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Agenda item

Councillors' Questions

Please note that Councillors are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the first page of this agenda (acting on behalf of the Corporate Director) not later than 5pm on Wednesday 4 July 2018. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

 

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Councillors prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

Minutes:

The Chairman reported receipt of four questions for the meeting from

Councillors, details of which were circulated in Agenda Supplement 1.

 

Councillor were then permitted to each ask one relevant supplementary

question per question submitted and where they did so, the relevant Cabinet

member responded as summarised below:

 

1)    18-12 Councillor Ruth Hopkinson to Councillor Jerry Wickham – Health and Wellbeing Board

 

In response to a supplementary on what reforms were proposed for the Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Wickham drew attention to page 112 of the CQC report, detailing changes that were being implemented across eight themes including the Health and Wellbeing Board, and details of an action plan that would be taken to the Health Select Committee.

 

2)    18-13 Councillor Edward Kirk to Councillor Bridget Wayman – Car Parking

 

In response to a supplementary on calls from government to provide free car parking in town centres Councillor Wayman stated that it was not government policy to do so, though a single MP had suggested it.

 

3)    18-14 Councillor Ian Thorn to Councillor Jerry Wickham – Mental Health (advocacy)

 

In accordance with the constitution a verbal response was provided and a written copy provided following the meeting:

 

Wiltshire Council (jointly with Wiltshire CCG) commissions a county-wide advocacy service from Rethink. This incorporates the following types of advocacy:

 

- Generic

- Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

- Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) and Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy – Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (IMCA DoLS)

- Care Act

 

Quarterly contract monitoring meetings take place between commissioners and Rethink. The most recent meeting was 27 April, with the next meeting due to take place on 17 July. Extensive monitoring data is provided. Information provided for Q4 2017/18 (1 Jan 18 – 31 March 18) indicated a caseload of 342 individuals (across all types of advocacy). During the entirety of 2017/18, approximately 13,500 hours of advocacy were delivered across all types.

 

As demand for advocacy, particularly statutory (IMHA, IMCA and IMCA DoLS) and Care Act has increased beyond what predicted levels, this has impacted on the capacity of the service and waiting lists have increased as a result. As of the end of quarter 4 17/18, there were 80 cases on the waiting list across all areas of advocacy.

 

To alleviate this, the Council has spot-purchased advocacy with Rethink outside of the contract where they have been able to bring in bank and temporary advocates. This is not sustainable so options are currently being considered around increasing funding, and therefore capacity, within the service to reduce – and remove – waiting lists and to ensure a better, more timely, experience for those referred.

 

In response to a supplementary Councillor Wickham confirmed the spot purchased advocacy applied to the 80 cases referred to.

 

4)    18-15 Councillor Ian Thorn to Councillor Jerry Wickham – Mental Health (safeguarding)

 

In accordance with the constitution a verbal response was provided and a written copy provided following the meeting:

 

Wiltshire Council’s Adult Social Care Service has well established robust systems in place to deal with Adult Safeguarding. The current Safeguarding processes are based on the statutory requirements identified within the Care Act 2014 and our policies, protocols and working practices are all Care Act Compliant. The Council is the lead agency in Wiltshire for Adult Safeguarding and we have had a specialist Team in place for quite some time (roughly 10 years) who have always screened and triaged all Safeguarding referrals. Since phase one of the ‘Adult Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub’ (Adult MASH) development, this team, with the current exception of Mental Health customers, lead on all Safeguarding Investigations with the support of staff from the various teams that make up the Adult Social Care Service and partner agencies. Wiltshire Police have been embedded within this team for quite a considerable period now and there are numerous additional virtual partners who all work closely together to ensure the vulnerable residents of Wiltshire have their Safeguarding needs met.

 

The Wiltshire Safeguarding Adults Board also work extremely closely with the Adult MASH.

 

In regards to the specific needs of safeguarding adults in Wiltshire who have mental health issues, the longer term aim is for the Adult MASH to lead on these Investigations also but this will happen as part of a phased process. In the meantime, the Adult MASH continue to screen and triage all mental health referrals and will make a decision as to whether the identified concerns meet the criteria set out in S.42 of the Care Act 2014 or if it appears likely it will but further information is required to completely establish this. In certain circumstances the Adult MASH will take the decision to hold onto specific mental health related cases, such as when there is a suggestion of large scale abuse. Otherwise the case is passed to one of the specialist locality Mental Health Social Work Teams who then lead on the Ref 18-15 investigation themselves. The Adult MASH give clear guidance on the investigation process and are always available for support and advice if or when required.

 

The locality Mental Health Social Work Teams are highly experienced in mental health safeguarding themselves but also draw on the expertise and support of various partner agencies as required.

 

The Council dealt with 253 mental health specific Safeguarding Referrals which met S.42 criteria or needed further investigation in 2017.

 

Adult Social Care take Adult Safeguarding extremely seriously and in light of the processes and systems I have described, I have every confidence in the

effectiveness of adult safeguarding

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