Agenda item

To consider public questions (if any)

Question from David Ingham to Councillor S Spencer, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Budget

“Further to my question being presented at Full Council this afternoon I’m now aware that despite action taken there’s still a projected overspend of £32.947m.  I can therefore understand why there’s  been a request for this Extraordinary meeting especially given my own attendance at other meetings and what I’ve heard myself.  Given my personal interest, I note in ASCH there’s still a projected overspend of £5.721m even after using earmarked reserves – overspend on purchased services being a significant factor.

I expect on the basis of reduced cost/easier transition back home that all DCC establishments and bed spaces are being fully utilised and are full if this can be confirmed, and if not why not and whether it’s now considered that action should have been taken much earlier to head off the overall financial situation as a whole the council is now revealing in parallel with some other authorities?”

Councillor Spencer advised Mr Ingham that as the question covered numerous portfolios of responsibility, a written answer would be forwarded.  The response was as follows:

“As with other areas of the Council, the spend pressures in Adult Social Care have been significantly impacted by inflation and increases in the cost of living. There has also been a continued growth in demand for Adult Social Care services and support, both in terms of the number of people requiring support and the level of support provided due to increased acuity.

Adult Social Care is responsible for supporting all local residents with eligible need as defined by the Care Act 2014. Whilst residential care home services play an important role for those that need them, the majority of both the long term and short-term support provided by the Council to the people of Derbyshire, whether directly or through an alternative provider, is to people living within their own homes and not within residential or nursing home settings.

Most local residents prefer the option of community support. This support ranges from homecare, extra care, supported living , direct payments and day care. 

Vacancies exist not only within in our homes (Derbyshire County Council) but also across the wider Private, Independent and Voluntary sector and it is important to note that local residents requiring 24 hour support and their families have choice about which establishment they want to live within.

Whilst the vast majority of the residential care home beds across the County, both directly operated and within the market, deliver long term care support rather than short term reablement, the Council does directly operate a number of Community Support Beds (80) which provide short term reablement and rehabilitation to support people to either leave hospital or avoid an admission into hospital. These beds operate efficiently with people being admitted and discharge daily and deliver positive outcomes with 78% of people returning to their own home.

In terms of the overall financial position of the Council, the Council has introduced expenditure controls across all areas of the organisation.  These limit departments to only incur expenditure on items that are considered to be essential for the delivery of services.”

Mr Ingham asked the following supplementary question:

“I note within the response it states there are vacancies within Council Residential Care Homes. Working on the assumption that all of these vacant beds have been/are being fully publicised and made available to enquirers (please advise me within the response if that assumption or any part of that assumption is not correct) precisely how many vacant beds and types are there currently in each of the Councils Residential Care Homes?”

Councillor Hoy responded to the supplementary question as follows:

“It is important to note that under the main legislation that governs Adult Social Care - Care Act 2014 people are assessed as to whether they are eligible for Adult Social Care support, if people are eligible for support they are allocated an indicative personal budget to meet their social care outcomes. People have choice about how to use this indicative personal budget and most people and their families choose to access support within their own homes. We are seeing a decrease in demand for residential care.  

Where it is necessary for 24 hour support to be provided again people and their families have a choice of which residential home they would like to live in. So whilst our homes are part of that choice so are residential homes within the private, voluntary and independent sector. All bed availability is shared with people looking to make an admission to ensure that they are appraised of all the options available when making a choice and our own residential homes are on the care directory alongside private services.

There is currently a national shortage of care workers and Derbyshire is not unique in this regard and therefore a number of beds are closed across our facilities . In addition, within Ada Belfield, Staveley Centre, Meadow View, Oakland and Thomas Fields also provides 62 Community Support Beds which are run jointly with Derbyshire Community Health Service. These beds are to support either people in crisis in the community or to support discharge for people leaving hospital. These beds are always full and have a high success rate 86% of enabling people to return back to their homes following a period of reablement and respite. These beds are not included in the numbers below: