The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) convened to discuss adult social care performance, dementia training for care staff, and to plan their work programme for the upcoming year. The board reviewed the Adult Social Care Self-Assessment and Annual Report, discussed training protocols for care homes, and recognised the impact of the Coventry Sports Strategy and Physical Activity Framework from 2014 to 2024. They also agreed to bring the draft Physical Activity and Sport Strategy back to the board in the 2025/26 municipal year.

Adult Social Care Performance - Self-Assessment and Annual Report

The board reviewed the Adult Social Care Performance Self-Assessment and Annual Report (Local Account) 2024/25¹, which provides an overview of the council's adult social care services, performance, and areas for development. The report is structured around the four themes used by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its assessment framework: working with people, providing support, ensuring safety and leadership.

Key strengths highlighted in the report include safeguarding activity, work with communities, a stable social care market, partnership working with NHS organisations, promoting independence, carers support and a committed workforce. Areas for development include personalising the experience of care and support, continuous improvement, new models of support, support for unpaid carers, prevention, use of technology and integrated care with health partners.

The report also addresses challenges such as increasing demand for services due to an ageing population, rising costs of care, and the need to manage resources effectively.

The board was asked to consider the report and submit any comments to the cabinet for consideration.

Training of Care Staff Supporting Patients with Dementia

The board discussed a briefing note on the training of care staff supporting patients with dementia, prompted by an Alzheimer's Society report expressing concern about low levels of dementia training among care staff nationally². The report recommended that local authorities include a contractual obligation for care providers to ensure staff undertake the Alzheimer's Society's dementia training programme.

The briefing note assured the scrutiny board that current training protocols for care homes in Coventry are robust and appropriate within available resources. It highlighted that while some training may differ in scope from that recommended by the Alzheimer's Society, it still contributes to enhancing staff knowledge and the overall quality of dementia care.

The report noted that in 2024, an estimated 3,780 Coventry citizens were living with dementia, and that the aim of care and support is to enable them to live well and maintain independence for as long as possible. It also noted that supporting paid carers to improve their relationships with people living with dementia and unpaid carers is key in delivery of good support.

The report outlined the training offer for social care staff, including Level 2 and 3 awards in awareness of dementia and dementia care. It also highlighted the council's quality assurance processes, which include checks of providers' training matrices.

The report concluded that Adult Social Care is assured that levels of dementia training amongst Coventry's whole adult social care workforce exceed those cited nationally. It also stated that it would be inappropriate and not enforceable to contractually obligate providers to use one specific training provider.

The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) was recommended to consider the information provided in the briefing note and appendices, and to identify any further comments or recommendations for the Cabinet Member.

Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) Work Programme 2025-26

The board discussed potential items for its work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year, with Councillor Catherine Elizabeth Miks, Chair of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) inviting Councillors Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing and Councillor Linda Bigham, Cabinet Member for Adult Services to share their portfolio priorities for the coming year.

A draft work programme was presented, including items such as:

• Improving Lives
• Director of Public Health's Annual Report
• Young person's risky behaviours service
• Digital Access to Health
• Family Health and Lifestyles Service
• Virtual Beds Update
• Update on The Physical Activity and Sport Strategy
• Primary Care
• Healthwatch Annual Report
• ICB efficiency savings
• Safeguarding Adults Annual Report
• Disabled Facilities Grant
• PALS
• Rugby St Cross
• Mental Health
• Community Pharmacists
• Trans/Non-binary/Intersex Health
• Ambulance Service / Fire Service / WMP
• HDRC
• Grapevine
• Task & Finish Group
• Access to Dentistry and All age Oral Health
• Age UK
• UHCW - A&E Waiting Times
• Health and care of students in Coventry
• Neighbourhood Health Early Adopter Programme

The board was asked to identify and agree any additional items for the work programme.

The Physical Activity and Sports Strategy

The board recognised the impact of the Coventry Sports Strategy and Physical Activity Framework from 2014 – 2024. They agreed to provide feedback as part of the development of the New Sport and Physical Activity Strategy that is currently being developed with a particular focus on how the strategy can be used to develop greater inclusion of adults and older people to support with healthy ageing. They also agreed that access to sport facilities including transport links should be considered as part of the new Strategy, and that the council should investigate the opportunity to draw external finance to train roles in sport, such as coaches and referees from the local community.

The board agreed to bring the draft Physical Activity and Sport Strategy back to the board in the 2025/26 municipal year.

Councillor Kamran Caan welcomed the strategy, referring to the quality of sporting facilities within the city, the recognition Coventry had received as a city of sport, in particular being European City of Sport 2019 and the focus going forward on the benefits and accessibility for all communities in utilising parks and green spaces within the city for sport and physical activity.

Members of the scrutiny board asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• The location and accessibility of sporting facilities for residents in the city and public transport links
• The desire of representatives from specific communities to train to be sport coaching and whether this could widen participation in sports from excluded groups.
• The best way to utilise park and open spaces for sport and physical activity to increase access
• Whether the strategy would include people over 75 and how this group would be included
• Factors that contributed to low participation other than economic disadvantage, such as engagement, cultural status, transport links, and physical ability

The board requested:

• Further data regarding the 5% of residents not living within 1 mile of a sports facility.
• Data relating to physical activity in the over 75's
• Information regarding walking buses in schools.
• Footfall data for all Council sport facilities