Agenda item

Report of the Director of Social Care and Health.

Further to Minute No. 105 of the meeting of the Cabinet of 6 April 2017, the Committee considered the report of the Director of Social Care and Health on a review of the Sefton Community Equipment Store. The report set out the background to the matter; the national policy context; the local policy context; the legal framework for equipment provision; Sefton population needs; Sefton population projections; the demand for community equipment; monitoring and service performance targets of the service; the budget arrangements for the provision of equipment; what equipment was provided; “core stock” and recycling; the stock workforce; issues and opportunities; and next steps to be take.

The report indicated that community equipment was vitally important to support care at home and in a range of settings, particularly with an ageing population. A maximum of one year had been agreed from 31 March 2017 to extend the current Section 75 Partnership Agreement between the Council and Liverpool Community Health Trust for the operation of the Store to enable the review and to insure that the “incoming Partner”, North West Boroughs Healthcare Foundation Trust, was proportionately consulted. The review approach had been used to engage with the workforce, referrers, Healthwatch and other key stakeholders, and some of the areas under consideration included the legislation, policy context and vision; the increase in our older population and the increased demand for equipment; same day requests for equipment; and the implementation of an operational level improvement plan.

Revised versions of the chart on Sefton 2014 Population Projections – All Residents and also the chart on the Number of items delivered year on year 2010/11 to 2016/17, were circulated at the meeting.

Sharon Lomax, Integrated Health and Social Care Manager, Health and Well Being, was in attendance to present the report and to respond to questions put by Members of the Committee.

Members of the Committee raised the following issues and a summary of the responses provided is outlined below:-

·         Given that most same day requests for equipment were received between 12.00 noon and 3.00 p.m., where were these requests coming from?

Most requests were made from ancillary services at a time when drivers were already out delivering, requiring deliveries to continue from 5.00 p.m. to 12 midnight, and requiring drivers to make some 30 deliveries per day. Priority requests usually took between 2 – 7 days. As part of the review, it was hoped that conversations could be held with residents and clinicians and consideration could be given to doing things differently, such as inviting family members to collect equipment, where appropriate. There was also a wish to implement an approach of “making every contact count”.

·         How was stock control and returns monitored?

A data base was used and through this it was known what equipment was in use and how long for. Cleaning of equipment was repetitive and consideration could be given to how to be “greener” in this regard. Social enterprises could also be considered.

·         When patients were discharged from hospital with a care plan, would that specify what facilities were required?

Lots of referrals for equipment came from hospitals and attempts were made to deliver equipment before patients came home from hospital. Where planned care was in place equipment was delivered prior to patient discharge, although unplanned care was more problematic.

·         Why was the North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to take over the running of the Store from Liverpool Community Health Trust?

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust had secured the contract to take over the running of the Store from Liverpool Community Health Trust and had sub-contracted North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust to run the service. Responsibility for the Store sat with the Council’s Adult Social Care Team and the Store was run entirely from premises in Sefton. The Sefton Clinical Commissioning Groups held Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust to account for the contract.

·         Was it possible to obtain a plan of who ran what Community Health Services across Sefton?

The Sefton Clinical Commissioning Groups could produce a diagram of services, including the value of contracts, and circulate this to Members of the Committee via the Senior Democratic Services Officer, in due course.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       the content of the report be noted; and

(2)       the Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group be requested to produce a diagram of services provided for Community Health Services across Sefton, to include the value of contracts.