Agenda, decisions and minutes
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APOLOGIES Minutes: The Cabinet Members and Officers were welcomed to the
meeting. An apology were received from Councillor Craig ab Iago. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST Minutes: No declarations
of personal interest were received. |
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URGENT ITEMS Decision: The Cabinet
expressed its willingness to fund intervention in accordance with the report,
along with practical support to maintain the care home's provision over the
current challenging period, in order to protect the residents' welfare. It was
noted that the above decision was subject to reaching an appropriate agreement
with a Housing Association and Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board on the conditions
of the intervention and contributions. It was
resolved to delegate the right to the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being
Department, in consultation with the Head of Finance Department and the Head of
Legal Services, to agree on terms. That the
work of preparing a business case in accordance with the decision of 18th
February 2020 continues, and will be submitted by the end of the calendar
year. Minutes: The Chair noted
that he had agreed to discuss an urgent matter.
He was satisfied that the context meant that
the matter needed to be considered at this meeting. The members voted on the decision
to exclude the press and public as the item was exempt. URGENT ITEM - THE
SITUATION OF A RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME The report was submitted by Cllr Dafydd Meurig, outlining the
circumstances which existed and the options to respond. Consideration was given to the role of stakeholders and the potential role of the Council in the situation. DECISION The
Cabinet expressed its willingness to fund intervention in accordance with the report, along with
practical support to maintain the care home's provision over the current challenging period, in order to protect
the residents' welfare. It was noted that the above decision was subject to reaching an appropriate agreement with a Housing Association and Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board on the conditions
of the intervention and contributions. It was resolved to delegate the right to the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department, in consultation with the Head of Finance Department and the Head of Legal Services, to agree on terms. That the work
of preparing a business case in accordance
with the decision of 18th February 2020 continues, and will be submitted
by the end of the financial
year. DISCUSSION The report was discussed. |
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MATTERS ARISING FROM OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY Minutes: There were
no matters arising from overview
and scrutiny. |
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Decision: Resolved
to commission the Regeneration Programme Board and Supporting People Board to
consider the following - ¾ the areas which should
be given priority in terms of their importance to the people of Gwynedd in the
areas for which each Board is responsible, giving appropriate regard to the
direction of travel the Boards were considering before the emergency took hold; ¾ what actions need to be
undertaken in those areas of activity in the short term and medium term and to
report back to the Cabinet with recommendations, ¾ in accordance with the
Council's Equality Plan, that we consider the needs of specific groups, e.g.
people with disabilities, when making decisions in the recovery field. Commissioning
the Management Group to consider what corporate issues require
consideration in the short and medium term as we move forwards to the “new
normal”, and to report back to the Cabinet if a need for the decision arises, as relevant.
Minutes: The report
was submitted by Dilwyn Williams DECISION Resolved to commission the Regeneration Programme Board and Supporting People Board to consider the following - ¾ the areas which
should be given priority in terms
of their importance to the people of Gwynedd in the areas for which
each Board is responsible, giving appropriate regard to the direction of travel the Boards were considering
before the emergency took hold; ¾ what actions need to be undertaken in those
areas of activity in the short term and medium term and to report back
to the Cabinet with recommendations,
¾ in accordance with the Council's Equality Plan, that we consider the needs of specific groups, e.g. people
with disabilities, when making decisions
in the recovery field. Along with commissioning the Management Group to consider what corporate issues require consideration in the short and medium
term as we move forwards to
the “new normal”, and
to report to the Cabinet if
a need for a decision arises, as relevant. DISCUSSION The
report was submitted and it was noted that there were
many lessons to be learned following this period and
major challenges would continue if the restrictions continued. It was noted that, although the Council was continuing to try to cope with reacting
to the crisis, recovery also needed to be discussed. It was stressed that the journey would be a long one in order to move
on to a new 'normal' period for some
departments and the new 'normal' may be completely different compared to the past having learned lessons during the crisis period. It
was explained that some fields needed
to be prioritised, such as
the economy, in order to have a specific focus as there had been a significant impact on the local economy.
It was noted that the Government would look at the way forward but that
the Council needed to be influencing these plans. It was added that the regional Group that was co-ordinating the reaction to the virus would create a regional Recovery Co-ordination Group which would co-ordinate the recovery but it was stressed that it was a matter for individual
organisations to make decisions on what
they wished to do. It was noted that the Co-ordination Group had
met the previous week and had outlined its remit and
objectives involving ensuring a recovery programme across north Wales. It was explained that local aspirations
needed to be considered and in that
sense it was stressed that the Public Services Board would have
a specific role. . In relation to the arrangements in Gwynedd, various options were outlined and it was explained that it would be possible to ask the Regeneration Programme Board and the Supporting People Board, that had been looking at transforming services, to consider what the Council needed to to do enable it to return to the new 'normal'. It was stressed ... view the full minutes text for item 5. Awdur: Dilwyn Williams |
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COVID-19 EMERGENCY : POSITION OF THE ADULT, HEALTH AND WELLBEING DEPARTMENT PDF 108 KB Cyflwynwyd gan: Cyng / Cllr. Dafydd Meurig Decision: To
note and accept the information in the report. Minutes: Submitted by Cllr Dafydd Meurig. DECISION To
note and accept the information in the report. DISCUSSION The report was
submitted and it was noted that several residential homes had had high cases of
Covid-19. It was emphasised that the department had been eager to be open and
transparent about this; however, national guidance had prevented the department
from being open about some cases at the beginning of the crisis. It was also noted
that, at the beginning of the crisis, acquiring PPE had been a problem but, by
now, the department, with the assistance of the Housing and Property
Department, had firm arrangements in place. In terms of testing, it was noted
that it had taken time to put arrangements in place as receiving the results
had been a problem at the beginning of the crisis. It was added, specifically
when looking at care homes, the tests of residents and staff were being done
via two different procedures. These arrangements had now been changed and the
concerns were reducing. The staff were thanked for their hard work during this
period. The Head of Adults
Department added that the situation changed regularly, but that Gwynedd had
been one of the first councils to report a high number of cases in residential
homes. It was stressed that there was a need to be extremely cautious over the
coming period. It was added that the numbers referred to the department were
quickly going back to normal following a reduction during the lockdown period.
It was stressed that staff had ensured that arrangements were in place to
respond to cases and staff had ensured that services continued. It was added
that it had been a long time and many staff had not taken leave and this was
bound to affect individuals. In planning for the future, it was noted that many
lessons had been learned in a short space of time and that work would have to
continue in this way in some cases. Observations
arising from the discussion ¾ The service was thanked for its hard
work during the period, specifically the front-line staff. ¾ Gratitude was expressed for referring to the
strain on staff as it had been a strain on everyone within the county. It was
asked if mental health work would be escalated.
It was noted that the department was currently aware of how much mental
health work would need to be done but that the service was trying to create
networks and give guidance to people in a difficult time but they were also
aware of the major challenges ahead. ¾ Care staff in the private sector were also
thanked, and it was noted that the contact between private residential homes
and the Council had improved during this period with regular conversations
happening and information being shared. It was added that advantages had been
highlighted from developing the relationship, such as more support being
available to react to the crisis. ¾ The Corporate Director added her thanks to the ... view the full minutes text for item 6. Awdur: Aled Davies |