Appendix 6(a)

BLACKPOOL COUNCIL

Housing and Social Services
Inspection of Social Care Services for Older People
Action Plan

Page 1 of 8

Appendix 6(a)

Standard 1: National Priorities and Strategic Objectives

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
1(a) The Council should ensure continued support to the Senior Voice Forum so that it can contribute to improved services and better outcomes for older people. /
  • A Corporate Older Person’s Strategy is established through a series of joint workshops
  • The Corporate Strategy, ‘Celebrating Age, Experience and Aspiration’ is in place
  • Senior Voice Forum members are actively involved in their 5 priority areas of: Health and Social Care, Transport, Crime and Community Safety, Disability and Access, Social Inclusion/Discrimination and actively influence Council priorities
/
  • Difficulty in securing the full engagement of older people.
  • Engaging older people who are not members of the Senior Voice Forum.
  • Ability of Senior Voice Forum to become ‘self-funding’ in agreed timescales.
/
  • Senior Voice Forum are represented on:
- Local Strategic Partnership
- Corporate Equalities Forum
- Advice Link Network
  • Senior Voice Forum involved in consultation on:
- Disability Equality Duty
- Corporate Strategic Plan
- Tender for new day services contract
  • Senior Voice Forum being consulted by Lancashire Police and Age Concern.
  • Workshops underway with Senior Voice Forum to develop the Corporate Older Person’s Strategy (draft 30.6.07)

Time Frame: / 31 March 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Chair of Corporate Social Inclusion Group

Standard 2: Cost and Efficiency

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
2 (a) The Council and partners should ensure effective linkages between the Older People’s Partnership Board and other strategic fora and processes. /
  • Accountabilities and governance arrangements for the Older Person’s Partnership Board are reviewed and amended to reflect ‘a whole system approach’ to the needs of older people.
/
  • Blackpool Coastal Housing Limited now represented on the Older Person’s Partnership Board
  • Representative from Older Person’s Partnership Board attends Sport, Nutrition and Physical Activity Alliance

Time Frame / 31 December 2006 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Older Adults and Physical Disability Services
Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement
2 (b) Social Services should monitor the recent
developments to ensure that the anticipated improvements to commissioning processes are delivered /
  • Changes to commissioning processes are monitored and recorded through the Commission Advisory Group and any necessary remedial action taken
  • Regular reports to DMT and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
/
  • Delays in development of new IT system
/
  • A Risk Monitoring process and supporting documentation has been produced as is available to all staff. Regular monitoring reports are reviewed and actions taken by the Commissioning Advisory Group.
  • A six month report will be reviewed by DMT and sent to Scrutiny committee for the March 2007 meeting.

Time Frame / 31 March 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director Strategy and Performance

Standard 3: Effectiveness of Service Delivery and Outcomes for Service Users

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
3 (a) The Council should, with health partners, ensure that all hospital discharges of older people are effectively planned and coordinated. /
  • Hospital Discharge processes are reviewed and gaps, which currently lead to poor discharge planning, are closed.
  • Develop a system to identify ongoing breakdowns in hospital discharge
/
  • Capacity within the Hospital Discharge Team
  • Achieving engagement of Acute Trust colleagues at time of significant change
/
  • PCT monitoring of unsafe discharge widened to include Social Services data. Joint regular review.
  • Further joint PCT/Social Services audit of discharge in planning stage
  • Issue raised at Health Economy Strategic Development Group

Time Frame / 31 December 2006 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Older Adults and Physical Disability Services
Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
3 (b) The Council should effect the appointment of the adults safeguarding post, resume training in this area, and re-consider if the training should be required of certain post holders. /
  • Workplan of newly appointed Safeguarding Adults Co-ordinator incorporates these targets, against which progress is reported to the Safeguarding Adults Committee
/
  • Delays in new appointee taking up post
  • The implementation of Mental Capacity Act absorbs resources
/
  • Full training plan produced
  • Awareness training commenced
  • Work plan established

Time Frame / 31 March 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities
Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
3 (c) The Council should clarify responsibilities between Social Services Direct and mental health services for older people to ensure that service users benefit from the most appropriate service for their needs. /
  • Existing protocols and lines of responsibility are reviewed and fully implemented
  • Waiting times for older adult mental health referrals via Social Services Direct, indicate no unnecessary delays
/
  • Review of arrangements for older adult mental health across the whole of Lancashire may result in changes to service configuration
/
  • Work agreed to establish Social Services Direct as the first point of access for older adults with mental health problems.
  • Current protocols being updated prior to re-launch

Time Frame / 31 December 2006 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Older Adults and Physical Disability Services
Assistant Director, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

Standard 4: Quality of Service for Service Users and carers

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
4 (a) The Council and partners should examine why there was little recorded evidence of multi-professional activity in assessments and should ensure the implementation of the Single Assessment Process. /
  • Single Assessment Process is fully operational in all joint teams
  • All Health partners are signed up to a fresh implementation plan for Single Assessment
/ Delays in engaging all Health partners at a time of organisational change /
  • All health partners re-engaged through Health Economy Strategy Development Group
  • Project Lead agreed and Project Plan in place
  • High level Project Board established with implementation group below
  • Person Held Record Pilot funded by PCT

Time Frame / 31 March 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Older Adults and Physical Disability Services
Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
4 (b) The Council should ensure the consistent good quality of case recording. /
  • A single agreed system of case recording is in place in Social Services Direct
  • A system for case file audit is operating and identifying areas for improvement
/
  • Standards for process of assessments reviewed and updated
  • Working group revising recording requirements to be embedded as consistent practice

Time Frame / 31 March 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Older Adults and Physical Disability Services

Standard 5: Fair Access

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
5 (a) The Council should maintain their renewed focus on equalities and diversity and undertake the proposed equality impact Assessments into adult social care functions /
  • A programme of Equality Impact Assessments is in place and being adhered to
  • The Department is fully engaged with the Corporate Equality and Diversity initiatives
/
  • Programme of Equality Impact Assessments in place
  • Council focus groups in place
  • Involvement with North West regional equality and diversity workshops
  • Joint PCT and Council policy and delivery plan approved

Time Frame / 31 December 2006 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Strategy and Performance

Page 1 of 8

Appendix 6(a)

Standard 6: Capacity for Improvement

Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
6 (a) The Council should bring together individual supervision, a case-record audit system and performance management information into an overall approach to quality management. /
  • The existing quarterly performance monitoring review captures information from supervision and case file audit.
/ Partners in system development fail to deliver /
  • Performance Management Meetings take place quarterly
  • Covering business, team plans, performance indicators, high/low lights
  • Next cycle to include IPA, team meeting, supervision and case record audit activity

Time Frame / September 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Strategy and Performance
Action / Objective / Measurable Planned Outcome / Risks & Barriers to Achievement / Update as of 5 February 2007
6 (b) The Council should explore with key partners the opportunities to develop joint workforce strategies that are clearly tied into service development strategies. /
  • Areas for joint workforce development with partners are identified and plans agreed
/ Partners competing priorities /
  • Joint Cadet Scheme
  • Generic Care Workers Scheme
  • Integrated Mental Health Team Plans
  • Partner in Fylde Coast WFD Plan Project

Time Frame / April 2007 /

Lead Officer

/ Assistant Director, Strategy and Performance

Page 1 of 8