Agenda item

To receive the report on the Peer Review of Adult Social Care.

The Council received a report on the recent Peer Review of Croydon’s Adults Service. The Review Lead, Aileen Buckton was in attendance at the meeting to present a summary of the review’s findings. During the presentation the following points were noted:-

1. The review had been carried out over three days and had taken a light touch approach. The team carrying out the review was made up of eight professionals, all with an Adult Social Care background.

2. The review had focused on the use of resources within Adult Social Care, which included reviewing budgets, commissioning and the use of market. The review had met with service users to inform its findings, using both interviews and focus groups to gather evidence.

3. The Review had met with a great deal of enthusiasm from staff and it was evident that a significant amount of preparation had been invested in the process. The review team had been impressed by everyone they met, including both senior staff and staff on the ground, all of whom reflected the view that Croydon was a Council with ambition and vision.

4. The Review presented an opportunity to reflect on what was going well within the Service, as well as being used to identify new learning and new ways of working. It was highlighted that it would be beneficial for the Service to mirror the excellent approach it took to working with the over 65’s to those under 65; such as young adults leaving care.

5. The review had found that service users understood the direction of travel in the Service towards a more preventative approach with a focus on residents working together. Residents were complementary about the changes made to date, but it was emphasised that it was important that they should be kept informed as progress was made. The move towards more digital ways of working was a slight concern for service users and how this was approached needed further consideration.

The Cabinet Member for Families, Health and Social Care, Councillor Avis, extended her thanks to the Review Team for their report, particularly for delivering it in the short timeframe they had been given to complete the review. It was pleasing to note that the results of the Review had found a Service being delivered in the right way, with vision and passion. The Review had also helped to provide reassurance that the Service was moving in the right direction for the people of Croydon.

The mission for the Service was to deliver a sustainable future, in terms of money, the workforce and partnerships. This vision was presented under the heading of ‘a life not a care plan’. It was intended that residents would be provided with support to allow them to live a life they both deserved and wanted, through the introduction of a system focused on prevention and early intervention. A key driver for this would be the One Croydon Alliance, which aimed to integrate health and social care partners to deliver service improvements despite cuts of 74% in the Adult Social Care budget.

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, Councillor Hopley, also extended her thanks to the team for its work, noting that it was pleasing to see that there was an agreed method set out in the report and concurred that this approach should be followed. It was suggested that further work should be undertaken to provide information at a more granular level.

Concern was raised about the targeted budgets for Adult Social Care, which had not been met, with a view that greater scrutiny was required in this area. Concern was also raised about the speed of progress being made with the One Croydon Alliance, with it highlighted that Personal Independence Coordinators still needed to be appointed to cover the south of the Borough, which was felt to be particularly pressing given the high level of elderly need in the area.

The Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board, Councillor Woodley, also extended her thanks to the team for their work in undertaking the review, noting that it presented a timely affirmation on the direction of travel for the Service, with it being particularly pleasing to note that service users appreciated the work being undertaken by the Council.

The Council resolved to note the content of the report and its appendices.