My Report to Council

Posted By: Dale Mulgrew
Date Posted: 15/01/2010

Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the health and social care Portfolio.

Adult care

Encouraging prospects continue

The results of the Care Quality Commission’s annual inspection of the Adult Care service were released just before Christmas and revealed that the service is performing “well”, which effectively continues an improving trend from the year before.

With the star ratings from the regulator now disbanded and replaced by a new classification system, the “Well” category is a continuation of the previous “two star” judgement from the year before.

Particularly pleasing was some of the individual verdicts and the adult care service was assessed as performing ‘well’ or “excellent” in 6 out of the seven areas assessed.

The regulator particularly gives credit to the POPPs project, and highlighted in its report that the POPPS service gives older people the chance to have their say, get involved and enjoy activities.

The report also recognises the improvements in leadership across the Adult care service and the developments taking place to foster better partnership working.

Domiciliary Care retender

The challenging process of re-tendering the Council’s homesupport services and creating a list of excellence is almost complete.
The final transition arrangements are due to be implemented very shortly, and then the Council will have in operation a ‘preferred providers’ list, that will have better contract management and better contract monitoring at the core of its aims for these services.

Carers Services
I continue to monitor the transfer of carers’ services to their new accommodation, away from the previous base at the Water Street resource centre.

The move out of that centre was forced and completely external to the management at Adult care, and they have done well to act so swiftly to the imposition of a change of premises for these services.

The services are now split for the time being between the Ronald Gorton Centre for social and learning activities, and the Gatehouse for training and administration. I went to visit the new arrangements with Cllr Robinson at the end of last year, and it is safe to say that the services are having to deal with some teething problems, which I am aware are being overcome at present.


Health

New Chief Executive announced

The HMR PCT has appointed a new Chief Executive to replace Trevor Purt, who left towards the end of last year to take up a new post in South Wales.

Dr Julie Higgins, who was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Salford PCT and a former Director of Public Health, will start her new position in Rochdale very shortly.

We welcome her to the borough and hope that she can continue to form good relations with the Council, as the world is shifting increasingly to closer partnership working between health and social care.


Walk in Centre

In conjunction with the Health Overview and Scrutiny committee, I continue to monitor events which are occurring at the newly integrated Walk in Centre at the A&E Department at the Infirmary Hospital.

There were clearly some major difficulties and obstacles when the plans for this new set up were first implemented last August. This resulted in a number of serious breaches of the A&E targets, and an undisputed comprising of the patient experience.

There has been a couple of very robust challenge sessions on this subject at committee level, and I also was involved with a walkabout at the hospital at the beginning of December.

The changes are still very much a work in progress, and we await for ongoing continued improvements, because the re-configuration is far from being a finished article.

Equitable Access
I applaud the HMR PCT for its effective delivery on time of all its promised new health facilities under the “Equitable Access” programme.

After the new Smallbridge GP surgery was opened in August, there were two further new GP practices opened for Kingway (at the site of the Morrisons supermarket) and for Balderstone & Kirkholt.

And at the beginning of December the final two health schemes were completed, when the new GP led health centre opened in Middleton on the first floor of the Shopping Centre (the forerunner to the Middleton joint service centre) and the Birtle View medical practice was opened in Heywood North.

Thank you Mr Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the health and social care Portfolio.