The Adults Scrutiny Panel of Wolverhampton Council met on 16 September 2025 to discuss the One Wolverhampton Winter Plan, adult safeguarding, and the panel's work plan. The meeting was also scheduled to include a review of the minutes from the previous meeting.

One Wolverhampton Winter Plan 2025-2026

Sally Sandel, Head of Joint Commissioning for Health and Care, was scheduled to present the draft One Wolverhampton Winter Plan 2025-26 to the panel. The plan was designed to reflect a partnership approach to preparing for winter, though individual organisations may also have their own internal plans.

The report pack stated that all services and schemes supporting the winter plan would align with the NHS plan's three key shifts:

• From analogue to digital
• From sickness to prevention
• From hospital to community

The plan was scheduled to focus on three key priorities: Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, prevention, and technology-enabled care. These priorities align with the objectives of the Better Care Fund¹, the NHS Ten-Year Plan, and the Home First Strategic Working Group.

Approximately £6.5 million was allocated to Wolverhampton, including £2,585,025 of discharge funding via the Integrated Care Board (ICB), £3,449,153 of discharge funding via the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC), and £427,000 of Community Transformation and Ageing Well funding.

The ICB discharge funding was allocated for:

• Additional funding for equipment and Pathway 3 beds to support hospital discharge and flow.
• Mental health step-down beds to reduce unnecessary lengths of stay.
• Additional pharmacy support for the same-day discharge hub to reduce discharge delays.
• Virtual wards at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital Trust (RWT) and Compton Care to support admission avoidance and hospital discharge.
• The Acute Respiratory Infection Hub (October - March 2026) to provide same-day appointments and reduce hospital admissions.
• Additional community neuro rehabilitation beds to support hospital discharge.
• Hydration in Care Homes support to reduce falls and urinary tract infections, as well as other training and education opportunities.
• Dementia support.

£1,141,022 of the ICB funding was to be coordinated by One Wolverhampton and spent on:

• Developing the partnership Technology-Enabled Care Offer to support prevention and early support.
• Developing a preventative and proactive frailty offer modelled on the Jean Bishop Centre.
• Developing the Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, including provision of clinical expertise, project management, and coaching support.

The CWC discharge funding was allocated for:

• Mainstreaming temporary staff.
• Providing education and training to care homes to support prevention, admission avoidance, and hospital discharge.
• Funding to support Pathway 1 and 2 discharges.

The report pack stated that the Home First Strategic Working Group would oversee the plan, escalating to the One Wolverhampton Board via the Place Development Group as needed.

The report pack recommended that the panel endorse the approach to winter planning for 2025/26 and recognise the close partnership working.

Overview of Adult Safeguarding

Sonia Mahay, Head of Service – Safeguarding and Ageing Well, Adult Social Care, was scheduled to present a report providing an Overview of Adult Safeguarding.

The report pack described the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) as the central hub for safeguarding concerns relating to adults with care and support needs. The MASH ensures immediate protection measures are in place where required and works with partners in gathering information to inform decisions as to whether a Section 42 enquiry is needed.

Section 42 of the Care Act 2014 states that a local authority must act when it has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult in its area:

• Has needs for care and support.
• Is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect.
• As a result of those needs, is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

The MASH is responsible for:

• Signposting to the Front Door and Community Support for Adults who are not known to Adult Social Care or are not 'currently known'.
• Screening Prevent² referrals relating to adults.
• Completing checks for partner safeguarding agencies where appropriate.
• Contributing to discussions and decisions about exploitation.
• Liaising with Adult Social Care Quality Assurance colleagues and commissioning colleagues to identify concerns within ASC provider quality alert themes and trends and plan for response to any such identified concerns.
• Undertaking multiagency safeguarding meetings when concerns are raised about providers.
• Providing a dedicated domestic abuse advisor and domestic abuse pathway.
• Attending Care Quality Commission information sharing meetings.

The Wolverhampton Local Authority launched an all-age Partnership Missing and Exploitation Hub in 2021, along with a new screening tool aimed at identifying all forms of exploitation for young people and adults.

The report pack stated that Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together (WST) convenes safeguarding partners, West Midlands Police, Black Country Integrated Care Board and Local Authority, alongside Education and the Voluntary Sector to work in close collaboration to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children, young people and adults with care and support needs in Wolverhampton.

Work Plan and You Said, We Did

Earl Piggott-Smith, Scrutiny Officer, was scheduled to present the Adults Scrutiny Panel - Draft Work Programme 2025 - 2026 and the You Said We Did - Adults Panel Action Tracker.

The draft work programme included the following items:

• Dementia review
• Care Quality Commission inspection findings
• Our Future Council – Responding to the Financial Challenge
• International recruitment of care workers
• Our Future Council - Adult Social Care Transformation
• Wolverhampton Adult Social Care Provider Fee Review 2026 – 2027
• Spotlight on occupational therapy in Adult Social Care
• Transitions to Adult Social Care
• Early support and technology offer

The You Said, We Did tracker included updates on the following actions:

• The panel members agreed to receive a further report from the Head of Joint Commissioning at a future meeting on the implications of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill for the delivery of current end-of-life and palliative care offer.
• The panel members accepted the invitation to visit Compton Care.
• The Deputy Director to present the CQC inspection report and action plan at a special meeting of the panel on a date to be agreed with the Chair.