• Agenda and minutes
  • Agenda and minutes

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    Contact: Hannah Williams - Council Business Unit  01443 424062

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    Items
    No. Item

    37.

    Declaration of Interest

    To receive disclosures of personal interest from Members in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

     

    Note:

    1.    Members are requested to identify the item number and subject matter that their interest relates to and signify the nature of the personal interest; and

    2.    Where Members withdraw from a meeting as a consequence of the disclosure of a prejudicial interest they must notify the Chairman when they leave.

    Minutes:

    In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, there were no declarations made pertaining to the agenda.

     

    38.

    Modernisation of the Council's Residential Care Home Service for Older People pdf icon PDF 191 KB

    To receive the report of the Group Director, Community and Children’s Services, which provides the Cabinet with the opportunity  to consider the outcome of the consultation on the preferred options for the future of the Council’s eleven residential care homes for older people and to make further recommendations that, if agreed, will increase the number of retained Council residential care homes to nine, including Garth Olwg and Ystradfechan and redevelop Danymynydd and Bronllwyn to meet identified need for additional accommodation with care and support, including extra care housing. 

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services provided the Cabinet with the report, which detailed the outcome of the consultation on the preferred options for the future of the Council’s eleven residential care homes for older people and to make further recommendations that, if agreed, would increase the number of retained Council residential care homes to nine, including Garth Olwg and Ystradfechan and redevelop Danymynydd and Bronllwyn to meet identified need for additional accommodation with care and support, including extra care housing. 

     

    The Group Director outlined to Cabinet the extensive journey of the Council’s intention to improve and modernise the future service delivery model for the Council’s residential care homes (and day care services), which had initiated in September 2017, when Cabinet approved a £50m investment plan to develop, in total, 300 extra care beds across Rhondda Cynon Taf and to deliver modern accommodation options to meet the needs and changing expectations of the growing older population.

     

    The Group Director informed the Cabinet that, since the beginning, the approach was based on the requirements of the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014, which imposes market shaping duties upon the Council and guidance provides that local authorities are required to ensure that there are sufficient, quality services available in the area and that these services are sustainable. The Group Director felt that expectations and needs were changing and that the residents of RCT deserved better.

     

    The Group Director spoke of the results of an independent review commissioned by Practice Solutions Ltd, which Cabinet considered in 2018, which challenged the Local Authority to transform all its facilities to extra care, on the assumption that residential care was not needed. The Group Director explained that in September 2019, Cabinet considered the outcome of the consultation on the proposal to retain a level of residential care home provision and approved a further consultation on the preferred option to retain a level of residential care home provision focussed on complex needs (including dementia), residential reablement and respite care. The Group Director referred the Cabinet to appendices B and C, which outlined the full consultation details for consideration.

     

    The Group Director was of the view that the level of consultation and public engagement carried out, along with the number of changes made to the proposals throughout, evidenced that the Local Authority was focussed on ambition, rather than austerity and investment, rather than savings. The Group Director advised that the priority was to ensure older people receive the highest level of services to suit their needs, whilst retaining in-house provision.

     

    Cabinet Members were informed that the report had been considered by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 1st December 2020. The officer advised that following challenge from the Scrutiny Committee Members, they were of the view that the recommendations would result in positive outcomes for the community.

     

    The Group Director referred Members to the appendices of the report, which detailed the proposed site plans for consideration.

     

    The Group Director concluded his  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.