the review into residential and day care services was not a savings exercise and spoke of the large investments already taken forward through the Extra Care strategy, with a £50m investment on top of the initial investment.  He added that those centres proposed to remain would also benefit from investment to ensure they were fit for purpose going forward.

 

With the agreement of the Leader, as Chairman of the Committee, the following County Borough Councillors and Members of the public  spoke on this item to which Members and Officers responded to:

·         Councillors S Rees, P Jarman, L Jones,  J Williams,  W. Jones & R Yeo.

·         Dr L Arthur

 

The Leader further commented on the investment taken forward in respect of the service provision and again reiterated that no savings had ever been forecast with any of the proposals suggested to be taken forward.  He also added that the provision could not stay the same and it was important that any changes that were taken forward were managed in a sensitive manner for all involved. He added that in respect of the day centres officers would work with current users to look at different methods of delivery and again reiterated and provided assurances that none of the services would simply stop, but a transitional change would be taken forward. 

 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Community Services & Welsh Language thanked each speaker for their contributions, thanked the respondents to the consultation feedback  and the contributions of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee Members and reflected upon the points raised.  He also welcomed the assurances advised upon by the Leader in respect of ‘no compulsory redundancies’.  Following his summing up it was RESOLVED:

 

 

1.            That following consideration of the responses to the consultation on the future service delivery model for the Council's residential care homes and day care services, the officer responses to the key themes highlighted from the consultation, the additional information provided in this report and the Equality Impact Assessment and for the reasons outlined in Section 7 of the report, agrees to initiate a further 12 week period of public, staff and resident consultation on the preferred option for the future of the Council’s residential care homes, namely that the Council retains the level of provision of residential care homes, as detailed below, focussed on complex needs, residential reablement and respite care which is based on a determination of the market share and considered need required in each of the Rhondda, Cynon and Taf geographical areas:

 

CARE HOMES PROPOSED TO BE RETAINED

 

·      Clydach Court Residential Care Home, Trealaw

·      Ferndale House Residential Care Home, Ferndale

·      Pentre House Residential Care Home, Pentre

·      Tegfan Residential Care Home, Trecynon

·      Troed Y Rhiw Residential Care Home, Mountain Ash

·      CaeGlas Residential Care Home, Hawthorn

·      ParcNewydd Residential Care Home, Talbot Green

 

CARE HOMES PROPOSED TO BE DECOMMISSIONED

 

·      Bronllwyn Residential Care Home, Gelli

·      Ystradfechan Residential Care Home, Treorchy

·      Dan Y Mynydd Residential Care Home, Porth

·      Garth Olwg Residential Care Home, Church Village

 

2.    That the proposed 12 week consultation runs for the period 30^th September 2019 until 5 p.m. 20^th December 2019.

 

3.    To receive a further report summarising the results of the proposed consultation exercise and feedback received, prior to any decision(s) being made in relation to the proposal referred to in point 1 above.

 

4.    To continue to restrict admissions to the Council’s residential care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances where an alternative placement that can meet the assessed need is not available. This is in order to minimise any potential impact on residents until such time as Cabinet considers the results of the proposed consultation exercise and any decision(s) it may take in relation to the proposal.

 

 

 

5.    To implement the preferred option for the Council’s day services for older people as consulted upon; namely that the Council develops a new day services model and change programme as part of the planned programme of transformation for adult services. 

 

6.    That the Director of Adult Services establishes an Older People’s Day Services Programme Steering Group to co-produce and oversee the phased implementation of the new service model.

 

7. That as part of any proposal that maybe agreed by Cabinet, then any change management process that follows, will ensure that no compulsory redundancies occur amongst the existing staff employed within the current Residential or Day Care settings.

 

 

N.B Following conclusion of this item the Leader called for a 5 minute adjournment of the meeting.

 

The following County Borough Councillors left the meeting following conclusion of this item:  P Jarman;  W Jones;  J Williams &  R Yeo.