Agenda item

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.

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.

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.