Social Work And Health Committee - 19/08/2013

At a MEETING of the SOCIAL WORK AND HEALTH COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 19th August, 2013.

Present:-

BAILIES

COUNCILLORS

Councillor Ken LYNN, Convener, in the Chair.

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 24th June, 2013 was held as read.

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

I DECLARATION OF INTEREST

No declarations of interest were made.

II SOCIAL CARE (SELF-DIRECTED SUPPORT) (SCOTLAND) ACT 2013 - DRAFT REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE

This item was withdrawn from consideration.

III NATIONAL DEMENTIA STRATEGY

There was submitted Report No 333-2013 by the Director of Social Work informing of the publication of Scotlands National Dementia Strategy 2013-2016.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) to note the content of the National Dementia Strategy issued by the Scottish Government, which was attached to the report as an appendix; and

(ii) to instruct the Director of Social Work to prepare a Joint Dundee Dementia Strategic and Commissioning Statement in partnership with NHS Tayside for consideration and approval by the Social Work and Health Committee.

IV AUTHORISATION LIMIT FOR THE PURCHASE OF SOCIAL CARE AND SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES

Reference was made to Article V of minute of meeting of this Committee held on 24th June, 2013, wherein the National Care Home Contract rate for 2013/2014 was agreed and the Director of Social Work was authorised to agree care packages in line with the nursing care home fee rate to 580 per week.

There was submitted Agenda Note AN89-2013 reporting that the Social Work Department provided care and support packages to individuals with various levels of need. It was reported that in recent years, in order to meet the needs of an increasingly frail older population and following large scale resettlement of adults with disabilities from large congregate settings such as hospitals and care homes to more individualised and personalised services, the range and cost of these services had changed considerably. As a result, there was an increasing and developing social care providers market which offered a wide range of specialist services to meet increasingly complex needs such as enhanced dementia care services within care homes.

In order to ensure equality of treatment of service users regardless of the setting in which they received care and support, the Director of Social Work was authorised to agree care packages up to a value which equated to the fee rate for placements in care homes with nursing care.

In addition, the need for increased or very urgent intensive care could arise quite unexpectedly, usually because of a change in the health of the service user or of their carer.

The Committee agreed:-

(i) that, should the need for increased or very urgent care arise due to a change in the health of the service user or their carer and this required the purchase of care from an external service provider, the Director of Social Work be authorised to agree care packages up to the value of the nursing home fee rate plus 30% for up to four weeks and that, in line with the changes in fees outlined in this note, that this rate be revised to 754 per week;

(ii) to note that should a higher level and/or extended duration of care and support be required than authorised under both of these conditions, the case would be remitted to the Cases Sub-Committee for consideration; and

(iii) to note that expenditure arising from such decisions would be contained with the approved 2013/2014 Revenue Budget.

Ken LYNN, Convener.