Agenda item

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 31st March, 2015, based on actual income and expenditure for the period ending November, 2014. 

It was reported that the forecast for the financial year 2014/15 was an overspend of £468,000 against an approved net revenue budget of £69.751m.  The main budget pressures related to budget savings from previous years not fully achieved in respect of additional Continuing Health Care Funding plus recurrent pressures and increasing demand for Direct Payments.  There were also delays on achieving budget savings proposals within Learning Disability Services.

Management actions were being developed with the aim of containing expenditure within the approved cash limited budget by the end of the financial year.

The first financial forecast showed there remained a number of underlying budget pressures. The main variations against approved budget for each Service area were as follows:-

Adults General

·         This area included the cross cutting budgets of Workforce planning and training and corporate charges and was forecasting an underspend due to higher than anticipated staff turnover within the Contract and Reviewing Officers Team and the impact of the moratorium on training budgets

Older People

·         Recurrent budget pressure on Direct Payments over budget.  Client numbers had increased since April together with an increase in the amount of a number of care packages

·         Forecast underspend on Enabling Care and Sitting Service based on current level of Service together with an underspend within Independent Sector Home Care which had experienced a slight reduction in demand since April

·         Overspend on Independent Residential and Nursing Care due to delays in achieving the savings target for additional Continuing Health Care (CHC) income.  Additional income from property charges was reducing the overall overspend

·         Underspend within In-House Residential Care and Day Care Services due to vacancies pending restructure, additional income from self-funders together with Winter Pressures funding

·         Planned delays on recruitment to vacant posts within Assessment and Care Management plus additional income from Health resulting in an overall underspend

·         Overall underspend on Rothercare due to savings on maintenance contracts on the new community alarm units and supplies and services

·         Underspends in respect of vacancies within Carers Service

Learning Disabilities

·         Independent sector Residential Care budgets forecasting an underspend and realisation of continued work reviewing all CHC applications and high cost placements as part of budget savings target

·         Forecast overspend within Day Care Services due to a recurrent budget pressure on external transport plus provision for 7 specialist transitional placements from Children’s Services.  This was being reduced slightly due to staff turnover higher than forecast

·         Overspend in Independent Sector Home Care due to increase in demand over and above budget

·         New transitional placements from Children’s Services into Supported Living plus additional demand for Shared Lives was being offset by additional CHC and one-off funding resulting in an overall forecast underspend

·         Delays in meeting approved budget savings on Contracted Services for Employment and Leisure Services had increased the overspend due to extended consultation to the end of the financial year

·         Forecast pressure on changing the provision of residential care to delivering of Supported Living by RDaSH

·         Staff turnover lower than forecast within In-house Residential Care reduced by saving on RDaSH administration support

Mental Health

·         Projected underspend on Residential Care budget due to a reduction of 5 placements since April 2014 plus additional Public Health funding for substance misuse

·         Reduced pressure on employee budgets due to lower than expected staff turnover plus review of night cover arrangements offset by underspend on Community Support and Direct Payments due to a review of a number of care packages plus additional Public Health funding

Physical and Sensory Disabilities

·         Further increase in demand for Direct Payments in addition to a recurrent budget pressure and forecasting an overspend

·         Efficiency savings on contracts for advice and information

·         Independent sector Residential Care forecasting an underspend as 1 client was now supported by another authority

·         Underspend on Independent sector Homecare as clients migrated to Direct Payments Scheme

·         Slight underspends on Independent Day Care, therapy and equipment support

Safeguarding

·         Increase in demand for assessments under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards putting additional pressure on existing budgets

·         Reduced by higher than anticipated staff turnover plus additional one-off income from Health

Supporting People

·         Efficiency savings on contracts due to reduced activity and supplies and services budgets due to the moratorium on non-essential spend

Total expenditure on Agency staff for Adult Services to the end of November, 2014, was £130,961 (no off contract), a significant reduction compared with actual expenditure of £254,082 (no off contract) for the same period last financial year.  The main areas of spend were within Assessment and Care Management Social Work Teams.  There had been no expenditure on consultancy to date.

There had been £132,130 spent up to the end of November, 2014, on non-contractual overtime for Adult Services compared with expenditure of £273,472 for the same period last year.

Careful scrutiny of expenditure and income and close budget monitoring remained essential to ensure equity of Service provision for adults across the Borough within existing budgets particularly where the demand and spend was difficult to predict in a volatile social care market.  A potential risk was the future number and cost of transitional placements from Children’s Services into Learning Disability Services together with any future reductions in Continuing Health Care funding.

Regional benchmarking within the Yorkshire and Humberside region for the final quarter of 2012/13, showed that Rotherham remained below average on spend per head in respect of Continuing Health Care.

Discussion took place with the following issues raised and clarified:-

-          The number of assessments under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards had increased from that of 2013/14.  The backlog was being managed through the risk assessment process (using the national tool for risk assessments) and the 154 completed to date had gone through that process.  The Strategic Leadership Team was to consider a report shortly requesting additional funding.  The situation in Rotherham was replicated across the country

-          All frontline services posts were fully recruited to immediately because of Care Quality Commission requirements.  If recruitment was not possible, agency staff would be utilised.  There was a constant recruitment process due to the turnover of staff

The Chairman thanked all those involved for their work in striving towards a balanced budget situation.

Resolved:- That the latest financial projection against budget for 2014/15, as now reported, be noted.