Issue - meetings

Report CS18124

The Committee considered a report setting out the budget monitoring position for the Care Services Portfolio for 2017/18, based on expenditure to the end of December 2017. 

The controllable budget was forecast to be in an underspend position of £104k, assuming further management action was taken throughout the year to maintain this position.  There continued to be overspends across a range of services including Assessment and Care Management, Learning Disabilities, Mental Health and  Temporary Accommodation due to higher than expected demand for services and increased costs related to the impact of the National Living Wage on some care contracts.  These overspends had been offset by one-off contributions from a range of sources including the Better Care Fund and the Improved Better Care Fund.  The Local Authority was legally required to undertake assessments for the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) service for which demand was increasing.  It was therefore requested that £118k held in contingency be released to cover the cost of conducting these assessments whilst the Local Authority trained in-house social workers to become Best Interests Assessors.

In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Education, Care and Health Services Finance confirmed that work was ongoing to address water supply and electricity metering issues at two Travellers’ Sites across the Borough.  An options appraisal was also underway to review Traveller’s Sites and consider any refurbishment works required.  The Head of Education, Care and Health Services Finance clarified that the underspend on staffing raised within the report referred to the full range of Housing Needs sites and not just Travellers’ Sites, which were supported by a number of staff including a Travellers’ Sites Manager.  The commentary in future Budget Monitoring reports would be amended to reflect this.

The Vice-Chairman queried what progress had been made in increasing the uptake of Direct Payments.  The Interim Director: Programmes advised Members that a Direct Payments Lead Officer had recently been appointed and would work to increase the uptake of Direct Payments with a target of rolling it out to 30% of service users and 60% of carers over the next 12 months.  A range of options to support this were being explored, including pre-paid cards, and a Co-opted Member underlined the importance of developing the local care market to ensure that service users with Direct Payments were able to make meaningful choices about their care.  In response to a question from a Member, the Interim Director: Programmes confirmed that an increase in the take-up of Direct Payments would not have a direct financial benefit to the Local Authority but would realise some efficiencies as the Local Authority moved towards becoming an enabler of provision rather than a provider.  A Co-opted Member emphasised the role of voluntary and third sector organisations as part of the local care market meeting the needs of service users with Direct Payments.

The Committee thanked the Head of Education, Care and Health Services Finance for his exemplary work in managing the Care Services Portfolio budget  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86