Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any declarations of interest from any Member or Officer in respect of any item of business.

No declaration of interest received.

To submit a report by the Head of Adult’s Services in relation to the above.

Submitted – the report of the Head of Adult’s Services in relation to the above.

The Portfolio Holder for Social Services & Housing said the report submitted to the Executive has arisen from reports on Fire Risk and Health & Safety Assessments, together with an assessment of the Haulfre building. The Authority has taken steps, following receipt of the reports, to ensure that extra staff are on duty at night at the Home. He referred to sums of money spent over the last 2 years at Haulfre which were £30k on annual maintenance and £70k on the installation of a boiler.

The Corporate Director of Social Services stated that she has specific responsibility to ensure that the provision of residential homes on the Island are acceptable and to report if the provision is unacceptable in her opinion. Following receipt of the Fire Risk and Health & Safety Assessments and the assessment of the building, she has requested that this meeting be called as a matter of urgency. The County Council has a duty to provide a high standard provision to ensure that the care and accommodation needs of older people are met and there are liabilities if the Authority does not meet these standards. In light of the information received following receipt of the reports, work has been undertaken across the services of the Authority to mitigate the risks highlighted within these reports. The duty of care towards the residents and staff working at Haulfre is a key priority for the County Council. A framework is now required to consult with residents and staff so that a work programme can be formulated for submission to the Executive in due course.

The Head of Adults’ Services outlined the report to the Committee and stated that the key element of the Transformation Programme for Older Adult is reconfiguring accommodation provision, moving away from traditional residential care and towards Extra Care model. The Authority determined in December 2013 that future investment should be targeted at the development of Extra Care provision and work in partnership with the independent sector to maintain the availability of choice within residential establishments. It is anticipated that the Extra Care provision in the South of the Island will be completed by 2019. As there was a need to consider investment in Haulfre in the immediate future reports were commissioned to consider whether Haulfre could be maintained up until at least 2019. There are 21 identified areas where improvements are needed, of which 16 are deemed to be essential. Cost of these works for those areas that have been costed to date is estimated at £361,350 of which £243,100 is required for the essential work to be undertaken and £118,250 is required for additional recommended works. A number of further areas require detailed costings with estimates for non-costed essential works being between £300,000 and £800,000 and a further amount of £500,000 to £750,000 estimated for an extension to make this provision viable in the medium term. The consequence of undertaking these essential  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.