“Crisis” in recruiting social care staff in York

A report to a Council committee taking place next week reveals that

“Providers are facing a “crisis” in terms of recruiting suitable carers across home care, residential and nursing care services”.Social care

The Council says it is looking at ways of retaining staff and supporting additional recruitment.

Most York Council funded care services are now undertaken by private contractors. With wages by far the highest cost of providing personal care for the elderly and disabled there is a growing suspicion that increased staff costs will be passed on to Council taxpayers, when contracts are re-tendered.

The report also reveals that new standards and process have been introduced by the Care Quality Commission. (CQC)

All services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission and, as the regulator, it carries out regular inspection visits and follow-up visits (announced/unannounced) where applicable.

The frequency of CQC inspections will be dependant on the provider’s rating and on intelligence received in between scheduled inspections.

All reports are within the public domain and CQC have a range of enforcement options open to them should Quality and Standards fall below required expectations.

  • Of the 43 residential care homes in York, 6 currently have compliance actions listed against them.
  • Of 35 Home care providers in York, 2 currently have compliance and enforcement issues against them

The Councils states that when last surveyed 89% of their care customers were satisfied with the services that they were receiving.

Castlegate youth services reprieved

The York Council has agreed to review its decision to close the young peoples advice services provided from 29 Castlegate.

Castlegate centreThe decision to move services to “West Offices” was heavily criticised by opposition Councillors at a meeting yesterday.

Dringhouses Councillor Ann Reid was amongst those who spoke up for the centre

The decision is the second major rethink on policy – following the decision to reject Labours Local Plan – which has resulted from Labour losing control of the Council.

Labour Council fails “value for money” audit

External auditors have offered only a “qualified” judgement on Labour run York Council’s 2013/14 accounts due to failings in adult social care.

Lowfields care village - 3 years behind schedule

Lowfields care village – 3 years behind schedule

At last night’s meeting of the council’s Audit & Governance Committee it was confirmed that auditors Mazars would only offer a “qualified” judgement on the council’s accounts, specifically their ‘Value for Money’ assessment.

A report presented to the committee said there were “weaknesses in budgetary control and financial management in Adult Social Care services….a lack of understanding and ownership of budgets….and performance information was limited”.

It said “during 2013/14 the service did not demonstrate an ability to address the issues that it faced” and financial arrangements in place were “not strong enough”.

The final announcement comes in the wake of serious delays in a number of social care projects.

Key amongst these are plans to construct a state of the art centre on the Lowfields school site which would have made the service more efficient.

The project is 3 years behind scheduled and Labour Councillors have refused to reveal why, although no formal contract for the facility has yet been advertised for tender.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and a member of the Audit & Governance Committee, commented:

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Council still spending £30,000 a year on empty elderly persons home

Call to reallocate money to save mid day meals for elderly

Oliver House York

Oliver House – the former old people’s home in Bishophill – is still standing empty.

It has now been empty for 30 months following the closure of the home in April 2012.

A sale would mean that, not only will the Council no longer be responsible for the £30,000 annual maintenance and rates costs, but a substantial capital receipt of over £500,000 could be expected.

In December 2013, the Council finally decided to put the property on the market. With the recession easing it was expected that the prime site would quickly be snapped up by housing developers.

However we understand that it could be another month before offers are finally invited.

Meanwhile the Councils decision to cease the mid day meal services for residents living in some of its sheltered housing units continues to attract criticism.

The council says that it needs to save £50,000 a year on the service.

It seems that it has a ready solution to its budget problems.

However, prompt action is now needed.

York Council cuts meal for elderly

Lunch off menu at Gale Farm Court, Barstow House etc

Elderly

The Council is stopping serving of lunch for residents in its sheltered accommodation units.

Potentially all sheltered units are affected and letters have gone out today to affected tenants.

Although the Council claims to have consulted about the planned withdrawal of the service, in reality most residents thought they were being told about changes to how the meals would be provided.

The termination of the service therefore comes as a shock.

It is partly a legacy of the social care budget scandal that became public earlier in the year.

The Cabinet member with responsibility for the service lost her job at that time but now it seems that vulnerable elderly people are the ones who will suffer.

The social side of the mid day meal is particularly valued by many residents of sheltered accommodation who otherwise can become isolated in their own flats.Behind closed doors logo

The decision appears to have been taken behind closed door. There was no public discussion about the options available to the Council and affected residents.

Earlier in the year concerns were raised about hygiene standards at some care homes in York

Sheltered units with extra care in York include (click for details)

  1. Barstow House
  2. Gale Farm Court
  3. Glen Lodge
  4. Marjorie Waite Court

York taxis to give better service for dementia sufferers

People living with dementia will find it easier to travel around the city thanks to specialist training undertaken by local taxi drivers.

Dementia Forward -a registered charity which provides a fully integrated service to people living with dementia – has run three free training sessions for drivers and staff at York’s Fleetways Taxis. The company has subsequently joined York Dementia Action Alliance, a group of organisations and businesses committed to changing the lives of people living with dementia in York.

The initiative is part of a citywide campaign to encourage residents and businesses to become more dementia aware, helping York to become a dementia friendly city.
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Auditors slam flawed York Social Care project

An independent audit report said that Labour run York Council’s plans for multi-million pound super care homes were “flawed” and promised savings had been “double counted”. Audit Report

Labour’s Elderly Persons’ Homes (EPH) programme promises to replace existing care facilities in York and build new homes on the former Lowfield and Burnholme school sites.

However, the project has been beset with problems and is currently running years behind schedule.

Now the publication of a report by external auditors Mazars, from July last year, has for the first time revealed their criticism of the project.

The report was revealed last night to the council’s cross-party Audit and Governance Committee.

600,000 of planned savings from EPHs were not delivered because of issues around building new units and assumptions were flawed.

The original estimated savings were too ambitious and members made changes to the project.

There was no effective challenge of the external expert’s assumptions. In addition savings were double counted”.

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£3.9 million Social Care budget problem forces major rethink in York

“the service was not responding quickly enough or effectively enough to the challenges it faced” – Auditors

The Council has now published an outline of how it intends to recover from the Social Care budget deficit discovered by Auditors. The Auditors identified a budget pressure of £2.5 on this year’s budget together with outstanding actins needed to secure budgeted savings of £1.4 million.

Social care

In a separate report the Auditors they say

“Our view is that financial management and commissioning in the adult social care service needs to improve and this service has not responded quickly and effectively enough to the challenges that it faces.

If the underlying financial pressures are not robustly addressed and actions to secure significant future base budget reductions are not effective, there is a risk that the Council will not be in a position to deliver the best possible value for money in adult social care services.

Of critical importance to the delivery of sustained improvement is a review of existing contracts and a new commissioning approach that secures the required services at an affordable price”.

The crisis had led to the demotion of the Cabinet member, who had responsibility for the department, earlier in the year with several senior staff following her out of the door last month.

A summary of the action that the Council intends to take can be read here

10 substantial issues, raised by the Auditors, are addressed. They include:

  • Producing a clear and unambiguous budget for the current year which eliminates overspends
  • Improved accountability for senior officials
  • More delegation of responsibility
  • Improvements in the budget build process for next and subsequent years
  • A clear savings plan
  • Improved management information systems and IT
Council Leader with Cllr Simpson Laing (right) a few weeks before she was sacked from her Social care post

Council Leader with Cllr Simpson Laing (right) a few weeks before she was sacked from her Social care post

Challenged on the problems at the last Council meeting, the Leader declined to say why he had not taken action last year to address the emerging issues.

Council officials has earlier declined to say why one of the saving projects – the opening of a new “super care village” at Lowfields – was running 3 years behind schedule.

How to get residents attention? Call your project something impenetrable

York Council reduces opening hours

order chaos

The Council is being asked to approve the next stage in it’s, ludicrously titled, “rewiring” project.

The project has nothing to do with moving electricity supply cables in the Councils West Offices!

It is just a euphemism for another reorganisation; but the non de plume will effectively raise a barrier to resident understanding.

A report to a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) proposes to reduce the hours of opening of the Councils contact centre. In future it will open between 9:00am and 5:00pm (Mon-Fri)

Although it is claimed that this is a response to resident contact patterns, the reality is that the centre is hopelessly overloaded with IT systems unable, after 6 months, to even provide complainants with an issue reference number.

The Council report also makes much of devolving management of public services to local communities.

Incredibly it talks of the need for “local buildings to be multi agency focal points”.

This is the same Council which has cut Community Centre support –all of which are located in the least well off communities – to the bone.

Two face closure.

It comes from a Council which has off loaded, to an independent trust, local libraries – one of the few successful public services provided in the City over the last few years.

The programme aims to facilitate cuts of £5.5 million in the Councils budget.

The largest part of these will come from Social Care. The Social Care budget overspent by more than £1.3 million last year.

While some change is inevitable, the Council would be wise to provide more details of the implications of its plans for residents and in plain English.

Dropping gimmicky titles would be a good start

York carers week starts

York is celebrating the work of carers next week as part of national Carers Week (9-15 June).

0511-1009-1319-0462_black_and_white_cartoon_of_a_stressed_out_guy_with_the_word_overload_clipart_image

Carers Week is a UK-wide annual awareness campaign, which aims to improve the lives of carers and the people they care for and in York it’s a chance for unpaid carers to take a break and join in one of the many activities on offer.

On Monday 9 June at CVS (Priory Street) from 10am to 3pm carers can have a free health check, visit information stalls and hear short talks. There will also be some live music, a free lunch and complimentary therapies.Please call York Carers Centre on 01904 715490 to book a place.

On Wednesday 11 June York Carers Centre have a stall in the reception area of York Hospital and a bus in Parliament Street where carers can call in. York Carers Forum are also holding a Carers Service at 1.20pm in York Minster, all welcome. At 5.30pm at City of York Council West Offices there is an information sharing meeting for carers who look after an adult on the autistic spectrum.

On Friday 13 June young carers are launching their new play at York St John University.

Carers will also be able to brush up their web skills thanks to a free six-part course offered by Explore York Libraries and Archives and the Tinder Foundation, in partnership with York Carers Forum.

Running from May to September, Explore Digital Care is a free six-part course for local carers. Each carer who enrols on the course will be invited to attend six free lessons in using different aspects of the internet, including staying safe online, using email, searching the internet and using various carers resources and forums online, amongst other things.
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