The Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Flintshire Council scheduled a hybrid meeting for 4 September 2025, which was to be held in person and virtually, and live streamed on the council's website. The meeting was set to cover a range of topics, including the annual performance report, complaints procedure, and the use of assistive technology. Councillors were also expected to discuss and update their forward work programme.

Annual Performance Report

The committee was scheduled to consider the Annual Performance Report 2024/25, which provides a high-level summary of how well the council performed at the end of the financial year. The report includes:

• Key achievements
• Areas for improvement
• Council plan performance
• Budget monitoring
• Social value
• Risk management
• Annual governance statement
• Corporate self-assessment
• Regulation, audit and inspection
• Strategic equality plan
• Welsh language
• Partnership and collaboration
• Climate change

The report incorporates requirements from the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015¹ and the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021².

Social Services Complaints and Compliments

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Annual Report on the Social Services Complaints and Compliments Procedure 2024-25. The report details feedback received in the form of compliments and complaints from service users, their families or carers, and how this feedback is used to improve services. The report includes data on:

• Complaints relating to Adult Social Care, including themes such as dignity, communication, timeliness, quality of care, and charges.
• Stage 2 independent investigations and their outcomes.
• Enquiries made by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
• Lessons learned from complaints and how they inform policy and practice.
• Complaints relating to Children's Social Services, including themes such as communication, disagreements with decisions, contact, and process issues.
• Compliments received across service areas.

Assistive Technology

The use of assistive technology across social services and its alignment with occupational therapy practice was scheduled for discussion. Assistive Technology and Telecare³ includes a broad category of devices and tools designed to support independence and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities or other needs. The report pack mentions examples such as personal alarms, sensors, and detectors that monitor individuals and send alerts to a 24-hour response centre, a receiver in a person's home, or staff on duty within a residential/extra care facility. The report pack states that the use of technology focuses on early intervention and prevention, with the aim of increasing independence and self-resilience.

The Telecare Team offers information, advice and assistance on products, equipment and systems that enhance daily living for people of all ages. The team provides a range of equipment following a specialist assessment to meet the individual outcomes of the citizen, give information on assistive technology and signpost to other services which may be of help including Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Third Sector organisations and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Forward Work Programme and Action Tracking

The committee was to consider its forward work programme and action tracking. The forward work programme identifies topics for future consideration, and action tracking details progress on requests for information, reports or actions from previous meetings. Councillor Sam Swash, Leader of the Flintshire People's Voice Group / Chair of Social and Health Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee was to be authorised to vary the forward work programme between meetings, as needed.

Items listed in the forward work plan for future meetings include:

• Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
• Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspection activity update
• Speech, Language and Communication in Early Years services
• Oxford Brain Science
• Right Care, Right Place: Promoting Independence in Supported Living
• Enhancing Fostering Services Reconnect Project
• Collaborative Conversations: Flintshire County Council's practice model for social care
• Framework of Support
• Hospital Pathway & Collaborative Partnerships
• Digital Social Care
• Coed y Ddraig Health & Social Care Hub
• Ty Croes Atti In House Residential Care
• Supporting vulnerable families
• Removing profit for the care of looked after children
• Workforce
• Quality of Service Provision in registered Adult Services
• First Response: enhancing our customer response
• Effective Reviews
• Review of Early Years & Family Centres
• Quality of Service Provision in Residential Care Home Service