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At its meeting on 8 December 2025, the Adult Services Scrutiny Performance Panel received a briefing on recent inspections of The Hollies and St John's care homes, a presentation on the Council's internal day services, and an update on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The minutes record no formal decisions, except that the Panel welcomed the inspection results and asked for its thanks to be passed to staff, and officers agreed to share the day services slides.
Cllr Chris Holley declared a personal interest.
No declarations were made.
Cllr Louise Gibbard’s apologies to be recorded. Panel agreed the Minutes of the meeting on 28 October 2025 as an accurate record of the meeting.
Letter to Cabinet Members following the meeting on 28 October 2025 was noted.
No questions were received.
Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services, Amy Hawkins, Head of Adult Services and Cathy Murray, Principal Officer Service Provision presented the results of recent inspections at The Hollies and St John's Care Homes: • The Hollies was rated ‘Excellent’ in Well-being, Care & Support, and Environment, and ‘Good’ in Leadership & Management. • St John’s achieved ‘Good’ ratings across all areas. The Panel welcomed the positive inspection outcomes: Panel Members commended staff for their commitment and high standards, particularly given ongoing pressures in social care and asked that their thanks be passed on to all staff involved.
Amy Hawkins and Cathy Murray delivered a comprehensive presentation on the Council's 18 internal day services, detailing their structure, performance and future development plans. Key Points Raised: · Services support people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, neurodivergence, mental health needs and older people, with services tailored to both individual and carer respite needs. · The range of services include specialist provision for complex needs, mental health and flexible community-based support. · Services are increasingly focused on promoting independence, employability and social engagement. · Swansea maintains a larger in-house day service provision than most Welsh authorities, with a strong Council-led model and ongoing investment. Other councils are looking to Swansea's approach as a potential model. Panel asked questions about demand versus capacity and if facilities are open on weekends.. Officers agreed to share the presentation slides and a link to where the information is available on the website with Panel Members for wider dissemination.
Amy Hawkins, Head of Adult Services and Ffion Larsen, Principal Officer Adult Safeguarding provided an update on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) activity. Key Points Raised: • A spike in referrals during October due to proactive requests to care homes to prevent authorisation gaps. • Streamlined processes are reducing backlogs and saving costs by trusting previous assessments where appropriate. • Swansea has one of the highest rates of DoLS applications per 100,000 population in Wales, attributed to proactive case management • Workforce challenges remain, particularly around Section 12 doctors, but demand is currently being managed. • Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) consultation is expected in 2026, with implementation unlikely before 2028. • A pending Northern Ireland case may have significant implications for future practice. Panel asked questions about streamlining, who makes DoLS assessments and how long an authorisation lasts.
Panel considered the work plan. No comments were made.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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