Agenda item

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 2009/10.

The 2009/10 approved cash limited budget was £72,692,857, and the net Outturn for the service for 2009/10 was £72,608,110.  This resulted in an overall net overspend of £84,747 (-0.12%).  This represents an increase in the underspend compared with the last budget monitoring report largely due to additional income from continuing health care and a further underspend on extra care housing.

The key variations within each service area are as follows:

Commissioning and Partnerships (+£96k)

There were a number of under and overspends within this service area, mainly around the income budget pressures in respect of performance and planning posts transferred from Neighbourhoods.  These were reduced by a number of management actions including, non-recruitment to vacant posts, a general moratorium on non pay budgets and maximising grant funding.

Assessment & Care Management

Older People (Independent) (-£386k)

The overall underspend within this service area was in respect of a number of vacant social work posts, an overall underspend on the Intermediate Care pooled budget (-£61k) and an underspend on independent sector residential and nursing care due to additional income from health and increased income from property charges (-£684k).  However, the underspend was reduced by an overspend on the independent sector Home Care budget (+£192k) due to increased demand together with an increase in demand for Direct Payments (+£195k).

Physical and Sensory Disabilities (+£146k)

The main pressures during the year were a continued increase in both number (1110 hours) and cost of independent home care placements (+£312k) together with a further increase in demand for direct payments (+£170k).  These overspends were reduced further by management actions including  the delayed implementation of new investments to establish residential and respite care services within the borough (-£314k)

Safeguarding (+£64k)

The overspend on this head of account was due to agency staff costs and a loss on income from NHSR.

Independent Living (-£61k)

The underspend within this head of account was a result of the reconfiguration of Rothercare Direct and a recurrent underspend on Extra Care Housing provision after a review of the service.

Health and Well Being

Older People (In-House) (+£653k)

The main overspend during the year was within In-House Home Care services (+£514k) due to the initial delays in the implementation of shifting provision to the independent sector including an overspend on employee costs due to contracted hours being greater than hours of service delivered.  There were further overspends within in-house residential care due to the additional costs incurred as part of the de-commissioning of a number of former homes (+£280k) plus the final costs of closure of the laundry (+£166k) and meals on wheels services (+£305k) agreed as part of the 2009/10 budget setting process.

These overspends were reduced by underspends within Extra Care Housing (-£360k), Day care (-£118k) and Transport (-£158k) due to the general moratorium on vacant posts plus a reduction in vehicle running and leasing costs.

Learning Disabilities (-£589k)

The overall underspend within the service was mainly as a result of delays in start up of new supported living schemes (-£195k), increased income from Continuing Health Care funding (-£233k) and underspends within day care (-£138k) as a result of a review of the service.

Mental Health Services

The main pressures during the year were within residential care due to an increased number of placements during the first six months of the year plus a continued increase in demand for direct payments over and above budget.

These pressures have been offset by non recruitment to vacant posts and the achievement of a number of efficiency savings after reviewing a number of service level agreements with independent and voluntary sector providers.

Management Actions

A total of £1.1m of management actions were identified earlier in the year to mitigate the then budget pressures, 93% of which were achieved by the end of the year.

The Chair commented that this was an excellent achievement and asked that his congratulations be passed to all the staff involved in attaining this.

Reference was made to independent living and a query was raised about whether partners were working together to assist people coming out of hospital.  It was confirmed that housing and social care were working closely together along with EDS to ensure that the best service was provided to all service users.

A comment was made about facilities for the disabled within council buildings and community buildings.  It had been found that although ramps had been provided to assist people getting into buildings, there was still work required to make the inside more user friendly.

Concerns were raised about the moratorium on vacant posts and whether this would have an affect on the services provided.  Assurances were given that certain posts had been exempted from this, such as frontline staff to ensure that the standard of service provided would not slip.

Reference was made to the staffing levels at day centres being low and concerns were raised as to whether this was being addressed.  It was confirmed that there had been a rapid turnover of staff recently at a particular day centre and that this was being addressed.  Assurances were given that staffing levels would never be such that they would put customers at risk.

Resolved:- That the unaudited 2009/10 Revenue Outturn report for Adult Services be received and noted.