Contact: Penny Velander, Policy & Performance Officer, ext. 7479

1 Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this report is to:

· seek Member approval of the attached outcome report for the Best Value reviews of :

· Residential care for older people

· Mental health residential care, nursing and accommodation services for adults

· Residential services for people with learning disabilities and disabled people

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

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

· 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 reports includes the following elements:

· Outcome report

· Improvement plan.

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 reviews of:

· Residential care for older people is agreed, highlighting the following proposals for improvement:

· Address gaps in the market regarding types of provision

· Respond rapidly to changing agenda

· Improve market capacity to enable timely appropriate placements

· Meet user aspirations and values

· Secure value for money on behalf of residents of Hampshire

· Achieve market sustainability for the future within available resources

· Mental health residential care, nursing and accommodation services for adults is agreed, highlighting the following proposals for improvement:

· Development of a range of residential care and housing with support in each locality informed by the needs analysis in the ROCC report

· Development of integrated planning processes incorporating the NSF and Supporting People agendas

· Development of robust financial management information

· Improved housing practice in mental health services through joint raining

· Services are responsive to specialist needs

· There is effective user and carer involvement

· Revenue and capital resources are maximised across agencies to meet need and promote independence

· Services have clear, jointly owned and published care standards

· Residential services for people with learning disabilities and disabled people is agreed, highlighting the following proposals for improvement:

· A strengthening of the Adult Placement Scheme with a mix a registered care and Supported Living

· Flexible use of vacancies in in-house services

· Options appraisals carried out for all in-house services in response to the standards set by the National Care Standards Commission

· Joint working with NHS colleagues and providers to identify gaps in services and progress new service development within Hampshire

· Co-ordinated purchasing across the County, to ensure most effective use of resources

· Collaborative approach to providing appropriate services for people with health and social care needs, within the framework of the Continuing Care Eligibility Criteria

· Increased number of Supported Living arrangements

· Use of benchmarking tool for comparison of residential services.

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

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

4 Arrangements are made for the Policy Review Committee to receive annual progress reports until the Imrovement Plan is completed

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

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