Agenda and draft minutes

Councillor Roberta Swiers gave her apologies and Councillor Alyson Baker attended as her substitute.

Apologies were also received from Councillors Joy Andrews and Monika Slater.

Resolved – That the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2024 be taken as read and confirmed by the Chair as a correct record.

All Members are invited to declare at this point any interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

Members of the public may ask questions or make statements at this meeting if they have given notice to Melanie Carr of Democratic and Scrutiny Services and supplied the text (see contact details below) by midday on Monday 2 December 2024, three working days before the day of the meeting.  Each speaker should limit themselves to 3 minutes on any item.  Members of the public who have given notice will be invited to speak:

·            at this point in the meeting if their questions/statements relate to matters which are not otherwise on the Agenda (subject to an overall time limit of 30 minutes);

·            when the relevant Agenda item is being considered if they wish to speak on a matter which is on the Agenda for this meeting.

If you are exercising your right to speak at this meeting, but do not wish to be recorded, please inform the Chairman who will instruct anyone who may be taking a recording to cease while you speak.

No public questions or statements were received.

Considered – The annual report of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NYSAB) for 2023-2024.

Members welcomed Adrian Green, new Chair of the NYSAB to the meeting and recorded their thanks to the previous Chair, Sue Proctor.

Adrian Green went on to introduce the annual report and provide a detailed overview of the Board’s purpose, the work undertaken and its delivery outcomes for the past year.  This included:

·          The data collected throughout 2023-24 in order to review safeguarding practice and standards.

·          The specific audits undertaken to examine best practice and seek reassurance.

·          The Board’s partners and use of local safeguarding partnerships.

·          The three spotlight campaigns undertaken – National Probation Service; Right Care Right Person; REACH Housing Project.

·          The statistics detailed in the report.

·          The events and activity undertaken during Safeguarding Week 2023.

Members also noted the independent safeguarding adults’ reviews undertaken during the last year and the learning opportunities they identified.  They were pleased to note the progress made in implementing the recommendations arising from previous reviews, as detailed in the report.

Specifically in regard to rough sleepers, it was noted that a recent national count suggested that 85% had care and support needs.  Members recognised the need to improve rough sleepers’ ability to access services through a more assertive outreach approach and targeted initiatives.

Member discussed whether a cultural shift away from having limited time to undertake a visit/assessment would be beneficial in the long run.  They also acknowledged the time required to build trust and the need to keep people well informed.

In regard to data held on ethnic minorities, Members recognised it could be used to reach out to key individuals in rural communities to help identified pockets of unidentified need.

The Chair thanked Adrian Green for his attendance at the meeting, and it was

Resolved – That the NYSAB Annual Report be noted.

Considered – A report by Louise Wallace, Director of Public Health (DPH) introducing the DPH Annual Report 2023-24, with a focus on older people and four healthy ageing priorities for North Yorkshire, as detailed in section 3 of the report.

Louise Wallace introduced Dr Victoria Turner – Lead Consultant and Carly Walker – Public Health Manager.  She went on to provide an overview of her independent annual report which every DPH had a statutory requirement to publish on the health of their population, as a vehicle for informing local people about the health of their community and informing decision-makers in local health services and authorities on health gaps and priorities that needed addressing.

Louise Wallace drew specific attention to the feedback on the implementation of last year’s recommendations and the new recommendations within her Annual report.

Members commended officers on the report and endorsed the new recommendations, and discussed where geographically they were likely to be targeted.  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 aging faster.

·          The need for greater ‘Dying Matters’ awareness.

·          Women were living longer.

The Chair thanked the Director for Public Health for her Annual Report and it was

Resolved: That the report be noted.

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director of Health & Adult Services (HAS) presenting the Local Account 2023/24.

Richard Webb, Corporate Director of Health & Adult Services confirmed the Local Account was an annual statement of HAS performance in delivering adult social care, detailing progress against the Directorate’s improvement priorities for 2023-24.

Specific attention was drawn to the examples of involvement work within the report, the challenges identified with the report and a number of achievements over the 2023-24 year.

In response to Members’ questions Richard Webb confirmed:

·          In regard to what the Public Health Grant could be spent on, some areas were mandated, and the rest was discretionary.

·          There had been some radical changes to ensure a more even spread of expenditure on mental health.

·          The additional funding allocated to council’s with identified deprived areas was not ring-fenced.

·          Whilst international recruitment in the private sector had increased, the Council was trying to grow its own workforce through apprenticeships and other employment initiatives.

Members went on to discuss their concerns around trafficking and exploitation, and acknowledged the increasing challenges they faced, in part due to change in cultural interactions online etc

Resolved – That the Annual Account for 2023-24 be noted.

Considered – A Director for Public Health presentation on substance use delivered by Angela Hall, Public Health Manager.

Louise Wallace, the Director for Public Health introduced the presentation providing an overview of the strategic context both nationally and locally.

Angela Hall provided an overview of North Yorkshire’s Substance Use Strategy and service provision, and North Yorkshire’s ‘Treatment Plan’ and other key ongoing actions.  She also drew specific attention to three commissioned services – NY Horizons, NY Connected Spaces and NYRise and provided examples of their engagement and communication campaigns.  

Members noted the data provided within the presentation.  In particular they were pleased to note that North Yorkshire were performing better than the national average in regard to adult wait times, with the majority being seen within 10 days.  They also noted the majority were accessing services as a result of alcohol dependence.

In response to Members questions, Officers confirmed:

·          The nationally set timeframe between asking for help and receiving it was being met 99% of the time.

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

·          Due to the changing pattern of substance use, the solutions taken in previous decades were no longer suitable, hence the Council’s new Strategy.

Finally, Members noted:

·          People were dying of poor physical health as a result of long term drug taking.

·          The 3^rd and 4^th generation drug use taking place in some communities where it had become normalised.

·          NY Horizon’s use of volunteers with lived experience.

·          The ongoing county lines prevention work

The Chair thanked officers for their update, and it was

Resolved – That the presentation be noted.

Considered – A presentation on Direct Payments – a way to have control over your own care and support personal budget, delivered by Kate Allanson, Head of Targeted Prevention.

The presentation included key data on direct payments, together with a number of example case studies, and Members were pleased to note the steady increase in take up, and the key improvements detailed within the presentation.

The presentation also provided an update on ISF’s, considered a middle option between direct payments and local authority managed services.  Members noted the planned focussed pilots to be run to explore how they might support a greater move away from time and task services.

Finally the presentation provide an overview of the role of Personal Assistants, the support given to an individual to recruit and manage a PA, and the way their work was reviewed.  

Members noted:

·          There were no national targets set around the uptake of Direct Payments - officers confirmed a 40% uptake for the county would be considered good.

·          Direct Payments were reviewed 6 weeks after implementation and annually thereafter.

·          Personal safety was a shared responsibility between the Local Authority, the employer, and the PA.

·          Direct Payments were means tested.

·          The county faced some cultural issues and there was some risk aversion in some parts of the county.

Resolved – That the presentation be noted.

Resolved – That the item on preparation progress for ASC Assurance inspection be removed from the agenda for the March 2025 meeting, and instead be considered at the Committee’s next mid cycle briefing.