Presentation by the Executive Director of Adult Social Services attached.

The Sub Group considered the presentation provided by the Executive Director of Adult Social Services.

The Executive Director of Adult Social Services referred to the main points and themes within the presentation which included: -

·                An overview of what had been developed so far;

·                What was planned;

·                An overview of the senior structure;

·                Information on the different teams working in the Manchester Local Care Organisation and within Manchester Health and Care Commissioning;

·                Information on the teams retained within Manchester City Council;

·                Information on the workforce profile;

·                Data on the absence rate across the workforce and the work to reduce this;

·                Data on performance management and capability conduct;

·                Information on the use of resources;

·                Spend and the work to reduce agency spend;

·                Training and development information;

·                B-Heard survey outcomes and response;

·                A summary of the key areas of the Adult Improvement Plan; and

·                A summary of the challenges, opportunities and good news.

Some of the key points that arose from the Sub Group’s discussions were: -

·                Further information on the recruitment of permanent staff was sought and how this would impact on the use of agency staff;

·                What savings would be achieved by recruiting permanent staff compared to paying agency fees;

·                What were the budget arrangements for the funding of the post of Deputy Director of Adult Social Services;

·                Information was sought on performance reviews and supervision of staff;

·                What was the percentage of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff above Grade 10 and what percentage of staff above Grade 10 were female;

·                Information was sought on the arrangements for capability management of staff; and

·                Further clarification was sought regarding the role of the Director of Homelessness.

The Executive Director of Adult Social Services stated that the staff were the most valuable asset and she and her team were committed to supporting and developing them. She said that doing so, in collaboration with colleagues in Health, would allow for the recruitment and retention of a workforce that would drive improvements across a range of services and deliver the best outcomes for Manchester residents. She said she took personal responsibility to visit teams and meet with the Team Managers to understand issue and establish communications. She stated that both herself and the Executive Member were accessible to staff and every member of staff received regular communications from the senior management team.

The Executive Director of Adult Social Services commented that the recruitment of permanent staff would reduce the expenditure on agency staff, however she commented that it was important to understand that delays in the recruitment of staff that were due to statutory legal checks meant that agency staff would still be required at times. She further commented that the recruitment of permanent staff would also contribute to addressing capacity issues and pressures experienced in teams. In response to a specific question the Executive Director of Adult Social Services stated that the role of Deputy the Deputy Director of Adult Social Services would be funded from existing budgets.

The Programme Lead (Health and Social Care Integration) commented that in some areas Team Managers had responsibility for over 20 staff and this presented a challenge to complete staff performance reviews and supervision, in addition to their other roles and responsibilities that they were expected to deliver, and plans were in place to address this. She further commented that all care packages would be reviewed to ensure workforce levels met the need, and this would also inform workforce planning.

The Executive Director of Adult Social Services informed Members that 12 Team Managers had recently been recruited to the Neighbourhood Teams, and part of their role would be to ensure staff appraisals and reviews were completed in a timely manner and that practice was consistent across the city. In regard to BAME staff she said that 6% of staff above Grade 10 were BAME, with 72% of the Directorate’s work force being women.

The Head of Workforce Strategy commented that the recording and monitoring of About You discussions was being improved through the introduction of an improved tracking system. He stated that this system would be piloted before being rolled out across the organisation. The Executive Director of Adult Social Services stated that Internal Audit had also reviewed the existing arrangements for supervision and an action plan had been agreed to strengthen this process.

The Head of HR Operations stated that it was acknowledged that capability was not managed well across the organisation. She added that every allegation of gross misconduct was reviewed in the first instance to check if it was a case of capability or conduct, and work was underway to ensure that informal monitoring of performance was recorded and reported appropriately and consistently as this was not currently captured.

The Head of HR Operations further commented that monitoring of attendance was being reviewed corporately to understand what resources could be utilised to support staff to return to their role or where appropriate, move into another post, supported by training. She further commented that the recruitment of staff would alleviate some of the pressures experienced in teams.

In regard to a specific question regarding premiums paid for agency staff and savings achieved if agency staff were not used The Programme Lead (Health and Social Care Integration) stated that She would confirm this after the meeting. She commented that staff did receive a payment for working unsocial hours and that staffing at unsocial hours was from a mixture of permanent and agency staff, adding that the Care Quality Commission were satisfied with how agency staff had been deployed.

The Executive Director of Adult Social Services informed the Members that the recently appointed Director of Homelessness would be reviewing all homeless services, in conjunction with the Audit Department to ensure the service was delivering the best possible support for some of the most vulnerable citizens in Manchester. She described that this was a strategic post and he would be working with a range of partners, both internal and external to review the provision for homeless people.

The Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing stated that the decision had been taken to recruit the post of a full time, Director of Homelessness that reported to the Executive Director of Adult Social Services. She confirmed that the Director of Homelessness was an external appointment and he did not report to the Combined Authority. She further commented that there was a commitment to a rolling programme of Social Worker recruitment to address the issue of delays in starting following successful selection due to the pre-employment checks that were required. She further expressed her gratitude to the staff in the HR department who had supported the department around staffing and recruitment.

Decision

To note the presentation.