EQIA 1 day services
Argyll and Bute Council · 27 March 2024
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 27 March 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Version February 2020, to be reviewed 2022 Equality and Socio-Economic Impact Assessments Section 1: About the proposal Title of Proposal Proposed closure of HSCP provided day services for older adults: Struan Day Care in Dunoon Thomson Court Day Care in in Rothesay Lynnside in Oban Intended outcome of proposal To contribute to an overall savings plan within the HSCP for the fiscal year 2024/25 and to seek to ensure that available staff and financial resources are used optimally to support vulnerable people across the whole area. An EQSEIA has been completed as this outcome would affect the delivery of service as it currently is. The withdrawal of service will be mitigated to some extent by the development, where possible, of community based approaches to day support, within the community and the more flexible use of Self-Directed Supports. The mitigation is contingent on available budget and resource. Impact: operational Description of proposal Background Day services were closed during the COVID 19 pandemic and they reopened with a focus on delivering respite for carers, with fewer people attending and having very individual needs. This service is currently provided free of charge. The service largely moved away from the traditional building based model of support where people would attend day services to engage in a wide range of activities aimed at increasing independence and socialisation skills. People attending were previously charged for the service and this in turn contributed to the running of the service. At the present time the services ability to recruit and retain staff has been challenging, due in no small part to the increasing staffing crisis across the health and social care sector post pandemic across Scotland. Additionally, it should be noted that there is inequitable day service provision for older adults across Argyll and Bute and this would offer an opportunity to look at more equitable provision within communities. Proposal It is proposed that the HSCP withdraw from the provision of traditional building based day
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Version February 2020, to be reviewed 2022 services from the three locations noted above. This will be done gradually to manage the staffing changes in a sensitive way and to seek to avoid redundancy. For 2024/25 a savings target of £160k is reasonable and will be largely delivered through the non-replacement of currently vacant posts. Over the next financial year the service will examine the full savings to be made to the HSCP by ceasing operations within each of the three locations. The service will seek to put in place alternative supports for current service users affected by these closures. As the HSCP already has a large number of unfilled comparable posts it will also seek to redeploy existing staff as the services are withdrawn. HSCP Strategic Priorities to which the proposal contributes The Strategic priorities for the Health and Social Care Partnership are detailed in the Strategic Plan 2022-25. • Ensuring services deliver a more personalised type of support within the community. Increasing financial constraints and service demands created by a growing older population is increasingly challenging. Essential services such as care home provision and care at home services are not presently being considered within the scope of savings targets but are being examined to ensure they are as efficient and effective as they can be. In assessing the most efficient use of resource reducing the day service provision enables savings to be achieved and enables management time and available staffing resource to be focussed upon maintaining critical mainstream services which are experiencing increasing demand. Lead officer details Name of lead officer Caroline Cherry Job title Head of Service Department HSCP Appropriate officer details Name of appropriate officer Simon Deveney Job title Senior Manager- Resources Department HSCP Sign-off of EIA Caroline Cherry Date of sign-off 19th March 2024 Who will deliver the proposal? Senior Manager Resources. Unit Managers of the 3 day centres. Support from the Unpaid Carers Lead, Dementia Lead, SDS Officer and Service Improvement Officer. HR Trade Union Support Advocacy where appropriate for service users. Social Work Section 2: Evidence used in the course of carrying out EIA Consultation / engagement Unit managers-Direct discussion on the proposals and impact. Staff working in the services-A letter will inform that this proposal is being submitted to the IJB with further consultation and engagement planned. Trade union representatives-Email sent and representatives sit on the IJB. People using the services- A letter will inform that this proposal is being submitted to the IJB
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Version February 2020, to be reviewed 2022 with further consultation and engagement planned pending agreement by the IJB. This work has not yet started so the in depth engagement processes have still to be developed. Data Financial Data– Social Work Finance Team Staffing Data – HR/Finance Service level and demand data. Other information Discussions to identify interest from third sector providers with a view to moving forward with more community based approaches within existing budget constraints. Gaps in evidence Identified individual needs within each area and longer terms service planning Section 3: Impact of proposal Impact on service users: Negative No impact Positive Don’t know Protected characteristics: Age X Disability X Ethnicity X Sex X Gender reassignment X Marriage and Civil Partnership X Pregnancy and Maternity X Religion X Sexual Orientation X Fairer Scotland Duty: Mainland rural population X Island populations X Low income X Low wealth X Material deprivation X Area deprivation X Socio-economic background X Communities of place X Communities of interest X If you have identified any negative impacts on service users, give more detail here: The removal of these services from their respective communities will mean that there are no building based day centres for the older adults in their local area. At the moment there are 33 older adults who would be affected. If any ‘don’t knows’ have been identified, when will impacts on these groups be clear? In the first instance, assessing current use and alternative supports.
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Version February 2020, to be reviewed 2022 How has ‘due regard’ been given to any negative impacts that have been identified? Each individual’s needs will be reviewed and alternative supports will require to be found. Impact on service deliverers (including employees, volunteers etc.): Negative No impact Positive Don’t know Protected characteristics: Age X Disability X Ethnicity X Sex X Gender reassignment X Marriage and Civil Partnership X Pregnancy and Maternity X Religion X Sexual Orientation X Fairer Scotland Duty: Mainland rural population X Island populations X Low income X Low wealth X Material deprivation X Area deprivation X Socio-economic background X Communities of place X Communities of interest X If you have identified any negative impacts on service deliverers, give more detail here: At the present time, if the centres were to close all staff will be consulted over an alternative employment offer that will be in keeping with their existing employment terms and conditions. If any ‘don’t knows’ have been identified, when will impacts on these groups be clear? Once service users’ needs have been identified and staff redeployment opportunities. How has ‘due regard’ been given to any negative impacts that have been identified? Individual reviews of service user’s needs. Short Life working group for staff. Section 4: Interdependencies Is this proposal likely to have any knock-on effects for any other activities carried out by or on behalf of the HSCP? Yes Details of knock-on effects identified Two of the current day services are delivered within existing internally managed HSCP care Homes – 1 in Dunoon and 1 on Bute. The current attendees have high levels of need and the alternative care requirements may fall to care at home services or admission to long term care. Mitigations A number of third sector providers deliver supports to older adults in Cowal and Oban areas. Further discussion with these providers will be required to identify any possible interest in development of a more inclusive and preventative approach to day supports in all areas across Argyll and Bute for older adults, although budget constraints must be acknowledged.
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Version February 2020, to be reviewed 2022 Section 5: Monitoring and review Monitoring and review Short Life Working Group (staff) and service user working group.