Agenda item - Strategic Risk Map Focus

Report of the Executive Lead Officer, Strategy, Governance & Law (copy attached).

1)           That the Audit & Standards Committee notes the Strategic Risk Assessment Report at Appendix 1.

32.1      The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care provided a verbal update and answered Members questions for SR13: Keeping Vulnerable Adults Safe; SR20 Better Care Fund. The Executive Director, Finance & Resources provided a verbal update and answered Members questions for SR10: Information Governance Management and SR18 Transition to modern, digital ICT.

32.2      Councillor Sykes asked if Adult Social Care experienced problems with recruitment and retention.

32.3      The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care stated that the service did not experience severe issues on recruitment and retention adding that agency staff were used where any critical short-term vacancies arose.

32.4      Councillor Sykes enquired as to when there would be an indication of the urgent need for Better Care Funds.

32.5      The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care clarified that funds were available and discussions underway with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on a decision on how to allocate those funds.

32.6      The Chair asked if there was any update available on delayed discharges as she had received a lot of correspondence on the matter of late.

32.7      The Assistant Director, Adult Social Care clarified that a key part of the strategy to address this issue would be use of the social care precept in order to broaden the availability of packages of care.

32.8      Councillor Sykes noted that the Digital First programme was being rebooted and asked if it was sufficiently resourced.

32.9      The Executive Director, Finance & Resources stated that £6m had been invested in stabilising IT infrastructure and a more settled human resource was now in place to take that forward. Furthermore, the existing and prominent digital sector based in the city was being used to undertake targeted pieces of work.

32.10   Councillor Sykes noted that when the programme had been originally agreed, there was consensus that the Digital First programme would use small start-ups based in the city rather than larger companies and asked if that remained the case.

32.11   The Executive Director, Finance & Resources confirmed that principle remained and that the focus now would be on effective delivery of the programme.

32.12   Councillor Druitt noted that some of the Risk ratings had not been reviewed since 2014.

32.13   The Risk Management Lead clarified that this had arisen from an error in the software used to create the document and whilst the last review date was recorded clearly, this specific section would be corrected for subsequent versions.

32.14   RESOLVED- That the Audit & Standards Committee notes the Strategic Risk Assessment Report at Appendix 1.