Agenda item

Report ACH23-023

The Committee considered a report providing an update for the second half of the 2022-23 Portfolio Plan and a refresh of the Adult Care and Health Portfolio Plan for 2023-24.

The Adult Care and Health Portfolio Plan was refreshed each year in line with the Council’s Transformation Programme and the Corporate Strategy ‘Making Bromley Even Better’. Within each priority were a number of statements which were underpinned by actions and measures of success within the work of Adult Care and Health Services. In the second half of 2022-23, steady progress had been made on the majority of the actions within the Portfolio Plan.

The Strategy Officer advised that there had been some changes made in the refresh of the Plan for 2023-24. Any actions completed throughout the year had been removed and replaced with new workstreams, where appropriate. The document had also been streamlined to remove any actions that reported into other Policy Development and Scrutiny Committees. It was noted that the document also aligned with the new Adult Social Care Strategy 2023-2028 which would be reported through the Portfolio Plan.

In response to a question regarding LD services, the Director of Adult Social Care advised that the directorate had been looking at alternative ways to support adults with learning disabilities, moving away from the traditional large day centres and instead looking to assist people with day time activities.

A Member noted the reference made to the implementation of the Innovation Fund to pilot and/or support the development of new community-based services, and asked for further information particularly in relation to digital access for older people. The Director of Adult Social Care said that the management of the fund had recently been transferred back to the Council and advised that information regarding what the fund had been used for could be circulated to Members following the meeting.

In response to questions, the Director of Adult Social Care said that the support in relation to courses for Ukrainian refugees had been provided by the Children, Education and Families directorate. There had been the ability to carry forward the Homes for Ukraine grant and there was some general flexibility to support refugees from other countries. With regards to the pilot of wearable GPS tracking devices, which alerted the next of kin when a resident left a designated area around their property, the Portfolio Holder for Adult Care and Health considered that the devices were very useful in providing reassurance for the family, with the consent of the person being tracked. There would also be governance arrangements in place if the person did not have the capacity to give their agreement. The Director of Adult Social Care advised that the kit used was very discreet, such as a watch, disc that fitted in a pocket or a credit card shape, which people found much more acceptable. The technology could also be used for things such as monitoring how often a person got up during the night and would allow care to be tailored to the needs of an individual. Another Member highlighted that the technology was very comprehensive and could be used to track things such as pulse rates and irregular heartbeats, which could be useful when a patient was discharged from hospital. The Director of Adult Social Care advised that this was something that could be considered as the assistive technology was rolled out. The Portfolio Holder for Adult Care and Health highlighted that work was being undertaken in the community with regards to management of blood pressure utilising new technology. A Member agreed that work in relation to wearables was moving at pace, led by the Integrated Care Board (ICB). It was agreed that a report on assistive technology could be presented to a future meeting of the Adult Care and Health Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee.

A Member considered that the refresh of the Portfolio Plan for 2023-24 showed the change in the dynamics being seen – this was reflected in terms of what needed to be reported to the ICB, and vice versa, under the new Health and Care Act. Bromley was considered to be in a good position and seen as a role model for taking this forward. Another Member noted the action relating to the continued development of the One Bromley Local Care Partnership. It was queried if there was a diagram of how this linked with the various other Committees and a list of their responsibilities. The Director of Adult Social Care advised that the establishment of the Local Care Partnership had been a requirement of the ICB. It was agreed that a structure of Committees could be provided to Members following the meeting.

RESOLVED that:

i.)  the end of year progress against the actions associated with the Adult Care and Health Portfolio Plan 2022/23 – Appendix 1, be noted; and,

ii.)  the refresh of the Portfolio Plan for 2023/24 – Appendix 2, be noted.