Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 158 of 2^nd March, 2009, the Director of Independent Living submitted a report highlighting key measures that had been implemented to enable the Adaptations Team to provide equipment and adaptations that reflected emerging needs and met increasing demand.

Approval was granted for a bid to be submitted to the Corporate Capital Programme in the Autumn to maintain and increase the Corporate contribution by 6% over the next 2 financial years.  To support the bid, further measures had been implemented to increase value for money and service user outcome by reviewing existing working practices and the quality of interactions with key partners.

In the last 3 years the Service had seen a consistent increase in referral rates and, based on demographic changes, it was evident that this would continue.  Similarly, the cost of adaptations had also increased year-on-year impacting on the adaptations budget.  Based on the Council’s Housing Strategy and JSNA predictions on the population requirement for aids and adaptations, it was clear that more funding and new ways of working would be required year-on-year to remain within budgets.

The improvements to the way requests for adaptations and equipment were managed and dealt with were as follows:-

-        Increased performance monitoring of contractors to ensure high level of customer satisfaction and value for money was consistently achieved

-        Reviewing and monitoring the level of variances charged to the Adaptations budget

-        Scrutinising request for major adaptations costing over and above £10,000

-        Increasing use of Home Appreciation Loans Schemes

-        Empowering and supporting customers to proactively access the DFG in meeting their own needs

-        Improving internal processes

-        All minor fixings

-        Making better use of the existing housing stock

-        New housing developments

-        Further improvements

Rotherham’s 2008/09 Disabled Facilities Grant allocation had been approved at £849,000 as the specified capital grants.  In the past local authorities had been required to fund at least an additional 40% of the grant value through their own resources.  CLG had now lifted this requirement, however, the increasing demand for adaptations supported that the practice should be maintained.  This would be the basis of the bid to the Cabinet including an additional 6% to meet the demographic challenges.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the current actions being implemented to improve the Service, namely increasing performance monitoring of contractors, reviewing and monitoring the level of budget variances, scrutinising requests for major adaptations, increase the use of Home Appreciation Loans, improving internal processes and making better use of the existing and new housing stock, be noted.

(2)  That the proposed future actions to review each of the 3 categories of adaptations provided (major adaptations, minor adaptations and minor fixings) and look to re-structure the processes be supported.

(3)  That a formal bid going forward to the Cabinet for a continued and increased Corporate Capital Programme allocation for 2010-12, in line with analysis and recommendations set out in the March, 2009 report i.e. a 6% contribution was required above the existing Corporate contribution to the Disabled Facilities Grant, be supported.