NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

18 MAY 2022

This statement covers the period from the meeting of the County Council on 16 February 2022 to the County Council elections on 5 May 2022

STATEMENT OF CLLR MICHAEL HARRISON

National Adult Social Care Charging Reforms

· From October 2023, the Government plans to introduce a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England will have to spend on their personal care over their lifetime and introduce a more generous threshold for accessing financial support.

· NYCC are one of 5 councils who have been invited to be Trailblazer councils, with the opportunity to implement the reforms earlier, in January 2023.

· There are potential significant benefits to North Yorkshire residents from these reforms, but also potential negative financial implications for the Council – so the opportunity to participate in the shaping of the national implementation of this policy is welcome.  If successful this will bring benefits to the people of North Yorkshire nine months earlier than the rest of the country.

· The council have agreed three formal review points with the Department of Health and Social Care, firstly in May (following Executive approval and elections), August and finally November 2022 before implementation in January 2023.

Waiting Lists/Performance

· Frontline social care teams’ urgent waiting lists reached a peak of 328 cases at the end of March, but have reduced steadily since then to 275 in mid-April. On average, teams completed 1,531 assessments, reviews and safeguarding enquiries per month in 2021/22.

· Hospital discharges have now settled into a stable pattern of around 15 discharges per day – which is running at approximately 50% above pre-pandemic levels. Community-based referrals averaged 1,057 per month in Q4, compared with 929 per month in Q3, representing another increasing pressure on social care teams.

Recruitment

· The recruitment campaign that has been running since the latter part of 2021 has been successful with a number of applicants being recruited as a direct result, but pressures on social care teams continue with vacancies across the sector.

· I would like to thank members for continuing to promote the wide range of rewarding careers that are available in care, along with the current vacancies that exist in both the Council and the wider sector via the www.makecarematter.co.uk website.

COUNTY COUNCILLOR MICHAEL HARRISON