Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Corporate Director of Resources that provided details of the forecast outturn budget position for the Adult and Health Services (AHS) service grouping, highlighting major variances in comparison with the budget for the year, based on the position to the end of September 2018 as reported to Cabinet in November. A presentation was given by the Finance Manager, Adult and Health Services (for copy of report and slides, see file of minutes).

In response to a question from Councillor Patterson regarding the adult social care precept the Finance Manager, Adult and Health Services advised that an extra 2% social care precept was expected to be agreed at Council in February and they were waiting to find out the overall fair funding arrangements for the future. He added that they have taken a prudent view of what the position would be in the future as it was anticipated that more savings would have to be made.

Responding to a query from Councillor R Bell, the Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services was disappointed with the delayed publishing of the social care green paper which was now expected April 2019. With the publication of the NHS Plan, it was felt there had been missed opportunities not publishing the documents at the same time, given the close relationship between the NHS and social care.

Councillor Crute agreed that it was a missed opportunity with the launch of the NHS 10 year plan and felt that the NHS plan and the social care green paper should be considered collectively.

Councillor Hopgood asked for further detail regarding the £1.942 million saving for direct care related activity.  The Corporate Director of Adult and Health Services explained that the approach was to improve people’s independence ensuring that following a patients discharge from hospital, they are able to return to the level of independence they had previously. The benefit would be improvements to quality of life for the individual and to see reductions in ongoing care related costs in the longer term.

Resolved:

That the information contained in the report be noted.