Agenda item

To consider questions submitted by Elected Members

The following questions had been submitted by Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy as Cabinet Member for Adult Care. However, Councillor Hoy had submitted apologies and was not present at the meeting. It was therefore proposed that written responses would be provided after the meeting.

1)   Question from Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy, Cabinet Member for Adult Care

“Why have carers of people with learning disability who receive much-needed respite breaks been told that the homes where their loved ones have received short-term breaks will shortly be closing?”

Written response:

“The short term breaks units referred to above are commissioned by the NHS through Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS) to provide 'short breaks' for adults with a learning disability. The Derbyshire and Derby Integrated Care Board is reviewing this provision and a report was considered by Improvement and Scrutiny – Health 15 May.  Discussions across Derbyshire and Derby Integrated Care Board and Adult Social Care are currently on ongoing. A further report will be available to Improvement and Scrutiny- Health once this review has been concluded.”

2)   Question from Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy, Cabinet Member for Adult Care

“What measures are being considered besides home care charging to reduce the cost of Adult Social Care to the county council, including support for permanent staff such as flexible working options, to reduce reliance on agency staff, increased training opportunities both for potential recruits to care and to enable existing staff to upskill, and streamlining the lengthy recruitment processes for Adult Social Care?”

Written response:

“Any proposed changes are only proposals, and no decisions will be made until we have given people the opportunity to tell us their views and we have taken these fully into account.”

3)   Question from Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy, Cabinet Member for Adult Care

“What resources have been planned to enable the necessary financial assessments and assessments of Disability Related Expenditure for the thousands of residents due to be impacted by all of the options proposed for home care charging?”

Written response:

“As previously stated: Any proposed changes are only proposals, and no decisions will be made until we have given people the opportunity to tell us their views and we have taken these fully into account. Unless a decision is made there can be no changes to how a person’s charges are calculated.”

4)   Question from Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy, Cabinet Member for Adult Care

“What assessment has been made of the financial impact on affected residents of the 3 proposals for home care charging, and what measures considered to support residents who will not have planned for such sudden and potentially high expenditure, and who may have financial commitments that make such payments unviable?”

Written response:

“As stated earlier: Any proposed changes are only proposals, and no decisions will be made until we have given people the opportunity to tell us their views and we have taken these fully into account. Unless a decision is made there can be no changes to how a person’s charges are calculated.”

5)   Question from Councillor R George to Councillor N Hoy, Cabinet Member for Adult Care

“What measures are being proposed as part of the home care charging proposals to ensure couples’ income does not fall below the Minimum Income Guarantee if the partner with the highest income is assessed for care charges and potentially charged all of their excess income above their half of the Minimum Income Guarantee, whilst their partner’s income falls below half of the Minimum Income Guarantee?”

Written response:

“As stated earlier, any proposed changes are only proposals, and no decisions will be made until we have given people the opportunity to tell us their views and we have taken these fully into account. Unless a decision is made there can be no changes to how a person’s charges are calculated.”