Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Helena Dollimore, who joined the meeting online. Councillor Joan Henry attended as a substitute.

There were no declarations of pecuniary interests

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as a true and accurate record

The Locality Executive Director for Merton and Wandsworth gave an overview of the report.

A panel member said this project has been on the table for twelve years and has still not come to fruition. It was asked if the money available why there are options appraisals especially as the Wilson has been agreed as the preferred sight.

The Locality Executive Director for Merton said internal sources of funding have been designated and they are keen to move forward. The policy on better business cases requires this process.  It will take place during February and then move on to business case.

A Panel member asked why it will take 18-24 to make a decision given that it has been discussed for 12 years and why this is not being dealt with as a matter of urgency.

The Locality Executive Director for Merton said he recognises the frustration. The Executive Director and Director of Community and Housing at Merton will co-chair the Programme Board. There has to be due process and other services are still working to address inequalities.

A panel member asked what we mean by health and wellbeing hub. There needs to be accessible language as a name for the facility is it the same as a walk in centre. It is important to avoid NHS jargon. The Locality Executive Director for Merton said the name will be reviewed as the work progresses.

A Panel member asked if there are any plans for a GP service as there are lots of elderly in the surrounding areas who have to get two buses to a GP

The Locality Executive Director said this is a Community led service so will be discussed by the Programme Board. It may be possible to establish satellite GP services

RESOLVED

The Chair thanked the Director for his report

The Director of Public Health gave a verbal update of the current situation:

There were high rates of infections between Christmas and New Year, infection rates are still high but may have peaked.

Infection rates amongst young and middle aged adults are levelling off.

There has been a surge in infections in the over 60s but seems to be levelling off.

The impact of the infection rates amongst children is unclear as they are just back to schools.

There have been outbreaks in care homes

Hospitalisations with Covid have gone up, the NHS is under pressure with winter season, Covid and staff sickness.

Vaccinations booster scheme big uptake and lots of support from volunteers

In future vaccinations sites there will be an with emphasis on smaller sites and pop-ups

Merton has been awarded funding for the vaccinations champion programme working with the community to ensure no-one is left behind.

Merton has not run out of lateral flow test and there wasn’t a significant shortage in Merton.

The Locality Executive Director said there was a booster roll-out before Christmas now looking at how to access communities who are not taking up the vaccines.

In response to questions on vaccinations for people with compromised immune systems and those unvaccinated the Director of Health reported that they using primary care lists to contact people, recognise the importance of multiple channels to reach communities.

A panel member said learning to live with COVID the next phase is how we will do this, The Public Health Director said we need to vaccinate globally, and cautiously optimistic about adapting to live with Covid.

RESOLVED

The Director was thanked for her report

The Assistant Director for Resources gave an overview of the report. He highlighted that we have a balanced budget for 2022-23, but we still need to balance it for future years.

The Interim Director of Community and Housing said it is a challenging time for adult social care, there is an increase in temporary accommodation 50% increase in discharges from hospital. There is a small underspend due to additional funding from the NHS related to discharge.

In regards to saving CH104 – Discharge to access. A Panel member raised concerns about the high risk of deliverability.  The Assistant Director confirmed that the saving is achievable. The risk analysis on deliverability was high because of legislation, market risk working with other organisations. The Interim Director of Community and Housing said they will be able to do more effective re-ablement work in partnership with health colleagues.

In regards to saving CH108 – self funder brokerage – A panel member asked for more information on the income that will be generated from this saving.  The Interim Director of Community and Housing said in the future those who can fund their own care and want assistance from the local authority to broker this service for them will be charged a brokerage fee if they use this council service.

Following a request from the Panel, The Interim Director of Community and Housing and the Assistant Director for Strategy and Improvement gave an overview of each of the proposed savings for adult social care.

RESOLVED

The Chair thanked officers for their report

The Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board gave an overview of the report and said there has been an increase in referrals during the pandemic.

A panel member asked about the levels of risk in the home. The Chair said many had come from relatives and neighbours who had raised concerns around self-neglect neglect from carers or domestic abuse. It was reported that 45-50% of concerns raised  were looked at in more detail.

A panel member asked if the Adult Safeguarding Board works with social services for young people. The Chair said working with children’s board is being considered as there could be learning from the transitions process and from joint working between children and adult departments.

In response to questions, the Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board gave an overview of the additional training on understanding of mental capacity to partner agencies.

RESOLVED

The Chair of the Safeguarding Adults Board was thanked for her report

The Cabinet Member outlined her priorities for adult social care and public health:

Immediate priority is Covid recovery, including tackling inequality and establishing Vaccination equity

Medium term priority is learning from the experience of Covid and developing resilient communities

Longer term priorities include Post pandemic care, including the establishment of integrated care systems

All priorities include bridging the gap, resilience and partnership working

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Member was thanked for her work

The work programme was noted