Agenda and minutes

To approve as an accurate record the minutes of the meetings held on the following dates:-

-       11 May 2021 (to follow)

-       29 June 2021

-       21 September (to follow)

The minutes of the meetings held on 11 May, 29 June and 21 September were agreed as an accurate record.

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), an other registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda.  If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting.  

If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they should complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

Members and co-opted Members are required to disclose any DPIs and ORIs at the meeting.  

-       Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  

-       Where the matter relates to an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.   

-       Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to their financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate, they must disclose the interest at the meeting, may not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  Where a matter affects the NRI of a Member or co-opted Member, section 9 of Appendix B of the Code of Conduct sets out the test which must be applied by the Member to decide whether disclosure is required.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3, to be recorded in the minutes.

There were no disclosures of interest made at the meeting.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no items of urgent business for consideration at the meeting.

The Health & Social Care Sub-Committee is asked to: -

1.    Note the Croydon Safeguarding Adult Board Annual Report 2020-2021

2.    Consider whether there are any considerations or concerns it may wishes to submit to the Cabinet during its consideration of the Annual Report.

3.    In particular, give consideration as to whether the Annual Report provides sufficient reassurance on the performance and effectiveness of the Croydon Safeguarding Adult Board.

The Sub-Committee considered the Annual Report for 2020-21 from the Croydon Safeguarding Adults Board, as set out on pages 11 to 56 of the agenda, with a view to reassuring itself on the performance of the Board, prior to the report’s consideration by the Cabinet.

The Chair of the Board, Annie Callanan provided an introduction to the report. A copy of the presentation delivered can be viewed on the following link: -

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=168&MId=2643&Ver=4

Following the introduction, the Sub-Committee was provided with the opportunity to question the Chair and others from the Board who were in attendance on the content of the report. The first question asked for an explanation of the Serious Adult Review (SAR) process. It was advised that a SAR was a procedure used when something either went wrong within Adult Social Care or there was concern about abuse or neglect. When this procedure was triggered the case was referred to the Serious Adult Review Group who reviewed all aspects of the case to establish what had gone wrong and to make recommendations for improvements.

In response to a question about how the Board could reassure itself about the performance of unregulated services operating in the borough, it was acknowledged that these were a concern. It could be particularly difficult to monitor unregulated services if they were purchased by the service user through the direct payment system, but some degree of assurance could be gained through processes which meant care packages were regularly reviewed. It was also important to utilise the experience of others in the care network, such as CASSUP, Healthwatch Croydon and GPs, to identify any potential concerns.

It was questioned how the voice of the people had been incorporated in the report and whether there were further plans to engage with people in Croydon. It was confirmed that work on engaging with the voice of the people had been underway for some time with progress made in engaging with senior representatives in BAME communities. Croydon was recognised as being at the forefront of engagement work in London, which included the involvement of representatives from three underrepresented groups and ensuring the experience of people using safeguarding services was captured.

It was highlighted that there had been a marked decline in the number of referrals made during the pandemic and as such it was questioned whether this may have increase the risk of people being missed. It was confirmed that a decline in the number of referrals was a common trend across the country and it was difficult to identify one specific reason for this. Croydon was fortunate to have a very good intelligence sharing group that helped to identify referrals, and during the pandemic the type of referrals received had tended to be more complex.  In order to get a full understanding of an episode, the Board would seek the professional view of the information provided from the responsible manager, to supplement the data.

In response to a question about the risk of people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37/21

The Health & Social Care Sub-Committee is asked to note the content of the presentation on the winter challenges facing health and social care services and consider: -

1.    Whether the main challenges facing health and social care services in the borough have been identified,

2.    Whether it is reassured that the appropriate controls and mitigation are in place to manage these challenges.

The Sub-Committee considered a report set out on pages 57 to 84 of the agenda, which provided an overview of the work of health and social care partners to ensure the increased pressure on services brought about by the winter and the covid-19 pandemic could be effectively managed.

Following an introduction to the item, summarising the information set out in the report, the Sub-Committee was provided the opportunity to question the information that had been provided.

As the covid-19 vaccine booster roll out was being coordinated by the NHS nationally, it was questioned whether this was leading to confusion on a local level. It was confirmed that GPs had an excellent partnership with the vaccination team at the hospital and were able to redirect people as needed. A vaccine helpline had also been set up in Croydon, which people could be referred to if they were experiencing issues booking their booster.

Given the recent announcement from the Government that vaccination would become mandatory for healthcare staff from April, it was questioned how this would impact upon the hospital, with 20% of staff not being vaccinated. It was confirmed that the implications from the vaccine mandate were still being worked through, as the guidance had not yet produced. The current approach of CHS was focussed towards persuading staff to take up the vaccine.

As there was a significant push to educate the public on the need to take up the vaccination, it was questioned whether other measures, such as hand washing, needed the same level of education. It was confirmed by the Director of Public Health that communication needed to continue as it had done in the preceding 18 months of the pandemic.  It was emphasised that should anyone be unsure of getting vaccinated, there were reliable sources of information online, which did not include social media.

It was questioned whether services were seeing the expected increase in mental health need as a result of the pandemic. In response it was advised that at present there was no modelling available to evidence that there had been an increase, but there was an awareness that the pandemic was having an impact. It was possible that the number of people seeking mental health support could increase further, but it was hoped that measures put in place with the voluntary sector may help to manage the numbers requiring hospitalisation.

It was questioned whether there were any care homes in the borough at risk as a result of the vaccine mandate. It was advised that there had been a lot of work with care homes to encourage the take up of the vaccination. The Council worked with providers where there were concerns about the vaccine, but there were no homes with a large cohort of unvaccinated staff. The work of the Commissioning team with care homes to encourage vaccination was commended. 

In response to a question about how Croydon Health Service NHS Trust (CHS) was managing the capacity in its Accident and Emergency (A&E)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38/21

The Health & Social Care Sub-Committee is asked to:-

1.    Note the current position of its Work Programme for 2021-22.

2.    To consider whether there are any other items that should be added to the work programme.

The Sub-Committee considered its work programme for the remainder of 2021-22, as set out on pages 85 to 90 of the agenda. It was noted that an informal briefing had been arrange for the members of the Sub-Committee on 30 November 2021 to provide an overview of the 2022-23 budget proposals for the Adults Service.

Resolved: That the Health & Social Care Sub-Committee work programme be noted.

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

This motion was not required.