Agenda item

Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council can ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

The time allocated for receiving and disposing of questions shall be a maximum of 30 minutes. Any question not disposed of at the end of this time shall be the subject of a written response, copied to all Members the following working day unless withdrawn by the questioner.

One Question has been submitted by a Member of the Council on this occasion.

Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council could ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.

One question on notice had been submitted by a Member on this occasion as set out below:-

Question

Councillor Griffiths asked the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships (Councillor Placey):-

“Following the Cabinet decision on the 26th of July relating to the Future of the Careline Service, many Careline customers fear that the decision has already been made, and that the current consultation is merely a smokescreen to privatise the service by the backdoor.

What reassurances can the Portfolio Holder give to concerned Careline customers that the Cabinet will take note of the outcome of the current consultation, listen to the concerns of service users, who are worried that a change in service provider, could lead to an increase in costs, reduction of service, and have a detrimental impact on their quality of life?”

The Portfolio Holder for Partnerships replied as follows:-

“Thank you, Councillor Griffiths, for your question regarding the future of Careline.

As you will be aware from my report at Cabinet on 26^th July 2024, the Council is going through a very detailed consultation exercise prior to any decisions being made regarding the future of the Careline service.

For many years, the Careline service has been a success story for both residents and Tendring District Council.

However, following the ‘deep dive’ exercise that commenced in June 2023, it has become apparent that there are other providers in the market, both in the public sector and the private sector, that offer a comparable service for a similar price or offer a free service, such as Essex Council, if their eligibility criteria is met.

The July Cabinet report also noted challenges with staff recruitment and retention, which impact the Council’s ability to maintain the consistent and high-quality service we want to deliver.

It would be remiss of me not to undertake this review, as the Best Value guidance for all Councils clearly states that Councils must strive for continuous improvement and transformation.

Despite Careline being an important service for those who use it, the change to the telecare market and the increased costs, alongside recruitment difficulties, leaves me with no alternative but to look at what is in the best interests of residents going forward.

The consultation exercise is still being undertaken, 1902 letters have been sent to customers and a further 1524 to their Next of Kin.

Responses are being received, and I would like to reassure you that they will be carefully considered before I present my next report to Cabinet in November 2024.

I have been made aware of some calls from customers requesting support in completion of the consultation form, and I have requested Officers make available one to one support, if required.

If in November 2024, Cabinet is minded to make a decision to cease the service, we have also set aside £300k for Officers to support residents with transitional arrangements, moving them across to an alternative provider of their choosing.

Part of this funding will also be made available for Human Resources support to aid the dedicated staff who work in Careline through the necessary processes should this decision be taken.

I would like to take this opportunity to request that all Councillors encourage their residents to respond to the consultation and to reassure current customers that their views will be heard.”