Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

None.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2017 be approved as a correct record.

It was confirmed that there were no Part II items, and that all business would therefore be conducted in public.

Ian Anderson - Business Manager, Complaints and Enquiries, introduced the annual complaint report for Housing Services and Adult Social Care, which spanned the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. The Committee was advised that the statistics were broadly similar to the previous year. Key points highlighted were:

Housing Services

Within Housing Services, informal complaints had been seen to reduce, with 201 fewer complaints recorded, totalling 455, in comparison to the 656 complaints recorded in 2015/16. It was suggested that the reason for this reduction was the recent mild winter, during which residents likely had less need for repairs.

Stage 1 complaints had increased by 7, to a total of 125, of which 22 were upheld, 14 partially upheld, and 82 not upheld. 7 complaints were either cancelled or withdrawn. The average time taken to conclude a Stage 1 complaint was 8.26 working days, against a target of 10 working days.

Stage 2 complaints had been seen to have fallen, from 25 in 2015/16 to 12 in 2016/17. Of these, 3 complaints were upheld, and 9 were not upheld. The average time to conclude a Stage 2 complaint was 11.16 working days, against a target of 10 working days.

There were no Stage 3 complaints. 22 complaints were concluded by the Ombudsman, with 1 complaint upheld, 2 partially upheld, 12 not upheld, and 7 not investigated.

Compliments had reduced, from 23 in 2015/16 to 19 in 2016/17. It was recognised that compliments were less likely to be submitted than complaints.

Overall, a greater number of complaints were now progressing directly from Stage 1 and or 2 to the Ombudsman, for example complaints received from residents who were ineligible for housing, but continued to challenge the homelessness policy.

Adult Social Care

Within Adult Social Care, informal complaints had reduced from 131 in 2015/16 to 105 in 2016/17.

Stage 1 complaints had reduced from 39 in 2015/16 to 35 in 2016/17. Of these, 4 complaints were upheld, 9 were partially upheld, and 22 were not upheld. The average time taken to conclude a stage 1 complaint was 10.47 working days.

8 complaints were concluded by the Ombudsman during this period, with 3 upheld, 4 not upheld, and 1 discontinued.

Compliments had been seen to have increased by 61%, to a total of 79 in 2016/17, from 49 for 2016/16.

When comparing Hillingdon's statistics to those of other Authorities, it was apparent that the number of formal complaints received from adults in this Authority was substantially lower than that of Councils such as Ealing or Buckinghamshire. This was due to the proactive work carried out by Hillingdon officers to resolve issues at the informal stage and Stage 1 of the complaints process.

Home Care Providers received 96 informal complaints during the period 2016/17. Of these, 40 complaints were upheld, 25 were partially upheld, and 31 were not upheld. The most common complaints were related to poor time keeping (62 instances), missed calls (49 instances) and poor quality of care (42 instances).  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Gary Collier - Health & Social Care Integration Manager, provided a witness report as part of the Committee's review into Loneliness and Isolation amongst older residents. Mr Collier was supported by Nina Durnford - Assistant Director, Older People & Physical Disabilities , Kevin Byrne - Head of Health Integration and Voluntary Sector Partnerships, Julian Lloyd  - CEO Age UK Hillingdon, Steve Curry - Hillingdon 4 All (H4All), and Dr Anil Raj - General Practitioner.

The Committee was advised of the strategic context of the review, which included the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Better Care Fund (BCF). The Chairman confirmed that the BCF plan would come to the Committee's November meeting as an information item.

The Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018/21 was also to be brought to the Health and Wellbeing Board in September, and once approved, would be put into effect. The Strategy will implement the Hillingdon aspect of the North West London Sustainability and Transformation Plan and has three key aims:

1.    Improving health & wellbeing;

2.    Improving care & quality; and

3.    Improving productivity & closing the financial gap.

Reducing social isolation was listed as one of the priorities within the Strategy. Hillingdon's Better Care Fund Plan (BCF), which is a government scheme intended to deliver better health and care outcomes for residents through integration between health and social care, includes actions that will contribute to meeting this priority.  The 2017/19 BCF plan includes six schemes but scheme 1, entitled 'Early intervention and prevention', includes actions that are relevant to the Committee's review and these include:

·         Improving access to information and advice to enable residents to help themselves;

·         Risk stratification to identify people at risk of escalated needs earlier;

·         Developing the third sector preventative role; and

·         Keeping older people physically active, therefore supporting both physical and mental wellbeing

Early intervention was felt to be key to reducing instances or mitigating the effects of social isolation, and work was ongoing about how best to ensure residents were able to find the services available to them. It was likely that partnership working with the voluntary sector would be important. More specific details around services, particularly physical activities, were due to be heard at the Committee meeting scheduled for 2 October.

The role of adult social care in identifying social isolation, and the process for residents to access care and support, was outlined. The Committee was informed that social care assessments included a review of the resident's needs, their family circumstances, what pastimes they enjoyed, and activities that interested them. Care plans for people with eligible social care needs could include referrals to partners such as Age UK or other community based organisations and support to access locally run activities.  Personal budgets for people with eligible social care needs can be used creatively to support with external trips, such as fishing or the cinema, depending on their needs and preferences  There is also the opportunity to refer older residents to services provided by Age UK Hillingdon, such their befriending services, and also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Members considered the draft final report on the Committee's review into the impact of changes to Housing Benefits on residents and the Council.

Councillor Eginton suggested amendments to the report, including additional data such as a comparison of the reduction in benefits since the introduction of the benefits cap, details of delays in payment of benefits, and how the payment of benefits to residents who missed appointments were affected.

In addition, Councillor Eginton highlighted that the most recent Corporate Risk Register did not include details on HRA arrears, and requested that this be checked. Councillor Eginton went on to request that the Welfare Reform and Mitigation Plan be forwarded to all Members.

It was agreed that Councillor Eginton would forward a list of all suggested amendments to the clerk, for review by the Chairman.

Members were supportive of the draft report, and agreed that it be put forward to Cabinet following consideration of Councillor Eginton's suggestions by the Chairman.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the report be endorsed for submission to Cabinet, following consideration of Councillor Eginton's requested amendments by the Chairman;

2.    That the Corporate Risk Register be checked for the inclusion of HRA arrears details; and

3.    That a copy of the Welfare Reform and Mitigation Plan be forwarded to all Members.

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Forward Plan be noted.

It was noted that the Chairman had commissioned a report to update the Committee on the use of Assistive Technology, including the Telecare Line, following the previous review conducted in 2011. The update report was expected to be brought to the meeting on 6 November 2017.

It was requested that a date be reserved for a meeting of the Committee in December, should a further meeting be required. It was agreed that the clerk would discuss potential dates with the Chairman.

RESOLVED: 

1.    That the Work Programme be noted; and

2.    That a date for a further Committee meeting be reserved in December 2017.