Appendix B
and C are separate for Cabinet Members only.
Both appendices are exempt under Paragraph 14 of
Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 – Information relating to the
financial or business affairs of any particular person
(including the authority holding that information).
The contents of the item includes
commercially sensitive information regarding financial aspects of the project.
This is relevant to a number of independent sector
residential and nursing homes, particularly Appendix B and C.
Cyflwynwyd gan:Cllr. Dilwyn Morgan
Decision:
To approve the Strategic Business
Case in Annex A.
To
authorise the Head of Adults, Health and Wellbeing to submit the Strategic
Outline Business Case to Welsh Government to seek £14.6million of Health and
Social Care Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund (IRCF) funding to create a
public sector partnership development at the Penyberth, Penrhos site, in
partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and move forward
to develop an Outline Business Case.
Minutes:
The report was submitted
by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan.
DECISION
To approve the Strategic Business Case in Appendix A.
To authorise the Head of Adults, Health and
Well-being Department to submit the Strategic Outline Business Case to the
Welsh Government to seek £14.6million of funding from the Health and Social
Care Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund (IRCF) to create a public sector
partnership development at the Penyberth site, Penrhos, in partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University
Health Board (BCUHB) and move forward to develop an Outline Business Case.
DISCUSSION
The report was presented,
adding that appendices B and C were exempt appendices for the attention of the
Cabinet Members only. The member provided the background and context to the
report, noting that Cyngor Gwynedd was already a residential care provider for
the county's residents, and currently provided 50% of the residential provision
for older people, with the independent sector providing the rest. It was added
that this was an important part of the Council's responsibility towards the
most vulnerable residents of the County.
It was added that the county's
entire nursing homes provision was provided by the independent sector at
present. It was noted that the Government's views on the need to externalise
provisions nationally had shifted recently, as was stated in the White Paper on
Rebalancing Care and Support. The paper set out the benefits of having a more
balanced market.
The member explained that
there was a shortage of residential beds in the Llŷn
and Eifionydd Area since the closure of Penrhos Home at the beginning of December
2020, and added that there was no nursing beds provision in the Llŷn area. He noted that this Partnership would aim to
offer a care home with nursing, to be built on the Penyberth
site, Penrhos in order to
provide 32 residential dementia beds, together with 25 nursing beds of which 15
would be prioritised for nursing dementia care.
The member
talked about the enormous challenges with recruiting and retaining staff in the
care field. He noted that this project would examine different practices to
secure high-quality staff in the Llŷn area.
The Senior Projects
Practitioner noted that the report was an executive summary of the business
case which included the need for the change, and that the Plan adhered to
several Strategies by the Government. It was noted that the vision was
contained in the report for the site, as well as the Council's investment
objectives.
The Corporate Director of
Social Services added that the entire Penrhos scheme
was special and exciting. He noted that the nursing provision addressed the
need locally, particularly the dementia provision as there was a shortage of
such a provision both in the area and county-wide. He added that it was a
pioneering scheme – no other County Council in Wales ran a nursing home, and it
was an initiative being carried out jointly with the Health Board.
They took the opportunity to give
thanks for the joint-working with Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board who had fully committed as a key
partner, and also the Clwyd Alyn Housing Association.
Observations arising
from the discussion
¾
Support
was expressed for the Business Case submitted.
¾ It was
noted that the running of a nursing home was revolutionary for the Council – it
had never done this before, and it was an exciting development.
¾ The
report and the proposal were welcomed. A member expressed discomfort that the
independent sector provided all of the County's
nursing homes provision. This feeling was echoed when considering the figures
stated on page 25 of the Strategic Business Case (Appendix A) regarding the
numbers who were on waiting lists for residential and nursing beds, and that
the picture was incomplete because the Council did not have the figures for
private nursing beds.
¾
It was
believed that this was an exciting development, especially since it would not
be a development seeking financial gain, but rather to benefit the community.
¾
It
was noted that the report was an example of close joint-working between Cyngor
Gwynedd and the Health Board, which was to be welcomed.
¾ A
member expressed that clarity was needed about the service, emphasising that
the provision was available to the residents of Meirionnydd as well as those of
Llŷn and Eifionydd.
The provision was truly needed, and the need in rural areas was obvious as
residents had to travel far from their communities for the provision.
¾
In
response to the above comment, it was believed that further considerations
would be needed in future for developing the Scheme in other parts of the
county such as Meirionnydd.
¾
The
Senior Projects Practitioner was thanked for coordinating all the work and
bringing this project together.
Awdur:Aled Davies, Head of Adults, Health and Well-being Department
Supporting documents: