Budget
The budgeted investment in this service for 2024/25 is £1,250,090.
Performance
Currently, performance is monitored and managed through well-established monthly
‘Operational’ and ‘Finance and Performance’ meetings attended by key individuals from
within CCC and CPFT (Commissioning, Contracts, Finance and Operations). Progress
against a work plan, outcomes and care costs are discussed, reviewed and actions
managed via an Actions Log. Performance reports are then made into the Executive
Director as part of CCC’s governance and oversight arrangements.
Performance is consistently good or in line with other CCC service areas. For example,
during 2023/24, there were 339 assessments completed, averaging 28 per month over the
year and the average turnaround time for assessments was 40 days. During quarter 1 of
2024/25, there were 25 assessments completed on average per month, with an average
turnaround time of 36 days. This compares to an average turnaround of 27 days for Older
People & Physical Disability and 48 days for Learning Disability. The majority (89%) of
assessments are referred in from the Community / Other route rather than via hospital
discharge. There were no significant variations to all expected levels of service activity
(such as waiting lists, numbers of assessments and reviews, safeguarding cases).
Feedback from people using the MHSWS is balanced with 31 compliments logged from a
range of people coming into contact with the service during 2023/24. Some examples are
included in Appendix B. There were 14 formal complaints recorded in the same period,
which was a significant decrease from the 27 reported in 2022/23. Of these, only five were
partially upheld and two upheld, while others were either not upheld (3), closed due to
insufficient info (2) or transferred to a different process (2). The majority of complaints (10)
were made around MH Social Work assessments – communications and outcomes or lack
of support.
However, in November 2023, a routine audit from the Council’s Quality and Practice
Standards Team indicated concerns in social work mental health team practice in key
activity areas such as assessments, reviews and care and support planning. As a result of
this, a deep dive audit into key areas of improvement identified is currently being
progressed.
An independent review of the AMHP Service took place during 2023/24; in the face of
increasing demand for Mental Health Act assessments and concerns over the capacity of
the service to meet future demand there are recommended future changes to the delivery
model for both the daytime and the out of hours service as well as the recording of activity
in MOSAIC (CCC’s care record system).
3.8 During 2023/24, there were significant challenges with vacancies to key positions within the
Mental health leadership team including both Heads of Social Work for Adults Mental
Health and more recently the Head of Older Peoples Social Work, as well as the AMHP
team manager post. However, there are now either appointments made or being recruited
to for all posts, together with interim arrangements in place.