The Chair introduced the item and invited the Lead Member to comment on the report. The Lead Member discussed the challenge of maintaining services whilst ensuring a balanced budget, particularly given the significant pressures on Adult Social Care budgets across the country, but assured the Committee that despite substantial savings proposals front line services would not be affected.

The Chair invited questions or comments from members of the Committee. The Lead Member was joined by Visva Sathasivam, Director of Adult Social Care and Tom Dennerly, Head of Finance for Adult Social Care and Public Health.

The Committee:

1. Noted significant budget growth planned for the six cases of large care and support packages transitioning from Children’s Services in 2025/26 and asked the extent to which the budget was vulnerable to similar growth pressures in future years. Officers advised they had a rough idea but it was not possible to predict too far in advance the number of care and support packages transitioning from Children’s Services and commensurate budget requirement as the complexity of need was liable to change over time and access to continuing healthcare funding via the NHS was possible. Officers assured the Committee that they worked with Children’s Services colleagues regularly to understand as far as possible expected growth figures.

2. Noted the overall financial position of the directorate was dependent on the outcome of the Local Government Finance Settlement and discussed threats to the budget and the Council’s ability to maintain services given the funding uncertainty. Members expressed particular concern over changes to employer national insurance contributions which had not been budgeted for and would heavily impact providers of commissioned services, and suggested contingency work should be carried out. Officers advised the Finance Settlement was expected in mid-December 2024 and would provide clarity on whether further growth was required.

3. Sought assurance that front-line mental health services would not be adversely affected by re-modelling the care workforce following the conclusion of the s75 agreement.

4. Raised concerns about staffing, including the use of temporary vacancies to achieve savings and the sustainability of that practice moving into the medium term, and potential down-skilling of the overall service by asking existing staff to do more. Officers were confident that identified staffing savings could be achieved by redesigning business processes, reducing bureaucracy and providing a more efficient service.

5. Discussed the use of Public Health reserves. Officers advised that part of the reserves were being deployed across the Council, with other service areas able to bid for project funding if a public health outcome could be evidenced.

6. Questioned zero growth and savings for the Public Health budget. Officers advised that in-year contract savings had been reinvested in service delivery.

7. Sought assurance that the proposed re-design of services at Chamberlain House would lead to a service more responsive to the needs of residents.

8. Noted pressure on the mental health budget, and increasing referrals, from the closure of local in-patient ward services and rising ‘discharge to assets’ by the NHS.

9. Received assurance that funding was sufficient to cover investment where that investment was required to ultimately achieve savings in the long-term.

10. Recommended the Council’s centrally held contingency budget be informed by data and information on large support and care package costs and reviewed to ensure future Adult Social Care funding needs could be met.

The Chair summarised the discussion and the Committee AGREED the recommendation that the Council’s centrally held contingency budget be informed by data and information on large support and care package costs and reviewed to ensure future Adult Social Care funding needs could be met.