Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor P. A. Russell declared a personal interest in Minute No. 69 (Review of Non-Residential Service Charges).

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th December, 2013.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th December, 2013, be approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 18^th December, 2013, were noted.

The noted of a meeting of the Rotherham Learning Disability Partnership Board held on 6^th December, 2013, were submitted for information.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Jacqui Clark, Operational Commissioner, which provided an update on the annual report on residential care activity for the period 1^st July to 30th September, 2013.

The report provided information on occupancy levels and quality monitoring outcomes for 2013/14 for services delivered by independent and in-house residential and nursing care homes.

Members requested further information, to be submitted to the next meeting, relating to providers’ supervision of medication administered to persons in their care.

Discussion took place on the arrangements for meetings with representatives of the Care Quality Commission.

Resolved:-  (1) That the report be noted.

(2)  That the report be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the Contracting for Care Forum.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Jacqui Clark, Operational Commissioner, which provided information on Community and Home Care Service activity and quality for the period 1^st July to 30^th September, 2013.

The report provided information on activity levels and quality monitoring outcomes for 2013/14 for services delivered by the Community and Home Care Services Framework.

Further information was provided on the framework activity, monitoring of quality, including concerns, defaults and embargos and an overview of concerns.

Discussion ensued on the review of the medication policy in line with a jointly commissioned service (with the Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group).

Members noted that the current Community and Home Care Services contractual agreement ends on 31 March 2015 and has an option to be extended until 31 March 2016. The preparatory commissioning work will begin early in the 2014/2015 financial year and progress reports submitted to Elected Members.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That the report be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the Contracting for Care Forum.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services), which provided a financial forecast for the Adult Services Department within the Neighbourhoods and Adult Services Directorate to the end of March, 2014, based on actual income and expenditure to the end of November, 2013. 

It was reported that the forecast for the financial year 2013/14 was an overspend of £1.205m, against an approved net revenue budget of £72.809m. The main budget pressures related to slippage on a number of budget savings targets including Continuing Health Care funding and implementing the review of In-house Residential Care.  

The latest year end forecast showed a number of underlying budget pressures which were being offset by a number of forecast underspends:-

Adults General

·         A slight underspend based on estimated charges including training

Older People

·         A forecast overspend on In-House Residential Care due to delays on implementation of budget savings target and recurrent budget pressure on Residential Care income

·         Recurrent budget pressures in Direct Payments, however, client numbers had reduced since April together with a reduction in the average cost of packages

·         Underspend on In House Transport due to forecast additional income 

·         Forecast underspend on Enabling Care and Sitting Service, Community Mental Health, Carers’ Services and planned delays on the recruitment to vacant posts within Assessment and Care Management and Community Support plus additional income from Health

·         Overspend on independent sector Home Care due to an increase in demand since April

·         Overspend on independent residential and nursing care due to an additional 73 clients receiving a service than forecast. Additional income from property charges was reducing the overall overspend

·         Forecast savings on in-house day care due to vacant posts and moratorium on non-pay budgets

·         Overall underspend on Rothercare due to slippage in Service Review including options for replacement of alarms together with additional income

·         Overall minor underspends in other non-pay budgets due to moratorium on non-essential spend

Learning Disabilities

·         Slight underspend on independent sector Residential Care budgets due to a reduction in placements.  Work was ongoing regarding Continuing Health Care applications and an internal review of all high cost placements

·         Forecast overspend on Day Care due to a delay on the implementation of Day Care Review including increase in fees and charges plus recurrent budget pressure on external transport

·         Overspend in independent sector Home Care due to increase in demand and slippage in meeting budget savings

·         High cost placements in independent Day Care resulting in a forecast overspend, however, the pressure was reduced due to additional Continuing Health Care funding and 1 client moving out of the area

·         High cost Community Support placements resulting in forecast overspend

·         Delay in developing Supported Living Schemes plus additional funding from Health resulting in a forecast underspend

·         Efficiency savings on Service Level Agreements for Advice and Information and Client Support Services

·         Lower than expected increase in demand for Direct Payments

·         Additional staffing costs and essential repairs within In-House Residential Care offset by planned delays in recruiting to vacant posts within Assessment and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

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 (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Council)).

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 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended March 2006) (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Council)).

Consideration of this item was deferred until the next meeting.

(Although this item had originally been included within the open section of this meeting’s agenda, Members agreed that it should be moved to the private section of the agenda and considered as an exempt item in accordance with Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972)

Consideration was given to a report presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services) proposing an increase in charges for self-funding residents in In-house Residential Care Homes for 2014/15.

In accordance with its statutory duty, the Council was required to set a maximum charge for residential accommodation it provided in Local Authority homes.  It was proposed that the maximum charge for all Local Authority residential care homes be increased by 2.7% in line with the increase in welfare benefits.

In accordance with established practice, all charges were based on estimated cost and occupancy levels so that residents could be advised of the revised charges as near to the date they became effective as possible.

Resolved:- That increase in the charge for In-house Residential Care Homes, as set out in the report now submitted, be approved with effect from 1 April, 2014.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services) concerning proposals to increase the fees to the Independent Sector Residential and Nursing Care Providers (People Over 65 Years) for the financial year 2014/15.

There had been open consultation with the Older Persons’ Care Home sector around fee setting for 2014/15 and the options available.

The residential care market in Rotherham faced significant financial pressures. The Council was committed to supporting and stabilising provision in order to deliver care and support to the town’s most vulnerable older residents.

Resolved:- That a fee increase for Residential and Nursing Care Homes for People Over 65 Years be approved of 1.62% for 2014/15, as set out in the report submitted.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services), proposing an increase in fees to Independent Sector Community and Home Care Services (Domiciliary Care) for 2014/15.

During the financial year 2012/13, the Council had paid the CHCS Framework providers at the tendered value. Providers were invited to submit a competitive hourly rate without any restriction imposed by the Council, unlike other local authorities which invite tenderers to submit applications under or on a capped rate. An inflationary uplift awarded for care purchased in 2013/14 was at 1.57%. The current hourly rates paid to providers remain well below the rates paid two years ago.

Reference was made to the implications of the payment of a living wage to Community and Home care Services employees.

Resolved:- That an inflationary uplift of 1.44% be approved for services commissioned through the Community and Home Care Services (Domiciliary Care) Framework for the financial year 2014/15.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services), containing proposals for increasing charges for non-residential services for 2014/15.

Charges were reviewed as part of the Council’s budget setting exercise for 2013/14 and subsequently increased in line with inflation at 2.5%.  The Council could not charge more than the cost of the service, including overheads.

The submitted report included five options for making increases to the charges.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That option 4, as detailed in the report submitted, be approved and implemented with effect from 1 April 2014, whereby the Domiciliary Care maximum charge is increased to the level of the residential care fee and there is also an increase to the hourly rate by CPI inflation at 2.7%.

(3) That a further report be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Adult Social Care in respect of charges for the community alarm service provided by Rothercare.

(Councillor P. A. Russell declared a personal interest in the above item)