Finance & Commissioning Review project outcomes
In this report we reflected on the work of the Older People Transformation Project over the last twelve months. An important aspect of the project has been the consultation work and all the feedback we have gained from this.
The project has also been identified as a key strategic priority for Social Care over the next year. The aims of the project cover many aspects of improving domiciliary care primarily for the service user but also to ensure professionals are working in a joined up approach; address the recruitment and retention challenges faced by the sector; and future proof the service as demand is expected to increase.
In the next year we will focus on proposed changes we have outlined to improve the delivery of domiciliary care in Conwy. We are in the process of going through the different stages of scrutiny and approval for the model. Business processes are being updated and realigned in preparation and consultation with different stakeholders is ongoing. If proposals are approved, a gradual transition starting with new referrals to ensure minimal disruption to Conwy citizens, will begin 1st April 2022. We believe these changes will improve the quality of the service provided to individuals.
Opening our new Disability Respite Centre
The proposal to develop the site at Dinerth Road to provide a residential respite service for people with Disabilities alongside an improved Nursery with Café and shop was developed in 2017.
Since that time officers have worked to realise the plans, working with colleagues across the Council and with partners in the BCUHB. Plans were approved and funding secured, with work beginning on site last year. We are expecting the building to be completed at the end of the summer in 2022 and for services to become operational on-site in November 2022.
It is an exciting development which will provide equality of respite provision for people with disabilities. It will also enable us to work with Health to support people to remain living in the community, avoiding escalation of need through providing a wrap-around response at times of crisis.
The development on the lower site will enable an improved service offer to people with learning disabilities who wish to move closer to the world of employment. Partnering with a social enterprise and with the Council Employability Service we will provide work experience opportunities for people with a learning disability.
Bryn Euryn Nursery will offer an accessible service for customers and will continue to provide work opportunities for people with learning disabilities across the new site and Tan Lan Nurseries. Both the Nursery and café/shop will form part of our new pathways to support people with a learning disability to move closer to employment
Bwthyn y Ddôl children’s assessment centre
Progress on our much-anticipated children’s assessment centre has been hampered due to the construction company going into administration in July 2021. Due to the tight timescales and high risks involved, the Local Authority’s Cabinet approved a mini-competition to find a replacement contractor from the pool of applicants to our initial procurement exercise. Only one company was in a position to take on the work, which is subject to tight timescales in terms of heavy groundworks and Welsh Government funding criteria. We are in talks with Welsh Government around additional funding to mitigate the costs incurred by the original construction company going into administration. Work will continue on the build throughout 2022-23 so we will update you on progress in the next annual report.
WCCIS
In last year’s report we talked a lot about the implementation of our new client information system, called WCCIS. It went ‘live’ back in November 2020 and since then we have focused on embedding the new way of recording into day to day workloads across the service and providing ongoing training and support for our users.
What were the challenges?
As with any new IT system, there have been some technical issues along the way, and unfortunately we have experienced long periods of poor system performance. All issues have been escalated to the system supplier who, in conjunction with the national team, Digital Health Care Wales, have been working hard to resolve them. We have since seen an improvement in the stability and reliability of the system.
What’s next?
We are planning to integrate WCCIS with a care scheduling system used within our Reablement service. We hope to go live with this integration over the next year following a period of testing.
We will continue to update WCCIS to reflect the changing needs of our teams, any recommendations received from Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), and statutory changes resulting from Welsh Government policy and guidance. As the primary working tool for our social care practitioners (and some of our partners) we remain engaged with and committed to improving their experience of working with WCCIS and continuing to build on their confidence and skills.
Dinerth Road Development
The Dinerth Road Development Programme is a partnership between Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC), Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM), who are collaborating to establish a new Extra Care Housing Scheme and Health and Wellbeing provision at the site. This is a complex programme of work and much has been done during 2021-22 to firm up requirements and identify procurement routes available to the Partnership to deliver the above development. 2022-23 will be an important year for the programme:
- During April 2022 we will complete the engagement with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to confirm their interest, and to understand their thoughts around the possible procurement routes;
- Between April 2022 and October 2022 the Project Team will be developing the detailed Technical Specification and standard procurement documents in preparation for the procurement exercise due to commence in January 2023, subject to relevant approvals;
- During the early summer months we will be looking to complete the purchase of the land at Dinerth Road from Welsh Government (subject to relevant approvals), a key milestone for the project;
- During late Spring/early Summer, BCUHB colleagues will be undertaking public engagement in respect of the intensive therapy service, the outcome of which will shape their revenue business case;
- Following the submission of the BCUHB Business Case in November 2022 we will seek approval through the democratic process for the preferred procurement route to be adopted for the development – this is scheduled to take place in December 2022;
- Subject to relevant approvals in December 2022 the programme will then begin the procurement process, anticipated to last between 8 – 12 months, depending on the procurement route adopted.
- We will update you on how this exciting programme of work is progressing in next year’s report.
Recovering from the impact of the Covid pandemic
We have recognised that whilst we continue to manage and respond to Covid-19, we also need to plan for “recovery”, addressing the impact on public health, service users, our staff and voluntary/community sector partners affected by restrictions and disruption during the pandemic; all whilst working with local communities to improve health and wellbeing.
A key priority for Conwy is ensuring continued investment in our staff and working collaboratively to improve the wellbeing of our workforce. Equally, our focus on workforce retention remains vital as we move forward.
Our workforce plans include a focus on:
- Staff health and wellbeing as we recover from the pandemic, with a specific focus on the physical and mental impact on staff, and ensuring safety and learning cultures.
- An agreed approach to further developing workforce-related elements alongside a review of all of our workforce planning assumptions.
- Delivering a refreshed workforce strategy that incorporates learning from the pandemic and the workforce implications of our recovery plan.
- Continuing work on retention and sharing best practice for staff health and wellbeing with inclusive safety cultures across all of our organisations and partners.
- Recruitment and retention within our Children and Families social work teams, which has been a particularly challenging area during the last two years.
The pandemic has required the need to think differently about how we deliver our commitment to individuals. Technology has been used more than ever before.
Services have risen to the challenge and adapted with creativity during the Covid-19 pandemic to protect staff and our citizens. It is important that we continue to build on these successes.
There continues to be risk related to demand, and workforce recruitment and retention, and we plan to build upon the benefits of Conwy’s Workwise 2020 project which addresses how the Council operates now and in the future.
The vision for the project is to:
- Progress towards new, more productive ways of working that create opportunity and improved outcomes for all.
- Balance the vision above against the need for society and the economy to recover, whilst managing the risk.
- Build upon the beneficial ways of working which became apparent during lockdown, and ensure that these continue on a longer-term basis.
- Try to do things differently in the future to support carbon reduction, staff welfare, service delivery to the people we support and our efficiency as a department (and wider organisation).
Due to the pressures incurred by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recruitment crisis, we are also having to address the volume of work now faced by our staff. We will continue to work collaboratively on staff retention, sharing best practice and up-skilling our staff to promote health and wellbeing with a culture of safety across all of our organisations and partners. We need to:
- Ensure a sufficiently large, skilled, safe and focused workforce to promote the wellbeing of people
- Develop and implement a plan to attract, recruit and retain the social care workforce
- Support social care recovery planning
- Incorporate lessons learnt from new ways of working to design, develop and implement quality frameworks for teams
As part of its offer to staff, Conwy already provides a free-to-use counselling service to provide support with any work or personal matters. A suite of information-packed web pages on topics such as stress management, supporting individuals through periods of change, advice on alcohol and substance abuse and mental health are always just a few clicks away from every employee. In February 2022 we participated in the Time to Talk initiative, with a series of activities, information and talk sessions all aimed at improving our mental health. The full day included sessions on mental health myth busting, the benefits of walking in the countryside, volunteering opportunities, reading for mental health and menopause awareness sessions.
Regular opportunities with line managers for discussions around work and home commitments ensure that issues can be supported and resolved in a culture of openness and mutual respect.