Agenda item

8.1

The Committee received a presentation given by Sara Storey (Interim Director, Adult Services) and Councillor George Lindars-Hamond (Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care), regarding Home Care in Sheffield: The Case for Change.

8.2

Sara Storey stated that there were 36 independent sector providers within the City Council’s framework who support approximately 5,000 people per year, delivering over one million visits.  She said that there were over 1,000 care staff employed to meet the growing demand for care, and there were many customers with complex issues meaning that the average care package has increased by an hour and half per week.  She stated that support in Sheffield was provided quickly and Sheffield was consistently achieving NHS England targets regarding delayed transfers of care.  Sara Storey went on to say why change was needed, that despite many people working hard, very often, people’s experiences of the care they receive was not good enough.  She said that with systemic change, Sheffield could make better use of its resources by helping people remain in their communities and avoid costly residential care and assist health care professionals make better and timely interventions when necessary.  Sara Storey felt this could be achieved by laying the right foundations, listening to what people have to say, improve terms and conditions for members of staff and for staff to work and learn together as one team.

8.3

Members made various comments and asked a number of questions, to which responses were provided as follows:-

·                     The Contracts Officers work closely with the Care Quality Commission to maintain standards of care provided. Regular visits were made to providers to identify themes and offer guidance to make improvements where necessary, and take action where provision was failing.

·                     With regard to direct payment customers, this was still regulated as there was a duty to make sure needs were met.

·         With regard to purchasing power, a lot was funded by the local authority.  The majority of providers of care were Sheffield providers, employing Sheffield people.  The Contracts Officers gathered information about quality issues and concerns to seek to identify any trends, as well as ensuring individual quality issues were being addressed.

·                     Analysis has been carried out across all care providers regarding the ability to recruit and retain staff.  Demographically, women between the ages of 40 to 50 tended to be home care workers but this was changing to a wider range of carers. 

·                     There was very little choice of provider due to resources, but it was improving.  Work was being undertaken with people around self-funding and direct payments.

·                     Coverage of care providers across the city was much better, with availability and capacity improving.  The majority of those needing support were coming out of hospital but as a rule there was no pattern of who was in need of care.

·                     Due to the large turnover of staff, it was thought that a way forward could be to move to locality working thus reducing the number of trips made by car carried out by staff.

8.4

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

(a)       thanks Sara Storey and Councillor George Lindars-Hammond for their contribution to the meeting; and

(b)       notes the contents of the presentation and the responses to the questions raised.