The Adult Care and Public Health Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, to discuss the recommissioning of short breaks and emergency respite services, review the Principal Social Worker's Annual Report, and consider the committee's work programme. Key decisions included the endorsement of the proposed changes to the short breaks service model and the approval of the Principal Social Worker's Annual Report, acknowledging its findings and priorities. The committee also agreed on its work programme for the coming months.

Short Breaks Re-Commissioning Plan

The committee considered a report on the recommissioning of short breaks and emergency respite services, which aims to move away from the current building-based model to a more flexible, community-focused approach. The proposed new model will commission 12 beds from up to 12 providers across three geographical areas, with a 75% residential and 25% nursing bed split. A centralised booking system managed by the council will be introduced.

Arguments for the proposal included:

• Improved Flexibility and Choice: The new model offers greater choice and access to a more varied provider base, closer to home for service users.
• Addressing Current Limitations: It aims to resolve issues with the current model, such as limited flexibility, choice, responsiveness, and the institutional feel of the existing facilities.
• Best Value: Aligning pricing with the existing residential and nursing framework and a 75% retainer fee for reserved beds is expected to deliver better value for money.
• Market Appetite: Pre-market engagement indicated that specialist residential and nursing providers are keen to diversify their services.
• Reduced Council Maintenance Burden: Moving away from council-owned buildings will cease the need for ongoing investment in repairs and maintenance.

Arguments and concerns raised against or about the proposal included:

• Transition Planning: Concerns were raised about the practicalities of the transition plan, who would be accountable, and whether every existing service user would have an individual plan before current arrangements end.
• Market Capacity: Questions were asked about the assurance that the market can provide the required capacity in the right places, including rural areas, and whether the cost would attract sufficient quality providers.
• Quality and Safeguarding: Members sought assurance on how consistent quality, safeguarding, and staff training would be maintained across a dispersed model, and what performance indicators would be reported back to the committee.
• Loss of Dedicated Facilities and Overall Capacity: Concerns were expressed that closing existing buildings might reduce overall capacity, especially given increasing demand.
• Financial Transparency: Challenges were made regarding the current and proposed financial model, including additional spend and missing data, with a request for clearer assurance on value for money.
• Staffing: Questions were raised about staffing issues and the potential for additional spend on services not fully utilised.
• Building Maintenance: Councillor Mrs Marianne Jane Overton MBE questioned why the buildings had not been maintained, leading to their current state.
• Reducing Capacity: Councillor Mrs Marianne Jane Overton MBE also questioned how the council could reduce the number of spaces when there is increasing need.
• Booking System: Councillor Mrs Susan Woolley raised concerns about how people would know which places were available on the new booking system.

The committee acknowledged the report's recommendations to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health, with two members voting against this acknowledgement.

Principal Social Worker Annual Report

The committee reviewed the Principal Social Worker Annual Report for 2025-26, presented by Martyn Parker, Assistant Director Public Protection, and Chris Erskine, Principal Social Worker. The report provides assurance on the quality, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of social work practice within Adult Social Care.

Key points discussed included:

• Strengths-Based Practice: The report highlighted the continued embedding of the Better Lives model, focusing on independence and personalised outcomes, with over 120 practitioners trained in strengths-based approaches.
• Workforce Development: Significant investment in the Grow Our Own programme, including apprenticeships, has led to a 15% increase in new entrants to the profession. The report also noted efforts to improve staff retention and wellbeing.
• Direct Payments Improvement: A programme to enhance governance and user experience for direct payments has resulted in over £2 million in savings and improved compliance.
• CQC Assurance Preparation: The council has proactively prepared for Care Quality Commission (CQC) assurance, developing a self-assessment framework and conducting mock inspections.
• Challenges: Key challenges identified include workforce capacity and retention, increasing complexity of demand, and balancing regulatory requirements with practice improvements.
• Priorities for 2026-2027: These include expanding thematic audits, strengthening workforce development, deepening co-production, driving digital transformation, and addressing any gaps identified by the CQC.

Concerns and comments raised included:

• Report Structure: Councillor Mrs Susan Woolley commented that the report, while valuable, did not sufficiently highlight the Principal Social Worker's contribution, with the portfolio holder and director's contributions appearing earlier.
• CQC Findings: Councillor Mrs Susan Woolley questioned the origin of a new priority addressing CQC findings, suggesting it might be better to wait for direct CQC input.
• Staff Retention and Happiness: Councillor Christopher John Reeve inquired about current levels of staff retention and job satisfaction, and whether this was benchmarked against other local authorities.
• Accessibility of Social Care: Councillor Trevor Victor Young highlighted the complexity of accessing social care services for residents and suggested a need for clearer communication and a more accessible pathway.
• Section 75 Workers: Councillor Mrs Marianne Jane Overton MBE raised concerns about a potential decrease in specialist mental health Section 75 workers and the time taken for assessments and support, noting she had submitted a Freedom of Information request on the matter.
• Digital Dashboards: Councillor Mrs Susan Woolley expressed interest in performance dashboards for elected members.

The committee endorsed the Principal Social Worker Annual Report, acknowledging the progress made, the challenges identified, and supporting the priorities for the year ahead.

Adult Care & Public Health Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

Kiara Chatziioannou, Health Scrutiny Officer, presented the committee's work programme. She highlighted that the programme is a living organism and encouraged members to suggest future items.

Key updates to the work programme included:

• The CQC assessment of Lincolnshire County Council's Adult Social Care, originally anticipated for the current meeting, has been moved to the 29 July meeting, with a potential for further engagement with committee members beforehand.
• The Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board annual report will be considered at the next meeting on 3 June 2026, following a mini-workshop.
• A report on the outputs, rationale, and benefits of planned website improvements for adult social care will be explored for inclusion in the work programme.

The committee approved the planned work programme for 2026.