Agenda and minutes

To consider petition presented at Full Council on 22^nd July, 2009

Consideration was given to a petition which had been submitted in respect of the Meals on Wheels and Laundry Services in Rotherham.

Resolved:- That the petitioners be advised:-

1.  The suggestion to ask Jamie Oliver to review the quality of the meals provided would not affect the decision that members needed to make about extending choice and changing the way in which meals were provided in the future.

2. The council were still in a consultation phase in relation to the laundry service.

3.  The council was determined to ensure that it continued to provide services of the highest quality within the resources available.

Tom Cray, Strategic Director for Neighbourhoods and Adult Services presented the submitted report in relation to Community Meals Provision.

A report had been previously presented to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health in November 2008, which outlined three potential options for the future development of the Meals on Wheels Service.  Following this the Council then made a decision on 4^th March 2009 to adopt one of the options presented, as part of the budget setting process.  The option chosen was to provide the meals in a different way, to increase choice, quality and value for money for customers and to cease directly providing a meals on wheels service.

An extensive consultation process had since taken place with staff, customers, trades unions and human resources representatives over a period of four months.  It had included:

• A questionnaire to ascertain Meals on Wheels customers’ views on the proposal. 
• Four letters had been sent to customers, including one from the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health to reassure them that they would continue to receive a meals service.
• Consultation Café – a highly successful event attended by 12 providers and over 100 members of the public in which a wide range of meals were made available for people to sample.
• Community based events were held, one of which was held in Bakersfield Court, which provided a further opportunity to sample some of the meals on offer. 
• A voucher was sent to every customer to enable them to sample the meals available, free of charge in their own home.
• Individual assessments of need were undertaken on almost all customers to date, with the rest to be completed within the next three weeks.

The re-assessment process commenced in April 2009 and was due for completion at the end of July.  At the start of the process there were 502 people receiving the Meals on Wheels service, and the feedback from customers about the change was positive with over 262 people already having made the change to the new providers at their own request.  There were currently 240 people receiving the traditional meals on wheels service with around 20 people changing each week following assessment.  Customers had been offered the choice to transfer to the new arrangements or to stay with the in-house meals on wheels service, and some had chosen to stay with the traditional meals on wheels service until it was no longer available.  Some concern had been expressed by customers about the reliability of the new providers and the quality of the food, and the innovations team had been monitoring the outcomes for customers.

Since the beginning of July, those customers who had made the change to the alternative providers had been contacted to find out what they felt about the new arrangements.  It was pleasing to note that there had only been one complaint from a single customer, and the rest were delighted with the results.

40% of customers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

The following item is likely to be considered in the absence of the press and public as being exempt under Paragraph 3 of Part 1 (as amended March 2006) of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

Resolved:-  That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

(Exempt under Paragraph 3 of the Act – information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Council).

Chrissy Wright, Director of Commissioning and Partnerships presented the submitted report in respect of the Rotherham Carers Centre.

The scope of the Carers centre would include, but would not be restricted to, the hosting of a carers forum, advice, information, open access, drop-in and a carers register.  The premises and funding had been identified and the support services were to be commissioned from the independent sector.

Resolved:- It be agreed that the Rotherham Carers Centre be delivered as set out and achieved within the identified timelines.