Borough Services Policy and Review Panel - Monday, 13th June, 2016 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

            To appoint a Chairman of the Panel for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

            RESOLVED: That Cr. A.R. Newell be appointed Chairman for the    2016/17 Municipal Year.

To appoint a Vice-Chairman of the Panel for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

            RESOLVED: That Cr. M.S. Choudhary be appointed Vice-Chairman for     the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

            To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11th April, 2016 (copy attached).

            The Minutes of the Meeting held on 11th April, 2016 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

(1)          Mid Cycle Meetings –

To appoint group representatives to attend the mid cycle meetings for the 2016/17 Municipal Year. In 2015/16, the representatives appointed were the Chairman (Cr. Barbara Hurst), the Vice-Chairman (Cr. A.R. Newell) and Crs. M.J. Roberts and M. Staplehurst.

(2)          Elections Group –

            The Elections Group has been established jointly by this Panel and the Licensing and General Purposes Committee. The Panel will be asked to endorse the appointments to the Group by the Licensing and General Purposes Committee on 26th May.

(3)          Community Involvement Task and Finish Group

To appoint representatives to participate in the Community Involvement Task and Finish for the Municipal Year 2016/17. It is proposed that an invitation will be extended to the Cabinet Member for Concessions and Community Support (Cr. G.B. Lyon) as required.

(1)          Mid-Cycle Meeting –

RESOLVED: That the Chairman (Cr. A.R. Newell), the Vice-Chairman (Cr. M.S. Choudhary) and Crs. T.D. Bridgeman and M. Staplehurst be appointed to attend the mid-cycle meetings for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

(2)          Elections Group –

RESOLVED: That membership of the Elections Group for the 2016/17 Municipal Year, as appointed by the Licensing and General Purposes Committee, being the Cabinet Member for Concessions and Community Support (Cr. G.B. Lyon), the Chairman of the Licensing and General Purposes Committee (Cr. A. Jackman), the Chairman of the Borough Services Policy and Review Panel (Cr. A.R. Newell) and Crs. D.M.T. Bell, K. Dibble, B. Jones and S.J. Masterson be endorsed.

(3)          Community Involvement Task and Finish Group –

RESOLVED: That the Chairman (Cr. A.R. Newell) and Crs. C.P. Grattan, Marina Munro, M. Staplehurst and L.A. Taylor be appointed to the Community Involvement Task and Finish Group for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.

To receive a presentation from Mr. Peter Amies, Head of Community and Environment, on the background and working arrangements of the Farnborough and Cove War Memorial Hospital Trust. Cr. Roland Dibbs, Trustee of the Farnborough and Cove War Memorial Hospital Trust, will also be in attendance at the meeting.

            The Panel welcomed Mr. Peter Amies, Head of Community and Environmental Services, to the meeting, following a tour of the Farnborough and Cove War Memorial Hospital earlier that day. Members had met with day care clients and viewed the facilities and working arrangements.

Mr. Amies gave an overview of the history of the Trust. It was noted that the building was the town’s memorial to the men of Cove, Farnborough and South Hawley who had died during World War 1. The house had been purchased and converted into a hospital and had relied on voluntary support until the NHS took it over in 1948. The hospital closed in 1974, when Frimley Park Hospital opened but, following public pressure to re-open it for community use, the Trust had been formed and the hospital re-opened in 1975. The Council procured the building in 1976 from the Health Authority and made it available to the newly established not for profit Trust as a short stay residential and day care centre. In 1978 funding had been secured to open three of the ground floor rooms for use by day care patients and in 1984 further funding was secured to re-open it as Devereux House. The day care facility ran from the ground floor with the first floor being used for short stay patients and eventually permanent residents.  Farley House, the adjoining old maternity wing, had then been converted into leasehold flats for the elderly. The Council was the current landlord and the five year lease ran up to 1st July, 2017.

At present, the facility had sixteen self-contained rooms, for patients who were reasonably mobile and under the care of their GP. The day care facility consisted of a large room, dining room, quiet room, occupational therapy department and a physiotherapy room. Other services offered were advice on speech therapy, chiropody and bathing by Ambulift; the Trust also had a minibus that had recently been replaced at a cost of £50,000.

            It was advised that the residential element of the facility was self-funding but the day care facility received a grant from the Council to the value of £112,000 and rent relief of £626 per annum. The residential side required 13 patients to break even and the day care could accommodate 22 clients per day; it was advised that there were currently six people on the waiting list. In total, there were 57 clients for the day care facility aged between 57 and 99 years. Attendance was consistent across the five days of opening with most clients attending one day a week with one attending everyday. Clients received snacks, lunch and tea during the operational hours of 10.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. at a cost of £26 per day plus £5.50 if transport was required; for social care services referrals the cost increased to £30.92. However, there was an element of means testing.

            The facility contributed to the wider community, making use of five full time volunteers and allowing Health and Social Care  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive a presentation from Mr. Peter Amies, Head of Community and Environment, on the background and working arrangements of Meals on Wheels and the provision of Luncheon Clubs in the Borough.

The Head of Community and Environmental Services reported on the Meals on Wheels and Luncheon Club services within the Borough:

(1)          Meals on Wheels –

            It was noted that, prior to 2013, the service had varied considerably across Hampshire in the way it was delivered, the choice and the price. Levels of financial contribution across districts had become unstable and Hampshire County Council (HCC) took the decision to take over the provision and funding to ensure consistency for its residents. HCC had increased their investment in the service and appointed Apetito as the contractor.

            The service, delivered in vans that automatically heated the food at a certain distance from its arrival point, was available to residents over 55 years and the standard price for a two course lunch was £3.95 and £3.25 for afternoon tea. The service had been extended to seven days a week and meal delivery in Rushmoor had increased from 19,000 in 2013/14 to 26,000 in 2015/16, this provided food for around 100 customers. However, the new service did not provide the befriending element of the original service so a “Food and Friendship Service” had been established.

            Food and Friendship was delivered by Age Concern Hampshire with support from Royal Voluntary Services. The service provided company at meal times and was free to Meals on Wheels customers between 11.30am and 4pm on weekdays. It was noted that only six Rushmoor Meals on Wheels clients received weekly befriending support. Clients were referred for the service through adult services, relatives, friends/neighbours or GPs and all volunteers were trained to identify malnutrition and general wellbeing issues. They also signposted clients to luncheon clubs, helped with daily living and reduced social isolation. The Council had agreed to a grant of £2,500 per annum for this service, which at present required only £1,000 per annum to cover expenses. As the service was in credit by almost £3,000 the grant had been withdrawn for the time being but would be monitored closely to ensure the service continued.

(2)          Luncheon Clubs –

            The Panel noted that a club was held at the Farnborough Community Centre which was hosted by Age Concern UK volunteers on a Tuesday and Friday. 34 residents attended on a weekly basis at a cost of £4.50 for a two-course meal, and that a local provider provided the meals. Additionally, outings and special meals at Christmas time were organised at a small extra cost.

            The second club previously held at Place Court was now held at the Aldershot and Fleet Rugby Club and was hosted by two paid staff from Age Concern Hampshire at a salary cost of £5,000 per annum. The club ran on a Thursday between 11am and 3pm and currently had 15 people attending at a cost of between £3.50 –£4.00, with others on a waiting list. It was hoped that numbers would increase to 20 but there were some issues with transport and the limited numbers the minibus could carry. The Council provided a grant of £2,500  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To review the Panel’s Portfolio of Budgets (papers attached) to assist in identifying future items for the work programme.

The Panel reviewed its Budget Portfolio and agreed to consider the following items at the next mid-cycle meeting:

·         Pest Control

·         Rent Relief Policy

            To note the Panel’s work programme (copy attached).

            The Panel noted the current work programme.