Agenda item

Report of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Health & Social Care) Dementia Working Group

The Cabinet considered the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) Working Group which undertook a scrutiny inquiry into issues around dementia in the Borough.

Councillor Webster, Lead Member of the Working Group outlined the key findings and recommendations of the scrutiny inquiry and responded to questions from Cabinet Members.

RESOLVED:            That

(1)       care home providers be advised by the Social Care and Well Being Directorate that it is considered to be essential for all care staff in care homes, particularly Elderly, Mental and Infirm (EMI) homes, and domiciliary care staff, to receive training and attend training courses in relation to all aspects of dementia;

(2)       the Social Care and Well Being Directorate be requested to consider and report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) on the possibility of the implementation of a voluntary local kite mark or certificate, stating that the staff at care homes have undertaken training in all aspects of dementia care;

(3)       the Social Care and Well Being Directorate be requested to consider and report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) on the possibility of delivering training to care staff within some of the larger care homes and that all care homes be advised of relevant training courses and invited to attend;

(4)       the intention for officers of the Social Care and Well Being Directorate to visit 2 star homes within the Borough be welcomed and the Strategic Director be requested to report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) on the possibility of extending this to provide for officers to undertake visits to all care homes that are likely to have residents who have dementia;

(5)       the Social Care and Well Being Directorate be requested to prepare information on dementia and its early detection, to appear within the Directorate’s web pages on the Council’s website, providing links to the local Alzheimer’s Society and other useful organisations;

(6)            information on raising awareness of dementia, for all members of the public, be prepared by the Social Care and Well Being Directorate and circulated by the Head of Corporate Finance and Information Services with the Council Tax demands for 2011/12, the wording to be approved by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care), prior to its circulation;

(7)       it be acknowledged that dementia, and care for people with it, particularly for those people living alone without support networks, will increase in the future and place increasing demands on the Council and the NHS;

(8)       it be noted that Members of the Dementia Working Group intend to submit a motion to Council in due course, requesting support for a cross-political motion, calling on the Government to recognise that Sefton has a high number of older people which is likely to increase, within its population, and that the Central Government Formula Grant should allow the Council to meet adequately the needs that this section of the community requires, in order for them to achieve good quality of life, based on relevant age thresholds that adequately reflect the additional costs incurred in caring for an elderly population;

(9)       the work undertaken by young carers of people with dementia be acknowledged and the Strategic Director of Social Care and Well Being be requested to report on the provision of respite for them;

(10)     the development of the Sefton Dementia Strategy be welcomed and progress be reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) on an annual basis;

(11)     NHS Sefton be requested to provide information regarding:-

            (a)       the amount allocated to deliver the national dementia strategy, whether this figure is ring-fenced and what it will be used for; and

            (b)       care of patients with dementia who are admitted to hospitals;

(12)     NHS Sefton be requested to ensure that GPs are provided with:-

            (a)       training, in order to detect early signs of dementia; and

            (b)       full information on treatment and support available within the Borough;

(13)     NHS Sefton be requested to note that it is considered to be good practice for GPs to follow up those patients who go into care and nursing homes and to visit them, and to cascade this information to GPs throughout the Borough;

(14)            Mersey Care NHS Trust be requested to consider:-

            (a)       extending facilities for dedicated memory clinics throughout the Borough, particularly in the south and east, to possibly include the centres for health and well-being; and

            (b)       whether the standard of testing at memory clinics requires revision; and

(15)     One Vision Housing, and other large social housing providers within the Borough, be requested to consider implementing mechanisms to identify and offer support to, customers with early signs of dementia, particularly those who live alone.