Councillor Huelin introduced the report and stated that it set out the plans for transformation within Adult Social Care and would provide more modern and improved care for service users. She explained that Thurrock would now be following a wellbeing team model, as well as rationalising day care and changing the meals on wheels service. She stated that the Council would not be removing these services but would be becoming more efficient with taxpayers money and would improve the quality of life for older residents in Thurrock. She added that the Council had a statutory duty to provide care for residents, both in their homes and in day centres, as well as providing meals, and the team would continue to do this with a personal and caring service. She stated that Thurrock had been working with the main care organisations to support the community and provide the appropriate services for all residents. She added that a wellbeing team pilot had been carried out in Chadwell St Mary and Tilbury, which had found a seven times reduction in the number of older residents needing a GP appointment, and a thirteen times reduction in the number of people being admitted to hospital. She stated that residents had found care had improved with the wellbeing teams as it reduced the number of tick-box assessments that needed to be completed and meant a more personal service could be provided, which could adapt quickly to changing care needs. She stated that as users were the focus for the wellbeing teams, it allowed users to determine the type of care they wanted and needed, as well as improving the job satisfaction and retention of those keyworkers. She explained that whilst reviewing the day care and meals on wheels service, all service users had been spoken too to ensure they had made their input and understood the potential impacts on them.

Councillor Huelin thanked all officers for their hard work on the report and the consultation. She added that the day centre had been closed during the pandemic, but other services had been offered such as respite care in homes, and work to link older residents with their families through FaceTime and social media. She explained that the report proposed the move to Cromwell Road for both Kynoch Court and Bell House day centres, which she felt would improve care and provide a better experience for service users. She added that Cromwell Road would be able to expand their working hours, and offer more access to support groups, as well as offering new landscaped gardens, pamper rooms, arts and crafts activities, and a new expanded kitchen and café culture. She stated that during the consultation all users had been happy to move to Cromwell Road, and she felt the personalised consultation had shown that the move to Cromwell Road would benefit service users.

Councillor Huelin explained that a consultation had also taken place regarding the meals on wheels service, and all 89 service users had been spoken too. She stated that the majority of the service users already had care packages in place outside of the service, or had become independent enough to make their own meals. She stated that only 24 service users had been left after the consultation, and the team would ensure these were still catered for, either at day centres or having meals delivered to them. She stated that the building to run the meals on wheels service cost £190,000 and she felt this this was not the most efficient use of taxpayers money for 24 service users, who could be catered for in other, better ways.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Approved the plans for the service transformation, specifically:
a. roll out of the Well Being Teams across Provider Services
b. Rationalisation of day care to deliver a better offer from a single site
c. New arrangements for meal delivery.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in