Issue - meetings

To consider a joint report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration and the Corporate Director for Services to People.

The report details the Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRR) for the Adult Care Services, and Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolios are presented for consideration by the Committee. These provide a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during the second quarter of 2014/15, and include full-year forecast performance and financial data for the Portfolio. The reports also include a progress report and updated risk assessment of the portfolio savings programmes.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to

(1) Consider the mid-year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports.

(2) Review the progress against priorities, performance, budgets and savings targets for 2013/14.

(3) Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues.

(4) Identify how areas of strong performance and good practice can be shared in other services.

Officer contacts: Adult Care Services (Gaynor Alexander/ Simon Finch on 474 3186/ 4019 or email: gaynor.alexander@stockport.gov.uk / simon.finch@stockport.gov.uk

Economic Development and Regeneration (Joe Conmee/ Michael Cullen on 474 5396/ 4631 or email: joseph.conmee@stockport.gov.uk / michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Directors for People and Place Management & Regeneration submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports for the Adult Care Services and the housing element of the Economic Development & Regeneration Portfolios.  The report provided a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during the second quarter of 2014/15, and included full-year forecast performance and financial data for the Portfolio along with a progress report and updated risk assessment of the portfolio savings programmes.

The Executive Councillors for Adult Care Services (Councillor Keith Holloway) and Economic Development & Regeneration (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to answer members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Adult Care Services

·         A discussion took place in relation to the roll-out of GP multi-disciplinary meetings in Romiley which placed GPs at the core of patient care while encouraging integrated working across Complex Care.

·         Lessons were still being learned from the roll-out of the health and social care integration programme in Marple and Werneth with particular regard being given to information sharing through different IT systems and the difficulties of drawing together different practitioners into one cohesive team.

·         It was noted that the report identified the mental health budget as being a key area of concern and it was queried how the budget had rapidly arrived at a significant deficit in Quarter 2.  In response it was stated that there was a cohort of a relatively small number of individuals with very complex mental health needs that needed an emergency response which necessitated the use of expensive support packages.

·         Following the termination of the ‘no top up guarantee’ for residential and nursing care in April 2014, a review would be conducted at such a time that it became apparent the Council was unable to secure a reasonable choice of residential care placements for clients within the Council’s price point.

·         It was requested that information relating to the deprivation of liberty standards be included in future such reports to the scrutiny committee.

Economic Development & Regeneration (Housing)

·         It was suggested that the Council was not being sufficiently ambitious in its target setting for the number of additional homes provided with an increase of 16 over the target for 2013/14 having been set for 2014/15.

·         The Council had made good progress with regard to ‘voids’ and that this had been partially achieved through to changes to the Council tax base so as to incentivise owners to bring properties back into use.

·         Clarification was requested on what those reserves identified in the report had been earmarked towards.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.