Agenda item

Questioner:

Matthew Lloyd

Asked of:

Councillor Brian Gate, Portfolio Holder for Schools and Colleges

Question:

"Does the Portfolio Holder agree with me that we should support all teachers in Harrow, whether they are striking or not striking, as they struggle during this time of budget cuts?"

Answer:

Thank you for your question and I agree with you entirely.  Our teachers work extremely hard in all of our schools in the best interests of young people and their education.  I have expressed that support to the Head Teachers of the schools I visited and have also expressed in statements to the Press. 

I think you will agree with me that we never cease to be amazed by the creativity, purpose and dedication of our teaching staff to the people in their care and it is more important now to acknowledge that during the extra pressures we are placing on them due to the public expenditure squeeze.  As Portfolio Holder, with the assistance of all of our excellent officers in the Council authority, I will continue to urge the government to value our teachers as we have done for many years under all political administrations in the past and this will continue under this administration.

Supplemental Question:

So in support for teachers does the Portfolio Holder agree with me that we should do everything we can to protect them against the cruel, callous and divisive attack on the profession through academies and pension reforms, therefore aiming for not the Big Society but a united society amongst teachers in Harrow?

Supplemental Answer:

Those schools that have converted to academies have done so in a democratic manner and therefore I think that we have agreed as an administration to support academies as they are actually starting on 1 August.  As far as the callous cuts, I have always believed that we should fund public services properly and they should be accountable to members of the public.  The teaching staff and our schools, which I think are excellent, will continually be supported by myself.

Questioner:

RakshaPandya

Asked of:

Councillor Bill Stephenson, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Business Transformation

Question:

“We congratulate Harrow Council on being awarded the best performing Council in the country this year by the MJ Awards.

We welcome the Harrow Cabinet's intention that "the Council is aiming to be amongst the best performers in London" on mental health personalisation as stated at the Cabinet meeting on June 22^nd 2011.

How much money is the Leader committing from the Transformation and Priority Initiatives Fund this year, as mental health has been confirmed a priority initiative and is in need of transformation, to make sure the Council achieves this aim for mental health personalisation?”

Answer:

Thank you for your question and congratulations and in front of us you see the actual Award.  This achievement was very much a team effort, involving staff, the voluntary and community sectors, and local residents. 

My colleague, Councillor Margaret Davine, and I are extremely committed to supporting Mental Health Services.  We are setting up a Transformation and Priority Initiatives Fund and deciding on the criteria for bidding to that fund.  Once this is done we set out the criteria and bids to the fund, which will be judged according to those laid out criteria and regular reports back to Cabinet.  We will be looking for Invest to Save projects and, when we set the next budget, we will be looking to put as much help as we can in mental health.  From the Local Area Agreement we have had some help with projects involving helping people who have mental health problems to get back to work.  We are doing everything we can but, as you know, there are a fair amount of cuts so we do have some difficulty but we will keep trying.  

Supplemental Question:

I have evidence here from the Care Quality Commission website that in the Care Quality Commission Community Based Care patient Survey 2010, this is from the reference CQC website, “overall CNWL NHS Foundation Trust scored as one of the worst performing trusts in the country on the care they have provided to patients in the past twelve months”.  The reference is the Patients’ Survey Report 2010.  In addition, CNWL scored the lowest across all its own service areas on day to day living support, a council responsibility related to personalisation.

If the Council cannot now increase investment in the infrastructure for personal budgets for people with mental health problems, how does the Leader justify removing £2.1m from the Adults Social Care budget for other purposes?

Supplemental Answer:

We have not removed £2.1m from the Social Care budget. 

I certainly am not qualified to answer this supplemental question. I know that Councllor Margaret Davine, at the last meeting, did say that some of the quotes from the CQC need careful interpretation.

Is that something you can answer now Margaret or do you want to give a written answer?

Cllr Margaret Davine: (Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing)

I believe that this quote is from a different part of the overall survey, so I will look at that and write to the questioner.

Questioner:

Mark Gillham, Chief Executive of MIND in Harrow 

Asked of:

Councillor David Perry, Portfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services

Question:

“Mind in Harrow supports the proposed transition of the Council's Voluntary and Community Grants to a commissioned process, as long as the needs and aspirations of Harrow residents experiencing mental health problems and especially new arrival refugees are included and heard from these disadvantaged communities themselves in accordance with best practice.  JSNA Refresh 2010 states "5. People with mental health needs Main needs:  To develop equality of access for black and minority ethnic communities and culturally appropriate services, transition protocols, advocacy, holistic and social models of care. 

How has the Portfolio Holder with officers designed the new commissioning process to ensure these needs are taken into account and when will these needs assessments take place?”

Answer:

Thank you for your question.  I welcome your support for the new Commissioning process.  As you know we are still considering how the new arrangements should work in consultation with the Voluntary Sector.   For users with mental health problems we are committed to understanding their needs through a combination of user feedback, the JSNA which you have already referred to and regular review of user needs.  This should help us to build a picture of needs along with our regular dialogue with the Voluntary Sector.

Supplemental Question:

Related to my question about refugee needs, will the Portfolio Holder support the Voluntary Sector proposal led by MIND, CAB and Age Concern, to the Outer London Fund which is imminent this month, which could offer new resources to refugee and new arrival communities, which I am sure you will agree, are so urgently needed?

Supplemental Answer:

As I previously said Mr Gillham, we are consulting at the minute, in developing those plans going forward but, all of the points which you have raised will be taken on board and I am sure we can discuss that going forward.

Questioner:

Neil Smith

Asked of:

Councillor Bill Stephenson, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Business Transformation

Question:

“At a consultation event on 28^th June 2011 with mental health service users and carers, attended by two council officers as part of the formal Council consultation process, 60 Harrow residents provided evidence that the loss of a Discretionary Freedom Pass would mean that they would "not be able to travel to work placements", "won't be able to access education/ or voluntary work" and for a carer "If the discretionary pass of the person I care is withdrawn, it will have huge impact on my work".

Is the Leader aware of the serious impact that the loss of the Discretionary Freedom Pass will have on mental health service users capacity to make steps towards employment or for carers to retain employment?”

Answer:

Thank you for your question.  I am aware of the public meeting, and a reason why we are consulting widely.  We want to know all the potential impacts on the current and future service users, collate the views to allow the administration to evaluate any options for change in the future.  The consultation ends in the middle of August.

In the consultation currently taking place, proposals for changes in the eligibility for the Discretionary Freedom Passes specifically allow for the retention of the concession for residents who are affected by mental illness.  The Council is committed to ensuring that those most in need and specifically those receiving Care Programme Approaches (CPA) and known to our Mental Health Teams do not lose this concession. 

However, it is worth clarifying that both the existing criteria used and the proposed eligibility criteria for the Discretionary Freedom Pass make it clear that they are used for the purpose of the holder to get to and from a mental health hospital or clinic to receive treatment and or medication and not for supporting or subsidising the travel costs of someone getting to or from work. 

That is just a caveat, but if you look at the criteria which are laid out, which we are consulting on, which we will take on board, there is a broad, general principle of how we will deal with eligibility criteria for people with mental health problems which we have been discussing with MIND, HAD and Mencap and there is still a decision to be made on that. 

Supplemental Question:

What is the Council’s forecast increased cost per year to be incurred across all Council Directorate budgets if half or more of the Discretionary Freedom Passes for people with mental health problems are terminated by the end of the year and their mental health begins to deteriorate as a result?

Supplemental Answer:

I cannot answer that directly and that is also a pre-supposition that this will happen.  We are still at the consultation stage, but I will give you a written answer on that. 

Questioner:

BhartiVyas

Asked of:

Councillor Margaret Davine, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing

Question:

“In the Council's pre consultation document ("Working together to save money" page 8), it states that charging for day care would result in a "£200k savings assuming attendance for 2 days at a charge of £30.75 per day."

What is the Council's estimate for how many people with mental health problems will be required to make a contribution to their social care and on average how much will they be charged for day care per annum if they were allocated a personal budget equivalent to 2 days week day care, as in the pre-consultation example?”

Answer:

The information that you have quoted from the pre-consultation document relates to all client groups and not just mental health service users and the main point is that we are conducting a very wide and inclusive consultation that does not end until mid August.

As part of the consultation all potential impacts are being identified and worked on in the sub-groups that are looking at EQAs, including those which will specifically affect mental health service users and Mark Gilham, Chief Executive of MIND in Harrow, attends these.  This information is currently being collated and it will be presented to the consultation steering group, which you are part of, and elected Members to enable informed recommendations and decisions to be made but that is a long way off now and we do not have these figures calculated in that way.  What you saw in the pre-consultation document was really just an estimate to give people an idea.

Supplemental Question:

This contribution in the pre consultation example amounts of approximately £3,000 per year per person, £30 per day and multiplied 2 days per week and 52 weeks.  People with mental health problems currently receive far less than this amount already as a personal budget allocated in our experience.  What evidence does the Council have to demonstrate that introduction of a contribution of policy and personalisation will not make it impossible for mental health service users to afford day care and little community support that they cannot hope to recover?

Supplemental Answer:

I could not absolutely catch everything you said, but what I would say is that we are not at a position yet to start thinking how much contribution different people will make.  We will be working as we get the outcomes of the consultation very carefully.  I do not intend that anyone will be expected to pay for care at a rate they cannot afford.  We will be revising personal budgets and looking at the rates so that we make sure that everything is done fairly. We do not want to exclude anyone from the actual services they need.  So that is the work that we will do when we get all the outcomes in and I know you will help us with that. 

Questioner:

Jayshree Shah

Asked of:

Councillor Margaret Davine, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing

Question:

“The Draft Fairer Contributions Policy 2011/12 document was not consulted on during the pre-consultation period and includes significant more policy detail.

So that mental health service users have access to this document and the best possible chance to give feedback during the formal consultation period, has this consultation document been made available at mental health day centres and clinics?”

Answer:

You are correct that theDraft Fairer Contributions Policy was not included in the pre-consultation activity.  The pre?consultation period was specifically designed to identify saving options for Adult Social Care.  All participants were invited to suggest possible ideas for saving money as well as discussing several possible areas, including contributions.

Following a report from the preliminary consultation and agreement from the steering group to go to full consultation, four areas and their documentation had been produced and widely distributed, which includes the Draft Fairer Contributions Policy.   Distribution has included mental health care day centres and clinics and information has also been sent to all known mental health carers.  Specific consultation events have been organised to ensure that the views of mental health service users and their carers are appropriately represented in the final feedback documentation.

I would be very surprised if they are not already there and if they are not, please let us know immediately.

Supplemental Question:

Does the Portfolio Holder believe that this is sufficient to enable mental health service users to fully engage in the consultation process for the Draft Fairer Contributions Policy by mid-August? 

Supplemental Answer:

I do not think the document on its own would be, but certainly the sort of events that are being arranged especially for mental health users will help considerably and we have offered, as you know, to come and talk to anybody or any small group that would like to know more about the detail of it.  I know it is quite difficult but I know MIND are helping us a lot with making that happen, so I hope that we are making it available to people in a way that they can take in and respond on.