Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Community & Children’s Services regarding the design and delivery of domiciliary care services for City of London Residents. Officers explained how Domiciliary Care Support was offered in the form of an Individual Budget as well as through the City of London’s Adult Social Care Services’ In-house Reablement service, and that Bluebird Care had recently been confirmed as the new sole provider of domiciliary care services.

Members discussed the report in detail and the following points were raised:

·         Members agreed that the scale shown on graphs included in the report was misleading, and officers advised this was partly due to the low resident numbers in the square mile but undertook to check the figures.

·         Officers undertook to put together indicators to monitor outcomes for different choices of care, but advised that generally those who chose to receive care from the provider commissioned by the Corporation (rather than taking an individual budget) tended to be the most frail.

·         Officers confirmed that a back-up provider was in place and current service users would have a choice whether to retain their current provider or transition to Bluebird Care.

·         In response to a Member’s comment regarding telecare, officers agreed technological options were investigated as they could enhance domiciliary care and fill gaps in service, but for the eldest and frailest residents human contact continued to be the most popular and effective.

·         The qualitative aspect to care had been emphasised in the tender for the new provider and Members noted residents would have an individualised assessment of need.

·         Hospital communication with social care continued to be challenging, but officers confirmed that once contact was made and consent given by the individual, the social care team ensured reablement services were put in place.

·         With regard to isolation and loneliness, officers advised that a Panel had recently been held to discuss social wellbeing and Members agreed to call in those findings. A Member suggested these also be referred on to the Barbican Association.

RESOLVED – That:

a)    officers check the figures included in the report;

b)    indicators be developed to monitor outcomes for different care choices;

c)    the findings of the recent Panel regarding social wellbeing be brought to a future meeting.