Apologies were received from Councillor Roy Aldcroft.

Councillor Simon Harris reported that he was a Director of a Care Home In Broseley.

Councillor Madge Shineton reported that she was a member of Health Concern.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2020, TO FOLLOW

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2021 were confirmed as a correct record.

To receive any questions or petitions from the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure rule 14.  The deadline for this meeting is 10.00 am on Thursday 5 November 2020.

There were no public questions. 

To receive any questions of which members of the Council have given notice.  Deadline for notification is 5.00 pm on Wednesday 4 November 2020.

There were no member questions.

To scrutinise the Draft Adult Social Care Winter Plan, report TO FOLLOW

Contact: Tanya Miles, Interim Director Adult Social Care and Housing

Tanya.Miles@shropshire.gov.uk

Tanya Miles,  Interim Director Social Care and Housing, Deborah Webster, Service Manager Commissioning & Governance, and Patricia Blackstock, Service Manager Hospital and Reablement were welcomed to the meeting.  The Interim Director introduced the report before Members explaining the purpose of the Winter Plan and its aim.

Deborah Webster and Patricia Blackstock gave a presentation outlining the themes of the plan and Members went on to ask  number of questions including  the following:

·      Who had the responsibility on deciding whether care home visits were permissible

     The importance of family contact was understood and it was recognised that home owners and managers were best placed to understand the risks in their homes and individuals that they cared for.  Advice on a local risk based approach was provided and weekly calls were made to ensure that any support needed was available

·      Was there additional provision for visits from relatives to be with their loved ones near the end of life? 

     An exceptions process was in place to allow limited and protected visits for longer periods of time in these circumstances with as much protection for others in the home as possible.

·      What support was currently provided for the homeless population of Shropshire, including mental health needs and substance misuse support.

     The work started in the first lockdown would continue in a number of settings.  Anyone who was rough sleeping was offered a place to sleep in a winter, cold weather provision support was available from the government.   The Council worked closely with ARK face to face contact daily support and Riverside Medical Practice provided support to individuals mental health practitioners work alongside that team with rough sleepers.

·      Capacity in care provision and mental health support appeared to vary across the county, could the committee have more detail on availability across the council?  If a person could not be admitted to Redwoods it appeared to be difficult to find an alternative placement, particularly in the light of Covid – were there plans to increase that capacity. 

     A lot of work was underway looking at demand and capacity across care homes and in different areas of the county.  Additional winter beds had been arranged and there was  good spread across all areas with a combination of nursing and nursing EMI beds.  Capacity changed continuous.  With regard to specialist services  some providers were looking at diversifying into areas where there were shortages.  Mental health would be considered by the Committee in the new year. 

·      Was respite care available during the pandemic?

Respite provision was particularly challenging at the moment because of the 14 days isolation period.  Looking at different options around respite at the moment and one solution would be to use a holiday lodge with a domiciliary care package.

·      Was the quality of information provided about a patient’s condition on discharge from acute care adequate?

     Patients were usually discharged following confirmation from consultant, and a discharge letter should follow them into the next setting.  Were aware of challenges around quality of information in relation to discharge  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

To consider current proposals for the Committee’s Work Programme (attached)

Contact Danial Webb, Overview and Scrutiny Officer, danial.webb@shropshire.gov.uk

Proposals for the work programme were noted.