Agenda item

The Committee received a presentation of the General Manager (Interim), Adult Learning Disabilities which provided members with an update on Adult Learning Disabilities’ Service across Durham Tees Valley (for copy see file of Minutes).

S Halpin, General Manager gave a detailed presentation. She explained that the Trust was commissioned to provide 21 assessment and treatment beds for adults with learning disabilities and was provided from two sites, Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham and Bankfields Court in Middlesbrough. The General Manager explained the pressures on the service and the Improvement Plan that had been developed following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection.

Councillor Johnson noted that Lanchester Road Hospital had not temporarily closed as planned and asked if it was an option for all services to be provided from Bankfields Court in Middlesbrough once admissions were ready to re-open. The General Manager confirmed that the decision not to close Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham was due to the complexity of need of the one remaining patient and advised that clinically this patient would not benefit from being transferred to the site at Bankfields Court. She agreed that it made sense to rationalise all services to one site until a full team could be recruited and stated that a model to re-open had been considered with the possibility of all services being sited at Lanchester Road Hospital. 

In response to a further question from Councillor Johnson, the General Manager explained that many patients at Bankfields Court were ready to be discharged but there was not anywhere for them to move on to and this had contributed to the closure to new admissions.

Councillor Jopling advised that she had visited the site at Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham earlier in the year and was satisfied that the necessary improvements had been made. She further advised that she had been impressed with staff and their exceptional care and appreciated the pressures with recruitment in finding the right people. She noted that security at the site was good and described it as an uplifting place with beautiful grounds. 

R Gott asked if there was an emergency strategy in place for unavoidable admissions. The General Manager explained that the priority would be for a member of the specialist health team to work with the person in their own home and keep them well at home and this would include supporting their families. If the person required hospital admission, she explained that they would be admitted to TEWV mental health services on a green light admission. As a last resort, an out of area placement would be considered if necessary.

Councillor Currah asked for clarification on the ratio of staff to patients. The General Manager advised that ratios were dependent on the patient’s level of need and stated that they currently had patients who required a high ratio, some being 7:1. She explained that once patients moved on, the service would have the opportunity to re-model and reasonable staffing levels should return.

In response to a question from Councillor Stubbs, the General Manager advised that the CQC had completed a full inspection of all TEWV Services in April 2023 and that follow up actions for the service would be identified in the final report, but she was hopeful that the report would confirm that the service rating had improved.

The Joint Head of Integrated Strategic Commissioning added that they worked closely with colleagues within TEWV and needed to assess what was required in terms of accommodation going forward including the possibility of self-contained flats for those in crisis. The General Manager advised that an event was soon to take place that would involve a range of professionals and one of the topics to be discussed was blockages and barriers with regards to discharge.

Resolved

That the content of the presentation be noted.