Learning Disability Partnership Board

Wednesday 22 June 2016, 11am 3pm

Ely Community Centre
Ely CB7 4SB
Minutes

1.0 People at the

meeting
Neil Adams

Debbie Drew

Speak Out Leader, Young

People, Co-Chair
Service Manager LDP
North & Fenland, Locality
Lead
Administration Officer,
Cambridgeshire Alliance
Service Development
Manager, CCC
Carer representative

Nigel Fenner

STEng Representative

Tracy Gurney

Head of Learning Disability

Partnership, Co-Chair
LDPB
Speak Out Leader, High
Support Needs Committee
Speak Out Leader, City &
South
Speak Up Spectrum
Leader

Claire Bailey

Sally Cleghorn
Paul Davies

Russell Henke
Bill Jones
Elspeth Jones

Sue Last

Liz MacKenzie
Michelle Mansfield

Assistant Director Public

Engagement &
Membership, CCG
Dhiverse, ABC Programme

Joseph Simon

Speak Out Leader,

Fenland
Development Officer,
Cambridgeshire Alliance
Service Development
Manager LDP, CCC
Service Development
Manager, LDP South
Temporary Speak Out
Leader, Hunts and East
Cambs
Development Officer,
Cambridgeshire Alliance
Speak Out Council
Coordinator, VoiceAbility
Carer Representative

Lorna Weston

MD Thera East Anglia

Beth McCabe
Lee McManus
Keith Mead
Sean Nightingale
Leisha OBrien
James Sheard

1.0 Welcome
Elspeth was Co-Chair with Tracey.
Michelle reminded everyone to use the
communication cards.
People who said they could not come
Tracey Stevens, Siobhan MacBean, Claire Mathieu,
Councillor Gail Kenney, Natasha Barlow.
2.0 Speak Out Leaders Report
2.1 138 people from 13 services came to the Live Well
event. Well done to everyone who came. The
feedback on the meeting was 97% positive.
Page 2 of 14

They helped Living Sport to run some focus groups.

They have given some advice about accessibility to
the police, hospitals and County Councils.
VoiceAbility has won the contract until 2019. He
thanked the Council for putting its trust in VoiceAbility.
Action: James will contact Rebecca Gilbertson about
Living Sport.
2.2 Young People
Neil and Elspeth are working together to
relaunch the Young Persons Consortium for
people on the autistic spectrum.
Neil went to Cambridge Regional College to
explain what Live Well is. He showed the video
about his work at Hunts Regional College.
2.3 High Support Needs Committee (HSNC)
is working hard on the Things that help us
project, talking about things like wheelchairs.
Theyve sent a list of 10 top things that users
need on a wheelchair to Provide.
Russell has done some mystery shopping.
Hes made a film with Jamie about HSNC and
how people communicate.
He went with Bill to the Eastern Region Forum.
He will soon work with Clair on a race from
Cambridge railway station to Parkers Piece.
Keith asked what were on the top 10 list.
James said things like comfy straps, safe brakes,
personalised, able to go in my transport.
Action: James will send Keith the list.
2.4 Elspeth has done some work about social isolation
(being cut off from what everyone else does).
She will give her results to Heidi Allen MP to take to
Page 3 of 14

the Works and Pensions Committee.

She is going to do a presentation on health screening
with Sarah Marshall.
2.5 Bill reported that the drop in sessions have been
about Live Well. He got some good feedback.
Hes on the Accessible Information Working Group to
make sure Council information is easy to read.
He enjoyed doing the HSNC consultation.
2.6 Fenland
Michelle has also had good feedback on Live
Well at her drop ins.
She gave a presentation on medication at the
last Speak Out Council and got the best
feedback ever.
She is looking forward to the award ceremony on
Breaking Down Barriers about work on drugs
and alcohol. She hopes they win.
She has fed back to the police about how third
party reporting could work better.
2.7 Sean said the Safe Places scheme is going well
and more people have asked for cards. East Cambs is
also interested in this.
Q&A
Beth asked how many people had used the Safe
Places scheme.
Sean said a handful and that it was difficult to record.
Nigel said Red2Green has drop ins. What good ideas
are there to get more people with learning disabilities
to come?
Michelle said to tell as many people as possible. It
takes a while to build up but now she finds people are
asking for a drop in.
Page 4 of 14

Neil is getting more students but at lunchtimes people

arent always free to come.
Keith said the drop ins run by LD Partnership have
been encouraged by the Transforming Lives idea. It
links with providers and helps services develop.
Nigel cant they be run together?
Keith and Sean agreed at Huntingdon Locality
Network to think about how they can work together.
3.0 Carers Feedback
3.1 Debbie talked about the letter she had six weeks
ago about a consultation on disability related
expenses. There has been a reduction from 26 to
20. What will this mean to individuals?
The response about the consultation results was not
good enough.
Action: Tracey will feed back to Theodore.
Action: Tracey/ Leisha will take this to the Adult
Social Care Forum.
Michelle has been talking to service users and is very
concerned that changes could lead to safeguarding
issues.
3.2 Joseph talked about charges at Saxongate.
Tracey agreed the different charges are not fair but
she can only control the prices of a service that has a
contract with the Council.
Debbie still thinks people with Direct Payments are
being treated unfairly.
Action: The Board agreed that this should be taken to
the Adult Social Care Forum (ASCF). Beth agreed but
said she already done that and Mike Hay gave the
same answer as Tracey.
Lorna said she would be happy to bring this up at the
Page 5 of 14

Providers Forum.
4.0 Health Sub Group Update
The plan for keeping people out of long-stay
hospitals will soon have an Easy Read version.
Overall Cambridgeshire is doing well on this.
Claire and Keiths teams are working hard to
improve things in hospitals.
They are asking the government for more money
to improve community services. Anyone who is
on the Risk Register must have a Care and
Treatment Review.
Michelle would like a better name than risk.
Lee said he was working on that.
On the Annual Self -Assessment Lee said he will
ask the LDPB and the Speak Out Council what
they think in September.
Lee wants to improve employment chances. Out
of 100 people only 5 or 6 are in employment.
Debbie asked what that was like in the rest of the
country.
Lee said most counties managed 6 or 7 but Luton has
22 out 100 and Essex 12 out of 100 but then they
spend more on this.
Keith said eligibility for services varies.
Tracey pointed out that the Autism and Adult Support
Service is now separate from LD numbers so this
would affect how employment figures look.
Only paid employment counts. Some people may
count volunteering where they get expenses as
employment.
Health checks the Sub Group wants to improve
their quality.
Page 6 of 14

Debbie reported that outreach at Dhiverse has had

feedback that few GPs do the checks, it is mostly
nurses.
LM asked Debbie to give him detailed feedback.
Wisbech has only one out-of-hours GP to cover
Wisbech and Norfolk.
Marek has asked for more information and he will take
it up with West Norfolk CCG.
Michelle added that Doddington Hospital has funding
for another year. It would be a great shame if it
closed.
Nigel suggested working with Addenbrookes and
Cambridge University on applied health and social
care following a meeting he attended on Collaboration
for Leadership and Applied Health Research
(CLAHRC).
Leisha said she has some contacts with them and will
be happy to build links.
5.0 Safeguarding
5.1 Bill has been dealing with some hate crime issues
and discrimination in the work place.
JS said that the National Autistic Society supports
people on the autistic spectrum with employment
issues.
Bill also talked about the risks of social media.
James and Bill have talked about sharing his
presentation on Social Media
Debbie also said that Dhiverse can offer support.
5.2 Michelle said that a lot of people dont understand
the letters about the changes to their care package.
She has not seen any Easy Read letters. It could lead
to safeguarding issues.
Page 7 of 14

James said that its important to keep safeguarding

issues as few as possible even though the budget is
going down.
Claire said they do assessments and identify the risks.
To check a person understands they recruit an
advocate. The Easy Read version is now ready and is
being sent to everyone in North Cambridgeshire.
Tracy - you cant stop people taking risks.
Michelle its hard for me to explain it all to people
Tracy send people back to the Team. They keep a
list of the number of safeguarding referrals they get.
Michelle agreed to keep a record of the number she
gets.
6.0 Locality updates
6.1 Claire said the Stay Safe and Safe Places scheme
in Huntingdon has now begun in March with about 14
businesses She thanked FACET and Sean who has
worked in Huntingdon. She agreed to take the words
stop the hate off the posters.
Hunts District Council sent someone to talk about
Housing Benefit and how it will fit with Universal
Credit.
Michelle will try to get someone to talk about this at
her next drop in session.
Housing Benefit and its impact on those under 35.The
positive impact of Universal Credit is that a persons
account stays open so it is easier to move into work.
Dont ignore any letters because the timescale is not
always clear.
Recruitment is going well within teams. Sean has

Page 8 of 14

agreed to be on the interview panel for the Team

Manager at Huntingdon.
Michelle said there were a lot of anxious people at her
last drop in.
City and South Team is moving to new offices in Toft.
Rowan have worked with them to get a grant to
convert the front of the building to a community centre.
There is now better access and equipment. They have
40 places over the week. VoiceAbility has worked with
them to get a drop off point. Looks like parking bay
has been granted.
7.0 Lunch Break

8.0 Dhiverse ABC programme

Liz talked about the new relationships and sexual
health training programme for people with
learning disabilities. It is called ABC which
stands for Awareness, Balance, Choice.
They support people in groups or 1 to 1.
They go to a persons home, to schools, day
centres, or even coffee shops
The subjects they talk about are online safety,
going on a date, sexual health, the people you
have in your life, ways of talking to people, being
able to say no.
Anyone can contact them or doctors, social
workers and parents can refer people
They run workshops for parents and carers so
they can feel more confident about talking about
relationships
Page 9 of 14

 The service is free, supported by the Big Lottery

for 3 years
They like to have small groups and use pictures
to help people to talk. Each person doesnt have
to say how they personally feel
Theres a leaflet about the service
9.0 Good News
Michelles presentation on medication got 100%
in the feedback. She is going to awards
ceremony
The news from Rowan is very good
Neil said his CRC drop in will be filmed
The Safe Places scheme is spreading
The High Support Needs Committee is looking
forward to the walk from Cambridge Station to
Parkers Piece.
Tracey reported that a new Service Manager for
the Young Adult LD Team, Jill Johnson, will start
work on 18 July. She will be leading on health.
Care Quality Commission has given CCC a good
rating.
Nigel said that through the Transforming Lives
programme Learning Disability and Working
Systemically is developing relations between
providers.
10.0 Feedback from other meetings
10.1 Task and Finish group about recruitment talked
about the barriers to having service users on the
interview panels.
Local Government Shared Services (LGSS) which
organises the interviews is not very user-friendly.
Page 10 of 14

Lorna said Thera involves service users by having a

meet and greet session for people who apply for jobs.
She has sent Lee their tool kit.
Claire said that Sean is now involved.
10.2 STeng (Social Training Enterprise Group)
STeng members meet 6 times a year. They have
seen VoiceAbilitys report on employment and
will give feedback.
STeng members work together and want to start
sharing training
Nigel hopes Siobhan will come to a STeng
meeting to explain how people with learning
disabilities can use Wiki to have more control
over their own records.
10.3 The last Adult Social Care Forum (ASCF) was
very cramped.
10.4 Neil organised a meeting for Preparing for
Adulthood but was very disappointed about how few
people came.
10.5 Lee told the meeting about the plans for changes
to the Advice and Information Service run by
Papworth Trust.
There has been no question about the quality of
the information but the feedback has been that it
has not been well-used by adults.
The service for adults will close at the end of
August. Advice and information service for
children will carry on. The Council is working with
Papworth Trust to have a smooth change.
Q &A

Page 11 of 14

Board members said it is mainly a signposting service

and that other organisations were carrying out one to
one advice and support at tribunals. It was agreed that
Leisha could take the issue to the Adult Social Care
Forum (ASCF).
Action: Leisha to ask about the Information and
Advice service at the ASCF.
Debbie said people want face-to-face advice.
Joseph asked who will replace the signposting
service. He wasnt sure that the Library Service could
do the job. Papworth Trust had provided basic benefit
information.
Lee said Papworth Trust has sent him a plan to make
sure there is a smooth handover, for example to the
benefits advice service at the County Council.
10.6 Michelle has been part of the Accessible
Information Working Group and said the final policy
should come out soon.
11 Break
12.0 Finance update
Budget is now 75m but there are big efficiency
savings needed for 2016 to 2019.
Initial forecasts say they are 6.5 overspent
6.2m is spent on Direct Payments. The Council
thinks it will get back 470,000.
Tracey confirmed all Council policies are on the
website
Paul asked the Board for ideas about how they
could help
Leisha gave the example of K9 Caf in Ely. It

Page 12 of 14

supports 10-15 people with advice, writing

letters. The Council supports this by paying the
rent
Rowan has increased the number of places
Debbie mentioned contributions to own care
Action: Tracey will find out when this will happen.
Paul gave some examples of how people can
help with keeping an eye on costs such as the
number of hours of care. In future its more likely
that people with have to pay for leisure activities
from their own money.
Michelle said its important to learn what someone can
and cannot afford to do.
Laura asked if the effects on providers could be
thought about when the cuts are applied.
Keith said the effects vary across different counties
and different social groups. Its important as a learning
disability group that we try to make the most of the
resources we have.
Claire said we still want to be as person-centred as
possible. Now they have to look at people sharing
resources.
Keith gave the example of using in-house personal
assistants rather than everyone bringing their own.
James said that was true but feedback showed that
people want consistent care.
Michelle- when I talk to service users they say they
dont always want to go to a day service 5 days a
week. Theyd like to try something different.
Debbie there are legal and health and safety issues
around sharing personal assistants.
Page 13 of 14

13.0 Minutes, Action Log and Matters Arising

The Minutes were taken as a true record
Action Log
1. Relationships and dating Lee and Leisha will
organise a Task and Finish group about this. Bill,
Debbie, Nigel volunteered to take part.
2. Beth checked that everyone was happy with the
new feedback forms.
3. As providers Laura and Nigel said it would be
helpful to report to the Board after every Provider
Forum meeting. Amanda Roach is the County
Council link person for providers.
4. Please tell Leisha if there is anything interesting
to report leisha@cambridgeshirealliance.org.uk
5. Councillors Beth has tried to contact them to
come to the meetings more often. Leisha will
continue to do this. Councillor Kenney has been
to a Task and Finish group.
14.0 Any other business
James thanked Beth for her work with the LDPB and
wished her luck.
Debbie said Dhiverse will have a fundraising event on
3 September with the new patron Andy Bell of
Erasure.
Debbie said there were no opportunities for selfemployed PAs.
Next meeting September 21, 11am 3pm, Orchard
Park Community Centre, Cambridge CB4 2EZ

Page 14 of 14