The Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee will receive reports on a range of issues at its meeting on 16 September, including a presentation about Adult Social Care accommodation in Islington, the Healthwatch Annual Report, and an update on performance of Adult Social Care in Islington.

Adult Social Care Accommodation

A report pack submitted ahead of this meeting included a draft Scrutiny Initiation Document (SID: Agenda frontsheet 16th-Sep-2024 19.30 Health Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee), which sets out how the committee will scrutinise adult social care accommodation in Islington.

The draft SID says that the committee will hold a series of meetings over the next year to look at the state of Adult Social Care accommodation in the borough. The first of these meetings will hear a presentation about the strategic context for Adult Social Care accommodation in Islington. The committee will be asked to approve the SID at this meeting.

To deliver what Islington residents have told us is important to them and, in turn, support the council’s overarching 2030 Plan, our vision is: For Islington to be a place made up of strong, inclusive and connected communities, where regardless of background, people have fair and equal access to adult social care support that enables residents to live healthy, fulfilling and independent lives.

(ASC Accommodation Scrutiny - Strategic overview)

The draft SID also says that:

• The committee will visit Sunnyside Community Center to look at its 'Live Smart' accommodation for older people.
• The committee will visit an unspecified care home.

The draft SID refers to an Adult Social Care Accommodation Needs Assessment that was due to be presented to the committee (ASC Accommodation Needs Assessment Aug 24).

According to the Needs Assessment, there were 2,813 people receiving long-term support from Adult Social Care in Islington in July 2024, with 1,134 of those people receiving support from an accommodation-based service. The Needs Assessment says that the proportion of people in accommodation-based services who live in the borough has increased from 59% to 61% in the year to July 2024.

Healthwatch

The committee will also consider the Healthwatch Islington Annual Report (HWI Annual report 2024) at its meeting. This report describes what Healthwatch has done during the year, and what it plans to do in future.

We’re supported by a team of amazing volunteers who are at the heart of what we do. Thanks to their efforts in the community, we’re able to understand what is working and what needs improving.

(HWI Annual report 2024)

The Annual Report says that during the year, Healthwatch:

• Helped Islington Council to develop training for staff in Early Years Settings about childhood immunisations
• Worked with the ICB to develop a programme for early detection of long-term health conditions.
• Published research about the barriers to cervical screening among Turkish and Somali-speaking communities in Islington.

The Annual Report says that during the next year, Healthwatch plans to:

• Focus on cancer screening and childhood immunisations
• Continue supporting carers through its mental health team
• Work on the 'Evidence Islington' Health Determinants Research Collaboration.

Adult Social Care Performance

Finally, the committee will receive a report on the performance of Adult Social Care in quarter 4 of 2023/24 (ASCPerformanceQ42324). This report measures the performance of the service against a number of indicators. It says that:

• 78% of people using reablement services achieve an outcome of 'no support needed' after their reablement.
• There were 174 new admissions to nursing or residential care homes, against a target of 200.
• 48% of people receiving long-term support from Adult Social care have had their support plan reviewed, against a target of 52%
• 29% of people using Adult Social Care services in the community are supported via a Direct Payment, against a target of 31%.
• 96% of people using Adult Social Care safeguarding services report that their desired outcomes were fully or partially achieved, against a target of 95%.
• 92% of people who were the subject of a safeguarding enquiry had their risk reduced or removed, against a target of 96%.