To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.
Minutes:
The Chair informed the panel that two deputation requests had been received.
EmelTeymur, Heather Martin and Partrick Morreau, on behalf of The Haynes and The Grange Relatives Support Group, addressed the panel and raised a number of points, including:
- General concerns about how the proposed changes to adult care services would impact on people with dementia.
- Concerns that service users and carers, from the Grange Day Care Centre and from the Haynes Day Centre, had not always been able to provide meaningful feedback to the process because they did not have enough information.
- The consultation had been undertaken before alternative models of service provision had been developed. Without a clear understanding of these alternative models of provision, it had been difficult for service users and cares to give a meaningful response.
- Concerns the co-design workshops had been held at quite short notice and that this had made it difficult for some carers to attend.
EmelTeymor concluded that The Haynes and The Grange Relatives Support Group believed that, before making final decisions on adult care services, Cabinet should acknowledge the need for further detailed information to be provided to support a more meaningful consultation and decision making process.
Martin Hewitt, Anna Nicholson, Dr Hilarie Williams and Vida Black, on behalf of Haringey Autism and Save Autism Services Haringey, addressed the panel and raised a number of points, including:
- Concerns about the proposed changes to services for people with learning difficulties and autism.
- The fact that the proposed closure of the Roundway service had caused deep anxieties.
- The fact that there was limited information available about alternative service provision should Day Care Centres and Residential Care Homes close.
- Concerns that the consultation had been undertaken before alternative models of service provision had been developed.
- Concerns that the consultation and co production process had ran concurrently. It was noted hat this has created confusion and that not all service users and carers had fully understood the purpose of the co design meetings.
- Concerns about the research that had been carried out in preparing the proposals for changes to adult social care in Haringey.
- Issues in relation to a new national implementation plan (“Building the right support”) published (October 2015) by NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
In conclusion, Anna Nicholson provided a summary of a report, prepared by the National Autistic Society, detailing findings from a survey conducted with parents and carers and residential staff caring for adults who attended the Roundway day service. It was noted that the report concluded that parents, service users and staff wanted the Roundway service to remain open.
The Chair thanked the speakers for their contributions and informed the panel that these issues would be picked up under the presentation on the methodology that supported the consultation and co production for proposed changes to adult care services, item 8 of the agenda.
(Following concerns raised during the item, concerning the omission of feedback papers, due to a clerical error, from the Adult Services Consultation report, Cllr Peter Morton, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, confirmed that these papers would be published, and considered, before Cabinet on 10 November 2015.)