Agenda item - Adult Social Care Fees 2021-22

Report of the Executive Director Health and Adult Social Care (copy attached)

RESOLVED – That the Board agrees to the recommended fee increases as set out in the table in Appendix 1 to the report. The underpinning background to the fee charges are contained in the main body of the report.

46.1    The Board considered a report of Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care setting out the recommended fee levels and uplifts be paid to Adult Social Care providers from April 2021.

46.2    The services that were considered in this report were integral to the proper functioning of the wider health and care system, which included management of patient flow in and out of hospital. It was recognised that public finances were under increasing pressure but that this needed to manage and sustain the provider market to support the provider market to support the increasing complexity and demand and to complexity and demand and to comply with the duties placed on the council  by the Care Act 2014 to meet the needs of those requiring care and support and to ensure provider sustainability and viability. The proposals set out in the report also recognised the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, the financial position of the Local Authority and Adult Social Care providers.

46.3    The Chair, Councillor Shanks, sought confirmation that staff were being paid the living wage. David Liley of Healthwatch asked whether any of the commissioning arrangements had been compromised in consequence of the Covid pandemic. It was explained that in view of the tight pre-lockdown timetable, services had not be re-contracted to the usual timeframe. The Executive Director, Adult Health and Social Care explained that the current timeline would impact on the breadth of supported accommodation and it was important to ensure that these strands were picked up in terms of future delivery. Recruitment had been undertaken during the past year, take up had been good.

46.4    Councillor Childs had concerns that it was problematic to continue to pay privately for those who were vulnerable, in his view in the longer term thought needed to be given to bringing services back in house. Councillor Childs considered that providers needed to audited rigorously and a granular level of detail provided to ascertain the level of profit made by them year on year and to have absolute assurance that standards were met andmaintained.

46.5    RESOLVED – That the Board agrees to the recommended fee increases as set out in the table in Appendix 1 to the report. The underpinning background to the fee charges are contained in the main body of the report.