Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Berwyn Parry Jones.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Declarations of interest were received from Councillor Menna Baines and Eryl Jones-Williams for item 5, as they had been involved with the Occupational Therapy Service in their personal lives. They left the meeting during the discussion on the item.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

None to note.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meetings of this committee held on the 25^th of November, 2021 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee held on 25 November, 2021 as a true record.

To receive an update from the Occupational Therapy Service.

To receive the report which provided an update on the Occupational Therapy Service.

A presentation was received from the Occupational Therapy Lead for the Moving and Handling work within the Community Resources Unit. Details were provided of the new team, which includes four Occupational Therapists and one Registered Nurse; this team will be specifically involved with the Moving and Handling work within the County.

He elaborated on the importance of the Moving and Handling work, which reduced the risk of injuries, reduced hospital admissions and reduced the time spent in hospitals. He also added that the field was essential in order to assist individuals to live as independently as possible, and retain their dignity. One element of the work of the Moving and Handling assessors will be single care.  By assessing and providing specialist equipment and timely intervention, it could mean that one person could provide care safely. This will release the capacity of carers and provide suitable care in a cost-effective way.

The Occupational Therapy Lead reported that he would share a bilingual copy of the presentation with the members. Members were invited to ask questions and offer observations.

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:

·         Gratitude was expressed for the presentation which provided a better depiction of the improvements that the Occupational Therapy service and the Moving and Handling team had made to the lives of Gwynedd residents.

·         A question was asked about how residents in the community would be informed about the team's work and whether there were plans to engage with the public in order to make them aware of this resource.  It was suggested that a presentation could be given to organisations such as Merched y Wawr or the Women's Institute (WI), who would then disseminate the message.

·         It was suggested that it would be beneficial to provide this presentation to all of the County's Councillors.

·         A further explanation was sought about the waiting lists that continued to exist for assessments in some areas and a question was asked about the length of the waiting lists and whether Occupational Therapists could be moved around areas. It was questioned whether the service was consistent across the County.

·         It was asked whether there were plans to employ additional Occupational Therapists and further details were sought on point 3.7 of the report which referred to jobs in the Children's Service and the Learning Disability Service.

·         The appointment of four Occupational Therapists and the Registered Nurse to establish the Moving and Handling service was praised and they were thanked for their work in supporting the residents of Gwynedd in a dignified way. It was added that it was nice to see the amount of work that had been achieved by the Occupational Therapy service over the past year. Particular thanks were expressed to the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being, the Senior Adults Services Manager and the Occupational Therapy Lead for their work.

In response to the above observations and questions from members, it was noted:

·         That the service was seeking to disseminate the message about the service's existence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To submit the North Wales Population Needs Assessment Consultation Survey Report.

To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.

The report on the North Wales Population Needs Assessment was submitted, noting that the needs assessment was drawn up as required in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

The Projects Team Manager, Adults, Health and Well-being reported that a request had been made to defer this work; it was believed that it was untimely to complete this during the busy pandemic period; however, the Government was eager for the work to proceed. It was added that it had been challenging to complete the work within the timetable. It was noted that the Unit had committed to undertake more detailed work on the needs of the people of Gwynedd as this report was a general report across north Wales; it was believed that the local assessment would be very valuable.

It was added that the full report would be submitted to the Cabinet on 15 February and then to a meeting of the Full Council on 3 March after receiving Cabinet approval. Here we find the basis to the report which shows what the public had noted about their needs, as well as the views of professional officers and third sector organisations. The assessment was based on a number of consultation exercises across north Wales over the past three years, and on a questionnaire that was open for individuals and partners to complete.

The Adults Projects Team Manager wished to obtain the views of the Committee on which elements to focus on in the Gwynedd assessment; it was expected that the Gwynedd Population Needs Assessment Report would be ready in September 2022. It was added that Members were also welcome to present any feedback after the meeting.  Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.

During the discussion, the following observations were submitted by members:

·         Gratitude was expressed for a comprehensive and honest report.

·         It was asked how it was intended to work with the third sector.

·         It was expressed that there were many negative findings in the assessment which showed discontent; it was questioned whether it provided a realistic depiction.

·         A comment was made that the assessment referred to what needed to be improved, but that there was no reference to a timetable or to when the improvements would be delivered.

·         More details were sought on mental health, particularly amongst children, and a question was asked about the length of waiting lists. It was asked whether the Council could do more to help with the mental health situation by sharing pamphlets or by promoting where assistance could be sought.

·         Enquiries were made about the extent of collaboration between Local Authorities, the Care Sector and the Health Board. It was added that the report referred to a lack of collaboration and coordination, a question was asked about how much attention this was given by the Authority.

·         An observation was made that the pandemic had underlined the shortcomings in the relationship between the Health Board and Care.  A question was asked about how this assessment could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.