Contact: Jenny Heath, Corporate Performance Manager, ext. 7402

1 Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this report is to:

· seek Member approval of the attached outcome report for the Best Value review of Carers and Respite Care

· agree the recommendations to be made to the Executive Member for Social Care in order that the outcomes are implemented through the accompanying Improvement Plan

· seek agreement to the mechanisms for future monitoring of the Improvement Plan

· identify any issues to be referred to the Cabinet

· agree outcomes that should be reported in the Best Value Performance Plan.

2 Background

2.1 This review is part of year 2 of the five-year programme of reviews amended and agreed by the Cabinet on 17 December 2001.

2.2 The attached outcome report includes the following elements:

· Outcome report - a narrative report based on the format recommended in the Toolkit

· Improvement plan - a table showing key outcomes, performance targets, actions, costs and timescales.

2.3 Members should consider the outcome report attached within the wider context of the Best Value review programme and services provided by the County Council, particularly when considering outcomes that may have a financial or operational impact on other services.

3 Challenging the Outcome Report

3.1 Before approving the outcome report for each service review, the Committee must challenge it to ensure that the Best Value process has been rigorously applied. The Committee should consider whether the review has:

· met national and local requirements

· met its objectives as set out in the project brief

· identified all the possible options for service improvement

· considered all the advantages and disadvantages of each option

· identified sufficient evidence to support the recommended option(s)

· addressed the concerns of the community and members

· an improvement plan that, if implemented, will deliver targeted, measurable and continuous improvement in service delivery

4 Issues to be referred to Cabinet

4.1 Are there any issues which cut across departmental or organisational boundaries, which would be better reviewed as a whole?

4.2 Are any of the review outcomes significant enough for referral?

4.3 Has the review process identified any learning points which should be referred?

4.4 Are there any proposed changes to the review programme?

5 Recommendations to the Executive Member for implementation

5.1 What recommendations should be made to the Executive Member for implementation?

6 Outcomes for inclusion in the Best Value Performance Plan

6.1 What outcomes should be reported in the next Best Value Performance Plan?

7 Information provided to support the report

7.1 Each report should contain sufficient evidence to support its conclusions and recommendations. Further evidence may be held on the review working files which members may inspect on request. Members may identify gaps in the evidence and ask for additional evidence to be provided.

Recommendations

It is recommended that:

1 The outcome report for the Best Value review of Carers and Respite Care is agreed, highlighting the following proposals for improvement:

· Improved access for carers and professionals to information about help and services available to carers

· Improved communication with carers from hard-to-reach groups and wider recognition of their needs

· Improved access to assessment for carers to ensure recognition of their needs

· Increased cost effectiveness and consistency of local carers' support services

· An increased range of flexible services to enable carers to take a break when they need it

· Improved efficiency of in-house resources providing respite care

· More responsive services to support carers of people with mental health problems

2 A summary of the review is prepared in the standard format for inclusion in the Best Value Performance Plan.

3 A copy of the above summary and the Improvement Plan are provided to the Executive Member to effect implementation of the review outcomes.

4 Arrangements are made for the Policy Review Committee to receive an annual progress report on the Improvement Plan, to be considered in each January, starting from 2003, to facilitate reporting in the Best Value Performance Plan.

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.