NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

26 FEBRUARY 2025

STATEMENT OF THE CHAIR OF CARE AND INDEPENDENCE OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

The Care and Independence Overview & Scrutiny Committee scrutinises the needs of vulnerable adults, older people and people whose independence needs to be supported by intervention from the public or voluntary sector.

Since the Chairman’s last statement to Council in November 2024, the Committee has met once on 5 December 2024, when the Committee considered the following items of business:

· North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2023-24 (NYSAB)

· Public Health Annual Report 2023-24

· Health & Adult Services Annual Account 2023-24

· Presentation on Substance Use

· Overview on Direct Payments

The new Chair of NYSAB attended the meeting to provide a detailed overview of the Board’s purpose, the work undertaken and its delivery outcomes for the past year.  The Committee noted the independent safeguarding adults’ reviews undertaken during the last year and the learning opportunities identified.  They were pleased at the progress made in implementing the recommendations arising from previous reviews.  Members recognised the need to improve rough sleepers’ ability to access services through a more assertive outreach approach and targeted initiatives.  The Committee also acknowledged the time required to build trust and the need to keep people well informed and discussed whether a cultural shift away from having limited time to undertake a visit/assessment would be beneficial in the long run.

The Committee commended officers on the Public Health Annual Report 2023-24 which focussed on older people and four healthy ageing priorities for North Yorkshire and went on to endorse the recommendations therein.  They also noted:

· The identified health inequalities and pockets of deprivation

· The ongoing work to make North Yorkshire an age friendly place.

· Rural and coastal areas were ageing faster.

· The need for greater ‘Dying Matters’ awareness.

· Women were living longer.

The Committee considered the Local Account - an annual statement of HAS performance in delivering adult social care, detailing progress against the Directorate’s improvement priorities for 2023-24.  In particular, the examples of involvement work, the challenges identified and the achievements over the 2023-24 year.  The Committee expressed concern over trafficking and exploitation, and acknowledged the increasing challenges Councillors faced, in part due to the change in cultural interactions online etc.

Having received an overview of North Yorkshire’s Substance Use Strategy and service provision, and North Yorkshire’s ‘Treatment Plan’ and other key ongoing actions, the Committee was pleased to note:

· The services delivered by three specific commissioned organisations – NY Horizons, NY Connected Spaces and NYRise in particular, their engagement and communication campaigns. 

· North Yorkshire’s performance levels which were better than the national average in regard to adult wait times, with the majority being seen within 10 days.

· There was a clear understanding of where to target specific interventions based on identified need

Finally, the Committee received a presentation on Direct Payments – a way to have control over your own care and support personal budget.  It included a number of example case studies, and an overview of the role of a Personal Assistant, the support given to an individual to recruit and manage a PA, and the way the work of a PA was reviewed.  Members were pleased to note the steady increase in take up of Direct Payments, and the other key improvements detailed within the presentation.

The committee next meets on 27 March 2025.

COUNCILLOR KARIN SEDGWICK