Apologies were received from Councillor Abdul Latif, Councillor Stephen Crowe attended as a substitute.

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The surname Ball to be replaced with the correct spelling ‘Bull’

The chair reported that Hayley James has resigned as a co-opted member a letter of thanks will be sent on behalf of the Panel.

The Chair paid tribute to the recently deceased Andrew Wakefield who attended the last meeting of this Panel. He will be remembered for his tireless work on behalf of disadvantaged communities.

The Assistant Director of Resources reported that there are no new savings in Adult Social Care and public health.

The Chair invited members of the public to address the panel.

Sarah Henley, local resident informed the panel that last year she was able to go to the cinema which is essential because being at home 24 hours a day is very boring and it is important to go out.  However now that her welfare benefits has not been increased a trip of this nature is beyond her means. Her personal savings are running out fast. As a result she has been put on anti-depressants.  Every night she has to decide whether to use her personal assistant to help her use the toilet or alternatively to use a (continence) pad. She is concerned about what will happen when money runs out as she does not want to go into residential care.

LylaAdwan- Kamara, Chief Executive of Merton Centre for Independent Living informed the panel that many of the cuts have been made without being available for scrutiny. The five year approach to the medium term financial strategy means that many of the cuts are buried or nodded through without adequate consideration. Disabled people are being told to do less, wear nappies and can no longer go out. The council do not have the right to do away with rights and dignity. There are three modest things that could make a difference:

Decline to approve a further £2 million worth of cuts to adult social care.

Support the implementation of the 2% council tax precept

Start talking, listening and engaging with Merton Centre for Independent Living.

The Chair highlighted that this panel has taken the Adult Social Care Savings very seriously and last year made a reference to cabinet which had a direct impact on the budget proposals.

Andy Whittington, Chief Executive of Merton Mencap informed the panel that Merton Mencap supports people with learning disabilities and runs a range of projects in the borough. These are now under threat. Merton is one of eight boroughs not to raise the council tax precept, even though there would be no actual financial increase for residents as it is offset by the reduction in the GLA precept. There has been a reduction in day centre offer and many people cannot afford to pay additional costs to cover the shortfall. The council are urged to support increase in the precept otherwise there will be even greater reductions in social workers, employment support and people will lose choice and control over their lives. Family carers need more help not less.

The Director of Community and Housing said he would respond to the themes raised rather than comment on individual issues. One of the issues is that people often have to go to agency because of the difficulties in finding a personal assistant. Agency costs are often higher which leads to difficult choices.  The Director reported that he has to work within a balanced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The mental health commissioning manager gave an overview of the report highlighting that the service is performing well on waiting times but not so on access to the service and recovery.

A panel member asked if there is follow up if people make initial contact then but do not attend appointments. The Mental Health Commissioning Manager reported that three attempts are made to establish contact with the client.

A panel member expressed concern that six weeks could be too long to wait for an appointment. The Mental Health Commissioning Manager said the service should prioritise people according to need and will confirm that this is the case. The Director of Commissioning added that the model is not designed to treat acute conditions but rather support health and wellbeing. 

The Director of Public Health said she understood that there is a prevalence of low level mental health need in the community yet the service is struggling to find clients. She sought clarification as to whether the service treats people who also have drug and alcohol issues. The Senior Mental Health Commissioning Manager said they do, although the client must be sober to benefit from the service.  We do need a better understanding of people’s reluctance to access the service, it could be due to confidence issues.

RESOLVED

Merton Clinical Commissioning Group to provide data on the proportion of over 65s and younger age groups who access the service.

MCCG to provide clarification that those clients accessing the service are prioritised according to their level of need.

The Director of Public Health gave an overview of the report stating that the shrinking budget reflects the range of services which can be provided. There is a difficult balance between prevention and acute needs. Services are focussed on high risk patients such the falls and diabetic service. The team are also developing a digital offer which can reach a large number of people and is cost effective.

The team are also looking at ways to develop a health promotion environment. This includes encouraging people to use the stairs rather than the lift. They are also looking at opportunities in working with the leisure department and ways to increase volunteering.

A panel member asked how they support people in danger of falling. The Director reported that this is a high priority area and can provide balancing training although it can be hard to identify those at risk.

A panel member asked how small charities that provide physical activity for the 55 plus can get funding. The Director reported they can use a range of measures including seeking volunteers and asking for donations for their work.

RESOLVED

The Director was thanked for her report and attending the Panel.

The work programme was noted.