Present at the meeting:
- Councillor J A O’Neill (Regeneration Champion)(In the Chair)
- Councillor R M Bleakley
- Councillor G M Bretherton
- Councillor M Dewhurst
- Councillor Mrs J Hurst
- Councillor K W McManus
- Councillor Mrs J M Peet
- Councillor Mrs J Prescott
- Mrs E J Berry (Co-opted Member)
- Mr A Stephenson (Co-opted Member)
37 Apologies for absence: Councillors K Anderson, Mrs S Dewhurst, J Talbot, M W Winstanley and Mrs M Burgess and Mrs J Garlick (Co-opted Members).
38 Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of this Panel held on 13 November 2007 were approved as a correct record subject to the deletion of the middle initial for Mr A Stephenson.
39 Learning Disability Partnership Board annual report: The Panel considered a report from the Director of Adult Services briefing Members on the work of the Learning Disability Partnership Board and the requirements of ‘Valuing people now – from progress to transformation’. The consultation document had been published in November 2007 and set out the priorities for the provision of services for people with learning difficulties over the years 2008/11.
The Panel also received a dramatic production from: Nathan Robinson, Mark Fagan, Peter Thompson, Debbie Moore, Irene Healey from the Learning Disability Partnership Board’s ‘More than words theatre company’ which focused on person-centred planning.
On behalf of the Adult Services Panel, the Chairman thanked the participants for the time and energy they had put into their excellent dramatic production and Members applauded the theatre company.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel notes the report now submitted and thanks the Director of Adult Services for the presentation.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
40 Adult Services budget monitoring 2007/08: The Panel considered a report which had been submitted to Cabinet (minute 248 refers) informing Members on the budget monitoring position for Adult Services after the first seven months of 2007/08 and the budgetary issues which needed to be addressed during the remainder of the financial year. A spending freeze on non-essential supplies and services had been introduced across Adult Services to attempt to keep the level of overspend to a minimum.
Agreed: The Panel notes the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
41 Commission for Social Care Inspection – annual performance assessment 2006/07: The Panel considered a report, which had been submitted to Cabinet (minute 247 refers), on the outcome of the annual performance assessment of Adult Social Services. The Department of Adult Services was pleased to report that Wigan Council was delivering good outcomes and that the Commission was able to describe prospects for improvement as ‘promising’.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel notes the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
42 Single Commissioning Agency: The Panel considered a report which had been submitted to Cabinet (minute 228 refers) and Overview and Scrutiny Health Select Committee (minute 88 refers), and proposed establishing a single commissioning agency with Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust to commission jointly functions currently associated with adult health and social care provision to the benefit of patients and individual service users. Statutory responsibilities would remain with the local authority and the NHS as at the moment.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel notes the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
43 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust consultation document on achieving foundation trust status: The Panel considered a report which had been submitted to Cabinet (minute 250 refers) and Overview and Scrutiny Committee (minute 100.6 refers), on issues for the Council arising from the proposal document on the achievement of Foundation status for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel accepts supports the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
44 Adult Services quarterly performance update: quarter 2 2007/08: The Panel considered a report informing Members of the second quarter performance against performance indicators and service plan tasks during 2007/08. The service plan described the work programme for the Adult Services Department as the means of delivering on its local and national priorities.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel accepts the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
45 Putting People First: The Panel considered a report informing Members of the publication of ‘Putting people first’, a shared vision of commitment to the transformation of adult social care. It was unique in that it established a collaborative approach between central and local government, the sector’s professional leadership, providers and the regulator.
The Panel asked questions to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Agreed: The Panel notes the report now submitted.
(Mr A Stephenson declared a personal and non prejudicial interest in this item because he is Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust).
46 Dates and times of meetings 2008/09: The Panel considered a draft programme of dates and times of meetings of the Council, Cabinet, Committees and Panels for 2008/09. Cabinet at minute 207 had approved the draft programme and had invited comments from Committees and Panels in the next cycle of meetings.
Agreed: The Panel endorses the draft programme of dates and times of meetings for 2008/09 now submitted.
47 Questions by Members at panel meetings:
Councillor Mrs J M Peet raised a question regarding the closure Tunstall House Day Centre to which the Director of Adult Services responded.
Councillor Doctor C M Cottam, (who is not a Member of the Adult Services Panel), raised the following written question (circulated at the meeting) to which the Director of Adult Services responded:
‘Could I please ask you to bring something on my behalf to the attention of the Panel? It relates to the agenda item concerning the NHS Trust (agenda item 8):
There has been concern about premises used for (treating?) drug addicts at the corner of East Bond Street with Brown Street North in Leigh for a while. At times they pester passers-by, making people avoid the area, which is a nuisance as it is a key locality for reaching the centre of town. Some time ago I proposed that the facilities might be transferred to the Mental Health Unit at Leigh Infirmary, and I have been encouraged to raise this again. The Mental Health Unit is adjacent to the main block, can be accessed from there, but has a separate road entrance, and is on at least one bus route. If access were re-opened to Orchard Lane it could be easily reached from West Leigh and Atherleigh, even Atherton and Tyldesley, which is not the case at present. Leigh Infirmary has its own pharmacy, which would also help to keep problems out of the town centre. I trust the suggestion is helpful and look forward to your response in due course’.
Agreed: The Panel notes the questions raised and the responses submitted.
