Issue - meetings

Report by Graeme Betts, RMBC and Sandie Keene, Chair of Adult Safeguarding Board.

Sandie Keene, the new Chair of the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board, was welcomed to the meeting and her new role in the Borough.  Sandie had submitted the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board’s Strategy 2016-2019.  She welcomed Rotherham’s keen commitment to Safeguarding. 

Sandie described her priorities for the coming months: -

·           Review and re-energise the Rotherham Safeguarding Adults Board;

·           The review had demonstrated some good practice and that services were safe;

·           Work to around culture and the governance frameworks that people were operating under;

·           Key changes within the Care Act; the Board was now statutory although it had very little sub-structure;

·           Getting nominees and finding dates was a challenge;

·           Developing the Constitution meant that a budget was required.

·           Bringing the public in and hearing their voice: - co-production, how was it for them? What could be done better next time?  Public awareness: – do people know what the Board was here for?  Differences between Adults and Children’s Safeguarding Boards;

·           Care Act Policy ‘Making Safeguarding Personal’ and Deprivation of Liberty Living Standards (DOLLS).  Monitoring standards in care homes in a multi-agency way;

·           Adult Exploitation relating to learning difficulties and mental health;

·           Self-neglect;

·           Co-ordination of responses;

·           Learn lessons and be transparent;

·           Performance framework and management information.  South Yorkshire Police had offered to lead;

·           Care homes located in Rotherham but did not have Rotherham residents in them.

Discussion followed Sandie’s presentation and the following issues were raised: -

·           Councillor Roche was witnessing cultural change and could see an impact following recent conversations with whistle blowers;

·           Councillor Roche was concerned about the 1,669 reports of abuse within care homes;

·           Councillor Roche referred to the early warning system relating to care homes that were becoming a concern.  Some related to homes that were not controlled by the Council.

o    Sandie confirmed the monitoring the homes and actions being taken to support improvements in those homes would continue.  Commissioning and contracting would be ongoing improvement actions;

o    Graeme Betts knew the Contract Compliance Team to be thorough and robust.  They received information from Safeguarding;

o    Julie Kitlowski saw a role for Health in providing early warnings of issues;

o    Chris Edwards explained how there had been changes in the way that the CCG allocated care homes to GPs.  One GP Practice was allocated to one care home, meaning there would be consistency in monitoring;

o    Tony Clabby referred to a strong use for soft intelligence and the power of Healthwatch to enter and view homes and escalate if necessary.

·           Governance of the report should be undertaken on a multi-agency basis and the report considered and supported by Rotherham’s Cabinet to demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to safeguarding. 

Resolved: -  That the information shared be noted.