Issue - meetings

Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Adult Services) presented the submitted report relating to the Revenue Outturn position for Adult Services Department within the Neighbourhood and Adult Services Directorate for the financial year 2010/11.

It was reported that the 2010/11 approved cash limited budget was £72,336,065, and the net Outturn for the Service for 2010/11 was an underspend of £988,751 (variation of -1.37%).

In real terms, the outturn before the adjustments resulted in the Directorate, as a whole, achieving an underspend of £2.219M which had contributed to addressing the significant budget pressures across the wider Council.

Members’ attention was drawn to the following reasons for the current position:-

-          overachievement in the savings associated with the merger of the Wardens and Care Enablers Service

-          higher than anticipated response to voluntary severance

-          holding vacancies to facilitate redeployment of staff in support of the various structural reviews

-          increasing numbers of residential care clients now receiving full funding through continuing health care

A summary revenue outturn position for Adult Social Services was given in the table within the submitted report.

Appendix 1 to the submitted report detailed the revenue outturn 2010/11 and the reasons for variance from approved budgets.  The following key variations were highlighted:-

Commissioning and Partnerships

-          budget pressures on a number of posts, offset by the non-recruitment to vacant posts due to the Council-wide review of Commissioning and Performance during the year

-          general moratorium on non-essential non-pay budgets

-          maximising the use of available grant funding.

Assessment & Care Management

Older People (Independent)

-          vacant social work posts

-          the Intermediate Care pooled budget - slippage on employee costs

-          fewer placements than planned in the independent sector residential and nursing care

-          additional income from health and increased income from property charges

-          increase in average weekly hours during the year  in the independent sector Home Care budget

Physical and Sensory Disabilities

-          continued increase in both number of clients receiving Direct Payments and increase in both hours and cost of independent sector home care

-          underspend on residential and nursing care including delayed implementation of specialist respite care together with efficiency savings on voluntary sector contracts

Safeguarding

-          vacant posts during the year, including slippage due to difficulties in recruiting

Independent Living

-          vacant posts and additional income from charges for Rothercare

-          short term vacancies within Extra Care Housing and Grafton House

Health and Well Being

Older People (In-House)

-          In-House Home Care services  - additional agency costs to cover sickness during the year plus a recurrent budget pressure on income from charges

-          underspend on employees within Extra Care Housing together with increased income from additional services and an underspend on vehicle running and leasing costs against the budget for Adult Services Transport Unit

Learning Disabilities

-          additional income from charges within Supported Living Scheme

-          vacancies within Community Support Schemes

-          increased income from Continuing Health Care funding within Residential and Nursing Care

-          underspends within Direct Payments (-£60k) due to demand less  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2