Agenda item

Resolved: the committee agreed to refer its views to Mayor and Cabinet in the following terms: 

·         The committee noted that travel modelling on the proposed changes shows that no current service user would need to be in transport for longer than an hour each way in order to get to the Calabash Centre, but the committee expressed concern about the potentially severe impact of increased journey times on frail and older people, including those who have not previously needed to travel or use transport to access this service.

·         The committee noted that an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) had been carried out as part of the consultation on the proposed changes, but requests that the EIA is revisited to have regard to the points made in evidence to the committee about the significance of the day services at the Calabash Centre to the African and Caribbean community and ageing well.

·         The committee noted that some service users had strongly objected in the consultation to any relocation of services and noted the concerns expressed in the evidence to the committee from members of the public, and expressed concern about the potential impact on service users' wellbeing and the inherent potential for incidences of racism from moving and combining the various groups of service users.

·         Therefore, the committee requests that the Mayor and Cabinet delays taking a decision on this matter until the points above have been fully considered and the EIA revisited.

Heather Hughes (Joint Commissioning Lead, Complex Care & Learning Disability) and Laura Harper (Joint Commissioner) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

1.1  The office report sets out the outcome of the consultation on building-based day services for older adults eligible for care services under the Care Act.

1.2  Day services affected at those commissioned at Cedar court (Grove park), Cinnamon Court (Deptford), and the Calabash Centre. No other services or activities that take place in these buildings are affected.

1.3  The proposal is to combine the three commissioned services into a single service and located at the Calabash Centre.

1.4  There is an ongoing reduction in demand for commissioned building-based day services.

1.5  The Calabash centre in owned by the council and central to the borough.

1.6  The consultation sought to gather views on how to meet the ethnic and cultural needs that such a service would require as a single BAME-specific service would no longer be commissioned.

1.7  The majority of respondents to the questionnaire agreed or strongly agreed to the proposals.

1.8  Service users at cedar court strongly objected to any relocation of services. One organisation strongly rejected to no longer having a BME-specific day service.

1.9  Officers have invited a number of organisations to work with the council to co-produce a service specification that takes into account the cultural specific issues that would be needed in a single service.

1.10      The council has identified a team of staff to work with anyone affected by the proposals and their families.

1.11      The current day services are running with significant voids, which is not giving the best use of public money.

1.12      By enhancing the service and bring it into one place the council expects to deliver a better service for people with better staffing ratios and a wider range of activities. 

The committee asked a number of questions. The following key points were noted:

1.13      The council fully expects the service to work well and will not tolerate service that is not good service.

1.14      Service users are able to access a range of alternative options through the use of direct payments.

1.15      To monitor performance, the council is looking into developing something akin to “expert by experience” visits for care homes. External organisations have also been invited to develop service specification.

1.16      The committee asked to get an update six months after the start of the contract if the proposals are agree.

1.17      Meals provided at the service will continue to include a variety of meals including culturally specific meals.

1.18      The committee noted that some service users might get distressed if their journey to the service takes considerably longer and stop attending.

1.19      Officers have modelled travel for people in the service and across the whole group no one will be in transport for over an hour each way, which is marginally different from the current situation.

1.20      The service is for people who are care act eligible and eligibility has not been changed. People are increasingly choosing to take direct payments and buy other services. The profile of demand is expected to continue to change.

1.21      All commissioned services are expected to meet the diverse needs of the community, which is a contractual requirement.

1.22      If the council tenders the contract for the service it will be for the service provider to put forward a staffing proposal. There are likely to be very few redundancies.

1.23      Some staff would also lose jobs if the services continued as they are because the provider wouldn’t be able to continue to employ the number of staff.

1.24      When the Family Health ISIS contract ended every service user had a full assessment of their needs. Most took up the service offer from new service provider, very few were older people who might have used the Calabash.

1.25      The council used a matrix to determine whether to deliver the service in-house or externally contracted. The matrix gives a 50:50 weighting for quality and cost and showed a difference of £100,000, around ¼ of the contract value.

1.26      A member of the public, a Professor of Caribbean Literature and Culture at Goldsmith’s University, addressed the committee. 

1.27      The professor stressed the importance of the Calabash Centre to the African and Caribbean community.

1.28      It was noted that the Calabash Centre was ahead of its time when it was established and is a model for other boroughs.

1.29      The Calabash Centre provides care that takes account of race, ethnicity and ageing well and it is feared that social isolation will increase if people are forced into a situation where they do not feel at home and connected.

1.30      The Council should share the research they have about Caribbean Elders and their perception of care provision in the borough and about how informed Caribbean Elders are about care options available in the borough.

1.31      A full transcript of the Professor’s evidence to the committee has been uploaded to the committee’s meeting pages.

1.32      Another member of the public commented that the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposal was very brief and that the analysis in the consultation failed to consider cultural implications.

1.33      There was an EIA carried out as part of the proposals. How deep an EIA goes can always be challenged and improved upon. The Executive Director said this was not a poor EIA.

1.34      It was stressed that the Calabash Centre is not closing and the Elders groups will continue to be supported by the council.

1.35      Another member of the public commented that the reduction in demand for day services needs to be investigated in more detail.

1.36      People can take a direct payment or personal budget when they have an eligible need. Some people will use it for personal care services and some will use it for day opportunities and other support.

1.37      The council monitors how people use their personal budgets and agrees with them how they will be used when they draft the care plan.

Resolved: the committee agreed to refer its views to Mayor and Cabinet in the following terms: 

·         The committee noted that travel modelling on the proposed changes shows that no current service user would need to be in transport for longer than an hour each way in order to get to the Calabash Centre, but the committee expressed concern about the potentially severe impact of increased journey times on frail and older people, including those who have not previously needed to travel or use transport to access this service.

·         The committee noted that an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) had been carried out as part of the consultation on the proposed changes, but requests that the EIA is revisited to have regard to the points made in evidence to the committee about the significance of the day services at the Calabash Centre to the African and Caribbean community and ageing well.

·         The committee noted that some service users had strongly objected in the consultation to any relocation of services and noted the concerns expressed in the evidence to the committee from members of the public, and expressed concern about the potential impact on service users' wellbeing and the inherent potential for incidences of racism from moving and combining the various groups of service users.

·         Therefore, the committee requests that the Mayor and Cabinet delays taking a decision on this matter until the points above have been fully considered and the EIA revisited.