Agenda item

Purpose: Paul Coe, Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health, will provide an update on the Adult Social Care strategy consultation.

Paul Coe (Executive Director, Adult Social Care and Public Health, West Berkshire Council) presented the report on the draft Adult Social Care Strategy consultation. He explained that the strategy was in draft form and had been published for consultation, with active engagement under way to gather views before finalising. He outlined that officers had been engaging adult social care staff, partner agencies (including health partners and other statutory services), the independent provider market, and representative forums including the Learning Disability Partnership Board and carers’ groups. The consultation closing date was confirmed as 22 June 2026. It was stated that feedback was ideally submitted via the formal online consultation route to support collation, although comments made in the meeting would be noted.

The following points were discussed:

·         It was raised that the strategy included an easy read option, and a question was asked how people with learning disabilities and others who need accessible formats were being supported to provide feedback, particularly if responses were expected to be submitted online; it was explained that the Learning Disability Partnership Board had received a presentation (delivered by the strategy lead, Melanie O’Rourke), an easy read version was available, and printed copies had also been circulated so engagement was not solely dependent on online access.

·         It was discussed that some service users may not be able to respond directly even with accessible formats, and a question was asked whether the council would place weight on feedback provided by representatives; Paul Coe stated that the council intended to gather views through valid proxies, including family members and informal carers (as “experts” in the lived experience of their loved ones), advocacy organisations and voluntary sector partners, and that such representative input was considered legitimate and important.

·         It was raised that one of the “areas to improve” in the draft strategy was to increase uptake of direct payments, and a question was asked why West Berkshire was at around 12% when the England average was more than double, and whether this reflected a lack of trust in residents; Paul Coe responded that it was not a trust issue, but an area where the council had tried repeatedly to increase uptake without successfully shifting the position.

·         It was discussed what direct payments were intended to achieve and why people might not choose them; Paul Coe explained that direct payments provide people with funding to arrange their own care rather than having the council arrange provision, aiming to increase autonomy and flexibility, but there were practical trade-offs that may deter uptake.

·         It was discussed that council processes could influence direct payment take-up, and it was raised that the current process may be too “sticky” or complicated; Paul Coe stated that this was likely a contributing factor and that the council had a small specialist direct payments team, while social workers and care management teams were expected to make the initial offer, and the council had been working to shift resources so the specialist team could engage faster when someone expressed interest.

·         It was discussed that direct payments can result in different costs and administrative burdens, and it was raised that people may decide council-commissioned care is preferable; Paul Coe stated that individuals arranging care via direct payments may face higher costs than local authority block purchasing, and individuals may also face administrative responsibilities (for example National Insurance, holiday arrangements and cover), which can make the decision a genuine “toss-up” between flexibility and added administration.

·         A question was asked about the draft strategy’s reablement outcome metric and whether West Berkshire’s reported figure (62.8%) compared with England (77.1%) meant that reablement outcomes were poorer; Paul Coe explained that the reablement service experience and satisfaction were described as exceptionally good, but the metric referred specifically to the proportion of people who required no ongoing care after reablement ended, and West Berkshire achieved this less frequently.

·         It was discussed why the reablement metric might be lower in West Berkshire; Paul Coe stated that a possible reason was that the service may be more optimistic and inclusive in attempting reablement, taking cases forward where independence without care was uncertain, whereas other areas might decide earlier that someone is not suitable for reablement, and that the council needed to find a balance between optimism and realism.

·         A question was asked whether, once the strategy was implemented, it would be more widely publicised to residents, given reports that people do not understand adult social care criteria, assessments and funding arrangements; Paul Coe agreed that explaining what adult social care is, what it is for, and how to access it is an ongoing challenge, and stated that communications would continue and the strategy itself was intended to help provide clarity.

·         It was discussed that effective communication about adult social care requires multiple routes and that people may not see or read some channels, and it was raised that professionals who come into contact with residents (such as GPs and community nurses) need to understand what support is available and how to signpost.

·         A question was asked about the meaning of adopting a “waiting well” approach for anyone awaiting assessment; Paul Coe explained that this was intended to make waiting more manageable through proactive communication, information and practical tools, including providing clearer information about likely timescales so people could plan.

·         It was discussed what safeguards applied while people were waiting for assessment and how changes in need would be identified; Paul Coe stated that the council triages all contacts and responds quickly to those at greatest risk, that people waiting were judged lower risk at the point of triage, but that ongoing communication was important because circumstances can change.

·         It was raised that workforce status, recruitment and retention in adult social care remain important, and it was discussed that care roles are skilled and should be promoted as such to attract staff; it was noted that the strategy included reference to a skilled workforce and that ongoing promotion of care as a valued profession was important.

·         It was discussed that committee members were encouraged to respond directly to the consultation; Paul Coe stated that the preferred approach was to submit feedback via the formal online consultation route to enable coherent collation, while noting that comments made in the meeting would be taken away and recorded.