Agenda item

The information in the report was accepted and noted.

The report was submitted by Cllr Dilwyn Morgan.

DECISION

The information in the report was accepted and noted.

DISCUSSION

The report was submitted, noting that it provided an update on the department's work, outlining what had happened against the Council Plan's pledges, reporting on the department's performance and the financial situation.

It was confirmed that a planning application for Dolfeurig had been accepted by the National Park, as part of the Local Preventative Support project which was part of the Council's Plan. It was detailed that it was hoped to start construction work on the site during the summer 2024 following a design and contracting process.

Assurance was given that significant work was underway to improve accessibility to information and to events across the county through pages on the Council's website which were constantly reviewed.

The 'Independent Living' project which was also part of the Council's Plan was detailed, confirming that Extra Care Light Housing in Pwllheli opened on 27 November. Pride was expressed that similar projects were in the pipeline in the areas of Groeslon, Nefyn, Tywyn, Penrhyndeudraeth and beyond. Assurance was given that the department was working to identify suitable individuals to use the site. Concern was expressed at the lack of development on the work of identifying a similar site in Dolgellau. It was explained that settings were assessed according to the needs of the individuals and that difficulties had arisen when trying to find a central location for the site, but that this was a priority for the Department. It was emphasised that the Cabinet Member would be requesting an update at the department's next performance challenge meeting.

It was emphasised that the department was preparing for a digital transformation by 2025, looking at new technology while also taking into account the use of digital resources for users in rural areas. It was acknowledged that this work was new and constantly changing. Likewise, it was confirmed that the Department was focusing on direct payment models as this service would soon be transferred to new providers.

It was reported that waiting lists to receive an occupational therapy assessment had increased at an alarming rate, forcing the department to prioritise on the basis of risk. Reference was made to another challenge facing the department, namely domiciliary care hours that were not met. It was noted that this percentage had recently increased from 12.1% to 14%. This meant that 154 new individuals were awaiting domiciliary care by the end of September 2023, compared to 137 at the end of May 2023.

Attention was drawn to the alarming numbers of referrals reaching the Mental Health Team. It was confirmed that the department received between 450 and 500 in recent months. It was recognised that this raised concerns about the department's capacity to deal with the demand for support, but there was pride in the fact that 40% of these applications had received a care package provided for them.

Reference was made to safeguarding issues, confirming that the department had succeeded to manage the risk in 100% of recent referrals. There was concern, however, that 306 individuals were awaiting a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) assessment at the end of September 2023. It was explained that this problem appeared in a large number of local authorities.

The Department's financial situation was discussed, as it was anticipated that the department had overspent by approximately £6.5 million on the 2023-24 budget. It was explained that this derived from the pressure on the department and that officers were fully aware of it, and the impact this overspend was having on other Council departments. It was confirmed that the Cabinet Member had requested more information from the department on overspending in the fields of Domiciliary Care, Residential and Nursing Settings and the Learning Disabilities Service.