Report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Services attached

The report of the Executive Director for Adult Social Services explained how the budget proposals for the Directorate had been developed.

The 2022/23 budget process saw the Council develop savings and efficiency plans of over £42.3m over the three years to 2025/26 of which there were savings options of £10.025m for the Adult Social Care directorate.  The provisional financial settlement announced on19 December 2022 reflected a change in government policy in relation to funding inflation and social care pressures. This had given the opportunity to review the quantum and phasing of savings and it was now proposed that options of £36.2m were progressed, of which £8.542m were attributable to the Adult Social Care directorate.

In the context of austerity and the national challenges and Adult Social Care (ASC) reform programme underway, the approach to the development of savings built upon the previous work done to date and was cognisant of:-

·                     Better Outcomes Better Lives (BOBL) as the underpinning strategy and the commitments already made to deliver the 2021-24 target, which in itself would be challenging to deliver;

·                     Preventing potential for a negative impact on the wider health and social care system; and

·                     The imperative to maintain the progress against the ASC improvement plan for social work infrastructure and improved practice to support and safeguard our most vulnerable citizens.

The proposals detailed were all considered deliverable but would be challenging to deliver, requiring significant service redesign, reconfiguration and effective change management. The proposals enabled citizen independence and outcomes to be protected or potentially improved but there would need to be an understanding by citizens, families and carers that in some cases care arrangements would have to change and needs may be met in alternative ways.  This was integral if the budget strategy was to be achieved.

The proposed savings programme (£8.542m) was detailed as follows:-

As part of the budget process, it was important that as well as having to find savings to balance the budget, that any service pressures were recognised and where unavoidable were correctly budgeted for, this would allow for the better on-going management of the service and budgets.  These pressures included the standard increases approved annually for demographic pressures and the uplift to care costs driven by the Council’s commitment to pay the Real Living Wage to care staff.

Current pressures reported in 2022/23 which had recurrent budget implications were also included and covered in-house supported accommodation, advocacy costs and deprivation of liberty standards (DOLS) best interest assessments.

In addition, an investment of £1.3m per year 2023-26 would be required to sustain the social work infrastructure and reablement capacity, supporting care models covering Crisis, Discharge to Assess and Manchester Case Management

The Autumn Statement had also included a number of funding announcements of specific importance to social care and further details have been received as part of the provisional financial settlement and through the health announcements for the Better Care Fund (BCF).  The key headlines were:-

·                     ASC Discharge Fund (£4.451m 2023/24 increasing to £7.420m 2024/25)

·                     Market Sustainability and Improvement Grant (£1.800m in 2022/23 and an additional £4.443m 2023/24 rising to £7.548m 2024/25)

·                     Social Care Grant (£18.8m 2023/24 rising to £25.7m 2024/25) - ringfenced for adults and children’s social care

·                     Social Care Precept - The council tax referendum limit of 2.99% for local authorities, with social care authorities allowed an additional 2% social care precept

·                     Continuation of the Better Care Fund in 2023/24 and 2024/25 with an assumed minimum BCF contribution to social care rise of 5.66% at a health and well-being board level equating to £1.023m.

A number of key investments were also proposed funded using the increase in BCF £1.023m with the balance allocated from the Social Care Grant:-

It was noted that the budget report had also been considered at a recent meeting of the Health Scrutiny Committee and the committee had endorsed the proposals in the report (Minute HSC/23/10).

Councillor Leech commented that he was concerned with the proposal to remove financial support for short breaks and asked if this could be reconsidered as part of the budget proposals.

Decision

The Executive approve the Directorate budget proposals as set out in the report.