Agenda, decisions and minutes

To accept any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Anwen J. Davies, Medwyn Hughes and Einir Wyn Williams.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

Councillors Eryl Jones-Williams and Gwynfor Owen declared interest in Item 7 as they were unpaid carers for members of their family. The members were of the opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and they withdrew from the meeting during the discussion.

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

None to note.

The Chair shall propose that the minutes of the meeting of this committee held on the 21^st of September 2023 be signed as a true record.

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee, held on the 21^st of September 2023, as a true record.

To consider the report.

a)    To accept the report and to note the observations.

b)     Support the proposal to hold a full review of the current provision and consider an alternative model.

c)     Ask officers to ensure that the new model provides consistent service across the county including service for those who live in rural areas.

d)     Ask the department to present a further report on the review and the possible models when timely, to give the scrutinisers the opportunity to give further input.

The report was presented explaining that the traditional model of providing Day Care had not been reviewed in Gwynedd for many years and it had not been adapted to meet the needs of the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014 that came into force in April 2016. It was explained that it was timely to reconsider the provision especially considering recent work that had been done by the Welsh Government and the way that the pandemic had emphasised the importance of socialising opportunities and being a part of a community towards individuals' well-being. It was noted that the hope was that the review would be an opportunity to consider different, more suitable and flexible ways of providing support and services.

It was explained that the Council used to provide a programme of traditional day care activities in specific locations in the county for adults who needed support. These centres enabled elderly people to socialise and participate in specific activities, giving an opportunity for the ones who take care of them on a daily basis to have a brief respite.

It was explained that the department's intention was to move away from the traditional model of providing services associated with buildings and focus instead on how to address and support the well-being of individuals and carers in many ways. To achieve this, it was noted that the department intended to hold a review and consult with the people of Gwynedd on day care provision arrangements.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:-

-        The members expressed their thanks for the report and the developments were welcomed. The members' appreciation was expressed on how honest the content was and the way it admitted that the present provision failed to reach everyone.

-        It was noted that the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014 had been in force for seven years now therefore it was asked why was it now that the department intended to reconsider the provision?

o   In response, it was explained that the department had started on the work before the pandemic, but the work had to stop because of safety matters. It was noted that it was timely to reconsider the matter now, but acknowledgement was given to the fact that the work should have been done years ago.

o   The Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being added that there had been enormous pressure on the department and that had contributed directly to the time it had taken to revisit the work.

-        Concern was expressed that the provision had not reached the rural areas of the County and there was a need to take steps to ensure better provision for these areas in the future.

o   In response, it was agreed that the provision in rural areas was important, but it would not be possible to have a centre in every village.

o   Despite this, it was noted that community activities had been happening in most communities and that there was a need to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider the report.

a)    To accept the report, welcome the progress already made since the first audits and thank the care homes’ staff for their service.

b)    Declare concern for care homes’ staffing challenges and problems that emerge as a result of that such as difficulty completing training. 

c)     Ask the relevant department to consider how we can ensure that every home reaches high assurance levels in the future.

d)    Ask for the Care Scrutiny Committee's Chair and Vice-chair to be invited to attend the Governance and Audit Committee meetings in the future when there are discussions regarding care homes’ internal audit reports.

e)    Inform the Governance and Audit Committee members of the observations and decisions of the Care Scrutiny Committee members.

The report was presented by explaining that Cyngor Gwynedd had 13 care homes that supported and cared for adults across the county, and that they were inspected frequently by a wide range of internal and external auditors. It was noted that this report gave specific attention to audits that had been held by the Council's Internal Audit Service and they had inspected three care homes during the 2022/23 financial year. Those homes were Plas Gwilym, Hafod Mawddach and Bryn Blodau. It was explained that the purpose of the audits was to ensure that suitable arrangements were in place for appropriately managing and maintaining the homes in accordance with relevant regulations and standards.

It was explained that the inspections had concluded that the assurance level of the homes in question was limited, therefore there was a need to take steps in order to improve compliance with the controls and to reduce the risks that were highlighted. In response, it was explained that the service had committed to implement actions for mitigating the risks that were highlighted and a list of those actions were provided in the report.

It was noted that follow-up audits had been held in the three homes in question in October 2023 in order to ensure that the service / home had implemented the actions they had committed to. It was confirmed that an improvement was seen in every home but there were further actions to be taken in order to reduce the risk further. It was explained that the number of matters that continued to need attention related to staffing matters, such as training and supervision. It was noted that the situation was challenging and varied between homes. It was confirmed that the situation and individual homes continued to be monitored to ensure that the actions would be implemented.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:

-        The members expressed their thanks for the report and the progress made since the first audits was welcomed.

-        All care home staff were thanked for their work and commitment to their clients. It was noted that the praise from the people of Gwynedd for the homes was very good and that it was worth noting.

-        Attention was drawn to the fact that the internal audit reports of the care homes were submitted to the Governance and Audit Committee before the Care Scrutiny Committee, and it was proposed that representatives from this committee should attend the Governance and Audit Committee meetings in the future when discussions are about care homes' internal audit reports.

-        Concern was expressed about the fact that only three homes were being inspected annually and it was asked how to ensure standards in homes that are not inspected that year.

o   In response, it was explained that Internal Audits chose three homes at random each year to inspect, and other audits also happened, whether external ones or internal ones by the service.

o   It was noted that the service tried to learn from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the report.

a)    To accept the report and declare support to raise awareness of the help available to unpaid carers including the direct payments scheme. 

b)    Ask for a presentation and further information for members regarding the direct payments scheme.

The report was presented by explaining that the report was jointly between the Adults, Health and Well-being Service and the Children and Supporting Families Service as supporting unpaid carers was an important and challenging field which was relevant to both departments. It was explained that it was the unpaid carers that provided the vast majority of care and support to vulnerable, disabled and ill individuals in the community therefore there was a need to ensure that sufficient support was available for them. It was noted that 8.9% of Gwynedd's population identified themselves as unpaid carers according to the 2021 Census but that the real figure was much higher than that.

It was explained that supporting unpaid carers had been identified as one of the objectives within the 'A Caring Gwynedd' priority area in the Council's 2023-28 Plan. It was noted that the Council was eager to collaborate with their partners to develop a strong and ambitious Carers' Plan for Gwynedd, and that the priorities and the aspects that could be addressed had been divided into four themes:

1.     Identifying and valuing unpaid carers.

2.     Providing information, advice and assistance.

3.     Supporting life alongside caring.

4.     Supporting unpaid carers in education and the workplace.

Attention was drawn to 'AiDi', a new app that was developed jointly with the Isle of Anglesey County Council in order to help young carers find information and support. The app allowed young carers to get discounts at many local shops and enabled them to quickly contact school or college if they ran late because of their responsibilities. It was noted that 61 young carers had registered so far.  

It was explained that the hope was to extend the support that is currently available for unpaid carers with the intention of ensuring fair and timely support and recognition for them.

During the discussion, the following observations were noted:-

-        Thanks were expressed for the report and for all the work done by the team to support unpaid carers.

-        Praise was given to all the unpaid carers' hard work across Gwynedd. Attention was drawn towards the importance of the work done by them as it directly contributes towards reducing the pressure in other fields.

-        Interest was expressed in having more information on direct payments in order for the Councillors to become aware of how the system worked.

o   In response, it was noted that direct payments were seen as a complex matter in the past but there was so much potential to use them to pay for a wide range of different things.

o   It was explained that there was uncertainty in terms of how to present the matter among the staff therefore there was a need to work on increasing their confidence and awareness.

o   Bearing this in mind, it was agreed that it would be beneficial for the Councillors to receive further information about direct payments. It was added that increasing the awareness of the support available for unpaid carers was key  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.