Community Lives Consortium

Staff Forum Meeting 16th March 2010

• ‘Room 101’ update:
  At the last Forum, the Head of Community Solutions asked everyone to think about the paperwork we use and how we might cut back on the amount of time we spend away from service users when filling in forms.
  There was some feedback as follows:-
  • The Rota Software generates a lot of unnecessary paperwork especially in ‘non-targeted support’ Networks. If Targeted Support is on hold, why is the software still being used to produce a Rota in these Networks?
  The Staff Development Manager was able to answer this as overseeing the implementation of the Rota Software is part of her role.
  The Rota Software was always intended to be used across all Networks and is NOT linked to Targeted Support. We are not seeing all the benefits it can offer yet.
  For example:-
  • All the information is stored in one place.
  • Relevant information can be accessed by others eg On Call.
  • The information is accurate and can be updated instantly.
  • It shows the total hours delivered and can be used to manage budgets effectively.
  • The software holds other information, eg service delivery plans, staff training records, staff available for shifts.
  • It can be linked directly to payroll.
  The staff rotas can still be made ‘service user friendly’ with the use of I.C., pictures etc as they are now.
  Some service users who get sessional support only have requested to see the printouts and we are working with Staffplan on changing the 24 hour clock to an am/pm system to make it clearer for service user.
  The system will cut back on paper in the long term as rotas will be emailed to individual staff with their permission; this has been tried out in some targeted support networks and was working well until there were issues around our emailing systems. Once this has been sorted by the I.T. Department, all staff will be offered the opportunity to receive their rota by email to their personal email addresses at home.
  Since the Forum, the Learning Objects Support Officer has told us that Emailing rotas via the Roster software now works, and will be set up on individual Team Co’s computers soon. There is a form for staff to sign if they want to receive their rota by email.
  Examples of duplication of rotas were given. Staff in non-targeted support Networks do not need to have individual rotas printed out, although they can request them if they want to.
  It is planned that within the next three months, as part of a Pilot exercise, some staff will be paid directly from the rota software. The Staff Development Manager explained how this will work.
  The payroll will be directly linked to the rota software. This will cut down on paperwork as there will be no need for separate timesheets, and errors to pay should be reduced as rotas are more accurate as amendments through the software can be done immediately. Pay queries should also reduce.
  

• Pay Queries:
  The level of pay queries is high and can cause overpayments as well as underpayments for staff.
  Underpayments are usually rectified during the following months pay; however if the underpayment causes hardship for staff they need to speak to the Personnel Department.
  Staff were reminded that up to date pay query forms should be used. All old forms should be recycled.
  

• Shift Record Sheets:  
  Everyone was reminded that Shift Record Sheets need to be completed by all staff and should include training and meetings attended, including the Forum!
  A new format of the Shift Record Sheet is ready for circulation. The new form records the level of the role worked per shift e.g. support worker or support co-ordinator which should also help to cut back on pay queries.
  

• Payslips: 
  Some staff said that payslips are confusing as additional hours are split into two amounts. We will ask payroll about this.
  The Payroll Coordinator says that additional hours worked up to 37 hours and additional hours worked over 37 hours are shown separately. This is why there are two separate amounts shown on payslips.
  

• ROOM 101 – Support Plans, Daily Diaries etc:
  There was general agreement that the way support plans are recorded is wasteful. A discussion followed and examples were given.
  • ‘Daily’ support plans that don’t change could be written up weekly or monthly.
  • Even though there are tick charts, staff are still expected to write up a narrative.
  • Some support plans are ‘trivial’ – especially when there is no level of risk. (Example given)
  • The pages are the wrong way round in the Daily Diary.
  • Time is being taken away from Service Users needlessly.
  There was a long discussion about Active Support; what happens to the recordings and what are they used for.
  The Staff Development Manager said that the information provides evidence of what’s happening and how well it’s going; for example is there a balance between domestic and social tasks. This information should be fed back to the relevant parties; eg relatives, team members.
  If this analysis is not being used effectively then it’s a waste of time. In future, Active Support Training will include this paperwork.
  Other examples of waste, including duplication of bank statements were given.
  Everyone was thanked for their ideas and suggestions – they will be looked at and considered. Meanwhile, please let us know about any other areas of paperwork that staff feel can be cut down.
  

• Questions from around the room and General Information

• Sick Papers:
  Staff need to ensure that any Sick papers and Self Certification Sick papers are sent to the Personnel/Payroll Department without delay to avoid non payment of salary due to ‘unauthorised leave’. Sometimes payroll are unaware of the sickness until after the ‘return to work’ interview has taken place.
  

• Buying Additional Annual Leave:
  Everyone was reminded that they can buy one week of additional annual leave - subject to approval. However staff must re-apply every year if they wish to continue to purchase additional annual leave and The Consortium will be unable to agree any new purchase of additional leave until the previous leave has been paid for.
  

Q. NVQ Level 3 - As noted earlier, by their nature, the Registered Schemes in NPT are not part of Targeted Support. This means that the experienced staff working there cannot do an NVQ Level 3 with the Consortium because they are not Support Co’s. Will this change in the future?

• A. Support Co-ordinators are required to work towards an NVQ Level 3 in line with their job description.
  The Staff Development Manager said that in principle there is no policy that says support workers cannot do an NVQ Level 3 but as they are required to have an NVQ Level 2, the next level is not a priority.
  

Q. What is the policy on Key holders for individual services?

• A. All information relating to key holders can be found in The Housing Management Policy, Section 5, Health and Safety in the Home under Key Management. (Page 7)
  This policy gives a comprehensive guide to key management for service users.
  The Director of Community Services said that we will be trying out new door entry systems in some services soon.

Q. Absence and Leave Policy – is there any special category/fund to cover an absence when staff are not really sick but need time off to support a close family member, for example following a bereavement.

• A. Chris said there is no extra funding available and all absences have to be managed within budget. However there are a number of options that can be considered.
  • A change to patterns of work eg flexible working.
  • Compassionate leave. This can be taken over a period of time.
  • Annual leave - could be used for ‘one off’ appointments.
  • Unpaid leave or a career break.
  • Sick leave – although there is no ‘illness’, a person may not be ‘fit for work’ following a bereavement, especially that of a close family member.
  A discussion followed and personal examples of how similar situations had been resolved were given. It was generally agreed that the Consortium is very good at supporting staff with difficult family issues.
  

Q. Now that there is a 50 hour limit on hours worked per week, are there any plans to re-introduce ‘banked hours’?

• A. The Director of Community Services said that the banking of hours will NOT be re-introduced. Although this was common practice in the early days of the Consortium, banking hours would not be manageable as we have over 600 staff.

Q. Can staff claim mileage to attend training courses at the Office if they do not have Business Insurance cover for their car?

• A. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have an approved mileage rate of 40p per mile for up to 10,000 business miles each tax year. (Anything paid over 40p is deemed to have an element of profit and a tax liability is likely to accrue.)
  Staff cannot be reimbursed for ‘business’ purposes if they do not have the required Insurance and Managers should not authorise any mileage claims without seeing proof of this insurance.
  The Consortium does reimburse staff for bus fares and staff are encouraged to use public transport or share cars whenever possible when attending training. For full details, please see Staff Development Policy page 9 & 10.
  N.B. mileage will only be paid if the training venue is further than the distance to the participant’s usual work place, e.g. if you travel 10 miles to work and the training base is 15 miles away, you can claim 5 miles training expenses.
  

Q. The Night Time Response Pilot has come to an end. What happens next?

• A. The Director of Community Services said that the Night time Response Pilot ran from September 2009 to March 2010and was successful.  The good news is that the service didn’t get many calls and it worked well.  The bad news is that there are not enough services to take it forward. The next step would have involved taking staff out of services completely at night and following
  extensive discussions around the risk assessments, the Local Authority were not willing to remove staff at night at the moment.  The cost of replacing each sleep-in with a wakeful shift is too much for the Local Authority. They would have to make cost saving cuts elsewhere; so we need to spend more time looking at how we can solve the problem of removing ‘sleep-ins’ cost effectively and safely.

Evaluation of Supervision and Appraisal

• The Director of Community Services and the Staff Development Manager told us that they are currently undertaking an evaluation of the Supervision & Appraisal system that was introduced during 2008/09 for use by operational staff and managers. This evaluation will be based on feedback from managers and staff who have conducted or received supervision and/or appraisal using the new system.  If staff have any useful feedback, then please let the Director of Community Services and the Staff Development Manager have your comments. They would like to know what has worked well and any improvements from other systems experienced in the past. They also want to know what does not work so well and any suggestions for changes or improvements.
  A long discussion followed and examples of good and bad experiences of staff supervisions were shared.
  The Director of Community Services and the Staff Development Manager will make a note of these comments when evaluating the current format.
  They will also be meeting individually with some staff and managers as part of the evaluation.
  

Staff Forum Meeting 9th December 2009

Previous minutes and matters arising

Gary Smith (CSSIW) commented on our forum meetings in his recent Inspection Report; he was very positive about the Forum as he felt it gave staff a chance to put forward their views. Overall The CSSIW Inspection Report was very good this year with only a few details to be addressed.

At the last meeting we had asked for a volunteer to attend the Supporting Staff Sub Group. Sharon Whitehouse, Network 1, volunteered and attended her first meeting in November. Sharon told us that she had enjoyed the meeting.

Following on from the discussion on IT Training at the last Forum, the Staff Development Coordinator recently held some IT basic skills courses. The courses were well attended and the feedback was very positive. Participants said that although they were initially nervous, they thoroughly enjoyed the course and learnt a lot.

The Director of Community Services said that feedback on the Night time Response Service has been positive.

Questions from around the room

Q.  A support worker had been left to lone-work with four tenants as the other staff member was asked by On Call to go to another scheme. A staff member from another service was sent to the scheme to help with the hoist for half an hour even though they were unfamiliar with the service users and the equipment. The staff member was on their own until the end of the shift; Is this right and how can it be prevented from happening again?

• The Director of Community Services said that it is difficult to judge an individual situation without knowing all the facts; the On-Call team have to make judgement calls to ensure a safe service for everyone and this may have been the only safe option at that time. On Call managers have to account for decisions made at the On Call Hand Over meeting with Alice every Friday, and the individual Contract Managers will be made aware if staff have been moved or left lone-working.
  It was acknowledged that moving staff from the same team on a regular basis can lead to low morale.
  Please note that Manual Handling Guidelines must always be followed when using hoisting equipment. If there is no trained staff member available to safely use a hoist, staff should contact the On Call Team Co if their own Team Co is not available.
  

Q.  How far away from the service users’ property should staff be in order to have a cigarette. It is not clear in the Smoke Free Workplace policy.

• The service user should always be asked for permission to smoke outside their property. If a service user is unable to give verbal agreement then permission must be obtained from the Care Manager. Smokers must be far enough away so that smoke from the cigarette can not enter the property ie through an open window or door, but the staff member must be close enough to respond quickly if necessary.
  It was stressed that in teams of two or more, only ONE smoker at a time can take a cigarette break.

Q.  When a Service Coordinator is away and a ‘deputy’ is put into place are they entitled to Management hours?

• If no one is officially appointed to ‘act up’ whilst a Service Co is absent, some time will need to be allocated for management tasks. Usually the extra duties would be shared out between the staff, the Team co-ordinator and the Contract Manager until the Service Co returns to work.
  

Q.  A service user had been taken on holiday with one staff member. The staff member worked up to 15 hours per day with no breaks but was only paid for 12 hours, is this protocol?
Other staff gave examples of over night stays with service users when due to lone working the staff member could not take breaks.

• Planning and costing for holidays and short breaks will be in line with the ‘Supporting Service Users on Holiday Policy’ and must be agreed with the relevant parties as follows;
  · the service user,
  · involved relatives,
  · Contract Manager,
  · Team Co-ordinator
  · Service Co-ordinator
  · Care Manager
  · Deputy/Appointee (Where applicable)
  The Policy also covers staffing levels and the provision of adequate staff breaks. Work patterns should be similar to those worked at the service. (This might include lone working)
  Staff should be aware of the rota arrangements before the holiday.
  The Policy also says that a maximum of 12 hours will be paid for every 24hour period away on the holiday/short break.
  

Q.  A Support Coordinator had agreed to work additional hours to cover a support worker shift but when another support coordinator called in sick themissing shift was allocated to a support co from another scheme who did not know the service users very well. The staff member at the scheme had to show the ‘acting’ Support Coordinator how to do his/her allocated tasks and ‘lead’ the shift in the support worker role. This seems unfair.

• The Director of Community Services said there is a protocol in place for covering unallocated Support Co shifts.
  

Q.  Is it possible to request dietary foods for staff on special diets and would The Consortium pay towards the cost or should the service users pay for the items along with their shopping?

• This was not agreed but The Director of Community Services and the Community Services Officer will look into it as the service users at the schemes pay for the shopping for themselves and for staff.
  

Q.  When are Support Coordinators going to receive their Contracts of Employment?

• Some Support Coordinators have received their letter stating their hours and rate of pay which is to be signed and returned to the office. A Contract Variation form is to be completed as well.
  

Staff Forum Meeting 15th September 2009

• Review of paperwork and recordings – ‘Room 101’ - The Head of Community Solutions, joined the meeting to ask staff for any feedback or opinion on the paperwork and formats which are being used in the schemes; what did they like or dislike about them and was there anything that could be changed or reviewed or even ‘put into Room 101’.ie discontinued.
  A discussion followed and the overall opinion from the staff was that there were too many similar documents which required a lot of administration time to complete and can sometimes not be read properly due to time constrictions. Their concern was that time was being taken away from the service user whilst the forms were completed and documented.It was felt that some forms could be condensed. Duplication of information appeared to be the main grievance. Some staff felt that their suggestions would not be listened to and for that reason had not spoken up before.
  Long term, the plan is for all recordings to be accessed and completed via the computer to save on paperwork and storage.Peter stressed that our forms are a form of evidence to show that certain tasks and guidelines are carried out on a daily basis and GS from CSSIW reminded us of the legal requirements around certain paperwork.It was decided that discussions about paperwork could be held in Team Meetings for more feedback and ideas.
  Suggestions would be brought back to the Staff Forum in December by a nominated person. A briefing paper will be prepared that can be used at the Team meetings

• Pay Award - The Personnel and Administration Manager joined the Forum to discuss the pay award for this year.  UNISON have been negotiating with Local Authorities and a pay increase has been agreed and accepted; there will be a 1% increase for the Support Coordinator role and above and an increase of 1.25% for Support Workers.
  This will take the hourly rate for a Support Co-ordinator from £7.89 to £7.97 and the hourly rate for Support Workers from £6.81 to £6.90.  The award will be backdated to April and will be included in the October pay.
  
  The final stage of the Excessive Hours action plan starts from October 1st. A memo will be going out with the September pay slips to remind staff that hours worked over 50 hours in a week will not be paid.
  There will be no exceptions. If staff are asked to work over 50 hours in an emergency situation, they will need to drop hours later in the week to bring the total back to 50 – usually within 7 working days.
  
  In an emergency, the On Call service should be contacted. It should be made clear to the On Call if staff are unable to stay at the scheme due to prior commitments, even for a short while so that arrangements can be made to get someone there as soon as possible. On no account should Service Users be left unsupported.
  In this situation, if staff stay on at the end of a shift, any extra time worked over the 50 hour limit will be taken back later in the week. (Within seven working days.)
  
  It was felt that this rule has placed financial hardship on some people with some staff actively seeking a second job.
  Everyone was reminded that when taking on secondary employment, the combined contracts of both jobs should not exceed 37 hours per week.
  UNISON could be contacted if Union members have any financial difficulties.
  The Employee Assistance Programme is open to all staff and offers a wide range of support and advice including financial advice. 
  Staff can contact the EAP on 0800 371 540 for free and confidential support and advice.
  
  Excessive Hours is a Health and Safety issue. Working for too long can affect competence, patience and integrity. Some staff agreed, giving examples.
  There is evidence that overtime is now being ‘shared out’ more fairly. Not everyone agreed.
  
  GS from CSSIW added that the Working Time Directive is European legislation. The remit of the CSSIW is to ensure safe working practices. For the last two to three years, the CSSIW Inspectors have had concerns with CLC over the potential problem of staff not being competent due to having worked excessive hours.

• Supporting Staff Sub Group - A support worker who attended the Supporting Staff Sub Group has decided to step down so a new staff representative is needed.
  It was asked if anyone would like to put their name forward. A support worker from scheme 70 volunteered.
  Agenda and papers will be sent out before the next meeting in November.
  

• IT Training - A member of the Training Department joined the meeting to tell the group about IT training available in venues around Swansea and Neath/Port Talbot. Some of the courses are either free or if there is a charge the cost is minimal. There are courses that run in the evenings as well. The training department can be contacted at the office for more information.
  Although CLC does provide qualified training for Service Coordinators and Support Coordinators, support workers often get missed out. Information was supplied and the offer to visit staff at their schemes and also to run some classes for a small group of complete beginners at Walter Road.
  It was stressed that staff should speak to their line manager as they must be able to practice their skills at the scheme in order to keep it fresh in their minds.
  Staff can also learn a lot from each other.  There is also a course on the BBC website called ‘Computer Tutor’ which is very good.

• Response Service - Chris gave the group an update on the Night Time Response Service ‘Pilot’ covering a geographical area in Gorseinon.
  Services have been labeled as ‘Red, Amber or Green’ according to risk assessments and the likelihood of disturbances. The pilot will cover ‘green’ services at first and starts on 21st September and will run until the end of March 2010.
  There will be a meeting in October with Stuart Harper of CST Swansea to discuss the next stage involving ‘Amber’ services.
  The staff team have been recruited and are undergoing training in Assistive Technology and Home Care roster software.
  The group discussed whether N/PT council would take up this type of service, the costs of replacing a wakeful with a Night Time Response Service and examples of where this service would be an advantage.
  

• Questions from around the room:
  

• If ‘sleep-ins’ are being phased out, can a person request sleep-ins by signing an ‘op-out style’ agreement? - No. Under European Legislation, one-off payments for sleep-in duties will be phased out. When this happens, the Organisation cannot agree to a contract that contravenes this legislation even if staff are happy to continue with the current arrangements.
  CSSIW also confirmed that CLC cannot agree to staff contracts that are contrary to The E.U. Working Time Directive.
  

• Targeting Support Rotas: can they be changed to accommodate a staff member requiring a different shift due to outside commitments? - Although the system is automated and the rotas are done in advance, a shift can be changed if required. eg to accommodate Doctor’s appointments. The changes will be considered through negotiation just as they always have done and in line with the Rota Management Policy.
  N.B. No shifts should be changed by staff without authorisation from the Team Co-ordinator or Service Co-ordinator.
  

• Are those staff who achieved NVQ when they were originally introduced going to be recognised either at this year’s AGM or in some other way? - This will be looked into.
  
• A staff member was recently rota’d to do an afternoon shift following a wakeful. Is this permitted? - This item has been discussed at length at previous Forums. Staff should not be rota’d in advance for an afternoon shift following a Wakeful night.  Staff and Managers should refer to The Rota Management Policy, page 11, which says that rest periods ‘should be sufficiently long and continuous to ensure that fatigue or other irregular working patterns do not cause employees to injure themselves, fellow employees or others, and that they do not damage their health, either in the short term or in the longer term.’
  Staff may choose to pick up an additional shift following a wakeful but only if they are fit to do so. 
  A discussion about shifts followed. Staff were also reminded that they should not be rota’d to attend training or other meetings prior to or following a wakeful shift.  It was confirmed that the day time hours following a wakeful shift are not to be counted as a ‘rest day’ as staff will have already worked a considerable amount of hours in that 24hour period. Some staff confirmed that this is still happening on some rota’s.
  
• Why do Team Coordinators leave ‘Unallocated’ shift spaces on the rota’s? - Once everyone’s contracted hours and requested additional hours have been allocated the remaining shifts are flagged as ‘Unallocated’. This is a way of showing spare shifts and available overtime which staff can take up by contacting the Service Co or Team Co.
  It is still the responsibility of the Team Co-ordinator in conjunction with the Service Co-ordinator to complete the rota.
  
• If a staff member who would normally leave work - for example at 3.00 p.m. to collect children from school - is seconded to another scheme further away, would that staff member be able to leave slightly earlier in order to be at the school in time? - The Rota Management Policy – page 6 – states that ‘Staff must start and finish at the time specified on the rota. Starting later or finishing earlier can only be authorised by a manager at a more senior level. The rota and timesheet must always be amended accordingly.’
  If a shift is changed at short notice – after rota’s have been published - the staff member should make it clear that they have commitments, such as childcare, that cannot be changed. The Team Co or Service Co can then arrange for alternative cover.
  
• Is it possible to request certain shifts, for example: nights or specific days? - Information and details about requesting flexible working patterns can be found in the ‘Flexible Working Policy – The Right to Apply.’
  The Consortium will consider requests to work flexibly from any employee.
  Applications should be made in writing to the direct line manager and forwarded via the Contract Manager (if applicable) to the Personnel Department.
  

Staff Forum Meeting 16th June 2009

Previous Minutes and Matters arising:

Purchase of Additional Annual Leave

Some staff have applied for additional leave and the staff present wanted to know how the process worked and how it would be taken out of your pay.

The process is as follows:-

• The employee will complete the form ‘request to purchase additional annual leave’. (Appendix 1).

• The form will be forwarded to the personnel department to be logged and passed to the relevant Contract Manager/Department Manager for approval. The employee will receive a letter confirming it has been passed to the relevant person.

• When the approval is agreed by the Contract Manager/Department Manager they will confirm in writing or electronic mail to the personnel department their agreement.

• Personnel Department will confirm in writing to the employee. A repayment schedule will also be enclosed confirming the monthly amount and date of commencement of deductions. The employee will return the signed agreement to the Personnel Department

• Once the purchase of annual leave is approved and the form returned to the Personnel Department the amount will be added to the employees leave balance by way of letter from the Personnel Department.

Pay Award

Phil Williams reported that at the last Unison meeting a pay award of 0.5% was being negotiated.

Excessive Hours

Chris talked about the Excessive Hours and asked if there have been any problems for staff limited to working 67hours.
All staff will receive notification of the next stage of the Excessive Hours action plan with the June pay slips. From July, the maximum hours staff will be paid for is 57 hours reducing to 50 hours in October and no-one will be able to authorise any extra payment over these hours.

A general discussion about rota’s and additional hours followed and the following points were made:-

• There may be problems after July covering shifts if staff cannot be paid for working over 57 hours.
  
• The CSSIW will not accept any more excuses about why staff work excessive hours.
  
• We have tried everything to reduce the number of excessive hours worked. Our next CSSIW Inspection is in August so we have no choice.

• The target is to get everyone working under 50 hours per week by October 2009.

• Non targeted support schemes have started using the rota software – this can cause confusion whilst staff get used to the new format.

• Some Networks are now preparing for Targeted Support.

• There are still some problems around shift patterns in one Targeted Support Network. Examples were discussed

• Rota policy was discussed in relation to staff working long days.
  
• The 12 hours a day paid when staff go on holiday with tenants will in future be recorded separately on the time sheet and will be excluded from the 50 hour rule.
  
• Relief workers have been taken on in Network 4 and 6 to cover any planned absences and they are working well so far. The agreed posts are two x 20hours per Network.
  
• Staff discussed emergency situations and how working more than 50 hours can be resolved.
  
• We have plenty of applicants at the moment so recruitment isn’t a problem. However CRB checks can hold things up as they can take anything between 3 weeks to 3 months!
  

AGM – 20 Year Anniversary

In October the Consortium will be 20 years old and to celebrate our AGM this year will have special features. Guests will be invited to ‘Dress to Impress’ and there will be a three course ‘sit down’ meal. Invites will be sent out shortly and those who want to attend will need to let us know as soon as possible as places will be limited.

Admin will need the names of Service Users attending and the exact numbers of staff accompanying them. We also need the names of wheelchair users so they can be accommodated on the seating plan

Service Users are designing Certificates for staff and service users who have been with the Consortium for 15 years and over and these will be handed out at the AGM.

Response Service

Chris gave the group an update on the Night Time Response Service that will cover a geographical area in Gorseinon. The schemes have been labeled as ‘Red, Amber or Green’ according to risk assessments and the likelihood of disturbances. The pilot will start in September and will run until March 2010.

An advert for staff has been sent out to all services. The original advert was for 1 x 15 hours and 4 x 30 hour posts. A second advert offering a variety of contracts has also been circulated.

Two response workers per night will be based at the office in Gorseinon and will be available to assist wakeful staff at ‘amber’ schemes as necessary during the night. They will NOT be asked to cover a wakeful shift at short notice and they will not be asked to cover any day shifts although there will be some day time training, staff meetings, supervisions etc.

The response service could enable a scheme to take away a ‘sleep in’ and leave a wakeful staff member with the response service just a phone call away at our office in Gorseinon. Anyone interested in the vacancies would need to be able to drive and have access to their own vehicle.

Chris stressed that there would be no compromise on safety at the schemes and service users, care managers and families are being kept informed at all stages.

On-Call was also discussed and the difference between the two types of service was explained.

Questions from around the room

Service User Holiday pay rate: Q.When staff are accompanying a service user on holiday the hourly rate is higher, why is this?
A. The hourly cost of the service we provide is more than the actual salary paid to staff. The cost to the Company of employing someone includes overheads such as tax, National Insurance contributions etc.

At present, service users are charged £8.54 per hour when they purchase private support packages, including holidays and day trips. This has not been increased, in line with inflation, for a number of years and is now lower than the actual cost of employing staff.

Registered Scheme Support Coordinators: Q. Can Key Workers in Registered Schemes be paid at Support Coordinator rate?

A. Chris said that Registered Schemes are subject to different rules and regulations and will not be part of Targeted Support. There is no funding available at the moment to increase the hourly rate for key workers.

Changes to Sleep-ins: Q. Staff have heard that ‘sleep-ins’ are to end. When will that happen?

A. Sleep-ins will need to be phased out as under employment law, single payments for sleep-ins will no longer be acceptable. We don’t know exactly when this will happen but the night time response service is one way of responding to the change.

The Working Week: Q. The working week begins on a Saturday, why is this and can it be changed?

A. There is no significance for the working week starting on a Saturday other than for historical reasons.

If enough staff wanted a change, there would have to be extensive consultation with all interested parties and possibly a staff vote before any changes are made.

Reward for good sick record: Q. A staff member asked if there were any plans for rewarding staff with a good sickness record.

A. The Voice Group will be reconvening soon to continue the task of looking at ways of improving terms and conditions for front line staff. Rewarding staff who have a good sick record is one option.

A discussion followed about the ways in which a bonus could be given, eg extra day annual leave, monetary perks. We would need to determine how long the length of good sick record would be; it was agreed that funding costs would have to be looked at. Some staff might come into work when they are ill in order to qualify for the reward.

ID Cards not being shown by Contractors: Q. Contractors coming to the schemes to complete work do not always show an ID card to corroborate who they were. Some examples were given.

A. Chris stated that if a Contractor does not have an ID card then they cannot be given permission to enter the building. One way around this might be to phone the company they work for but if in doubt then caution must be used. We can ask H.S.Co’s to remind landlords about the need to show ID cards. Sometimes work can be held up when staff are unable to let workmen into the scheme without ID.
Consortium staff should also produce ID when visiting or working at a scheme where they are not known.

An accident/injury caused by a service user: Q. If a staff worker is injured by a service user or has an accident at work, and was forced to take time off sick would this have to go on their sick record?

A. All sickness absences are recorded regardless of the cause. When entitlement to Company sick pay is exhausted, each case is looked at individually by the Sickness Pay Entitlement Committee. S.P.E.C. comprises a support worker/co-ordinator, a Unison Rep and Peter Thomas. The group are not told who the staff member is. They look at the circumstances of the absences and decide if entitlement to sickness pay can be reinstated and if so, for how long.

Some staff at the Forum have regularly taken part in a S.P.E.C. meeting and said it was a worthwhile experience and would recommend others to get involved. Wendy asked if anyone at to-day’s Forum would be interested and the following staff volunteered:-
Louise Evans, Sharon O’Mahoney, Sharon Whitehouse and Ann-Marie Jones.

IT literacy: Q. A staff member had contacted the Staff Development Coordinator to ask for some IT training and had been directed to a website called ‘Computer Tutor’ but had been unable to access it. Other staff then said that they were concerned about the lack of training they had been able to access.

A. The Staff Development Dept have sent out computer training needs questionnaires to networks that have or are due to go over to targeting support.  At present service co-ordinators and support co-ordinators are given priority –and further training courses will be arranged in the near future.  Meanwhile Caroline Firth, Staff Development Co-ordinator is happy to help anyone with individual queries regarding computer skills but any help is only beneficial if staff are able to access a computer on a regular basis to practice. Staff Development Dept would welcome any feedback on any websites recommended.

Targeting Support Contracted Hours: Q. A staff member said that there appeared to be only 30 hour contracts or less available for support co-ordinators under Targeted Support; why is this?

A. Chris discussed with the group how Targeted Support works. It can be difficult to accommodate 37 hours in one scheme over five days without working over-long shifts. In some circumstances split contracts can be offered for support co-ordinators within the same Network and this has worked well for some staff.

Chris told us that Network 4 is next for Targeted Support and then Network 1 next year.

Targeted Support is now permanent in Neath and Port Talbot and all staff in Networks 5 and 6 have been confirmed in post.

Sickness and existing health issues: Q. If a staff member is off with an existing condition that was declared on the Health Questionnaire why is he/she not paid?

All employees are required to complete a medical questionnaire as part of the recruitment procedures.  In some circumstances new employees may be excluded from the company sick pay scheme for existing medical conditions.  Those individuals will be informed during the appointment procedures and the appropriate condition(s) will be included in their contract of employment.

Pre-existing medical conditions are to be excluded from the company sick pay scheme for two years from the commencement of employment and then those conditions reinstated.

Long Service Award: Q. In the past those staff who had received the long service award as a monetary addition to their pay had to also pay NI and Tax on the amount. There is now the offer of ‘salary sacrifice’ whereby the amount can be put directly into your pension or other schemes before contributing to NI and Tax. Can the NI and Tax be claimed back for those rewards already received?

A. No. At the moment, the option applies to the 15 year and 20 year long service award only.

NVQ: Q. What is the protocol if a staff member doing NVQ leaves the company, do they have to repay the costs of training?

A. Staff are required to payback costs of training leading to a qualification in situations where CLC has agreed to pay the fees.  At the moment this does not apply to NVQ level 2 & 3 in Health & Social Care and the Assessor (A1) award as Swansea Business College is able to access funding for these qualifications.  We have occasionally also been able to access funded places for some level 4 awards, but most qualifications at this level, and higher levels are paid for form the CLC staff development budget.

If staff are working toward a qualification paid for by CLC then before they start, they sign a study contract, which includes the conditions where they may be required to repay the course fees, usually on the basis described below:-

(Employee name) will be required to repay the course fees in accordance with the schedule below:-
The full course fees are repayable if he/she resigns from the post during the course or within 6 months of completion.
75% of the course fees are repayable if he/she resigns from the post within 12 months of completion of the course.
50% of the course fees are repayable if he/she resigns from the post within 18 months of completion of the course.
25% of the course fees are repayable if he/she resigns from the post within 2 years of completion of the course.

This schedule has been agreed with Unison and is included in the staff development policy.

Future Forum Meetings

Chris was pleased at the turnout for today’s meeting as Forums are useful to express any concerns and questions staff may have. Chris also valued the Forum as a way of keeping in touch with how everyone is feeling etc.

Everyone agreed to encourage more participants in future. Any staff member can attend, although a lot of schemes like to send the same representative for continuity.

Chris said that it is important that everyone reads the minutes when they are in the schemes and the Forum should be an agenda item at Team Meetings.

Chris will ask if information about Staff Forums can be included in the Induction training. Dates are allocated for the year and reminders are sent out before each Forum. Service Co’s and Team Co’s will be reminded of the dates and asked to rota staff to attend whenever possible.

• Next Forum
  Tuesday 15th September 2009
  10am – 12 noon
  Training Room
  

Staff Forum Meeting 17th March 2009

Previous Minutes and Matters arising

Chris welcomed everyone to the meeting and expressed concern at the low turnout.  Any outstanding issues are on today’s agenda

Excessive Hours

Chris talked about the Excessive Hours action plan. The CSSIW have continually told us that some staff are working too many additional hours and we must find a way to reduce these hours.

From April 09 no additional hours will be paid for staff working over 67 hours per week, reducing to 57hours in July. By October 2009, the limit will be reduced to 50hours and no-one will be able to authorise any extra payment over these hours.
All staff have been notified about the action plan by a memo which was included with the February payslips and a reminder about the final phase will be sent out in September.

A discussion followed and the following points were made:-

• Unison should have directly informed Union members about the changes.

• Concerns about staffing levels – are there enough staff to take on the extra overtime?

• Overtime can be shared out more equally.

• Targeted support means more ‘lone working’ and less flexibility to move staff around in an emergency. Introducing a strict 50hour limit will make the problem worse.

• Relief workers are being introduced in Networks 4 and 6 to cover ‘planned’ absences. (This is being tried out in two Networks only at the moment.

• There is confusion about who covers support co shifts. Should a support worker ‘act up’ to cover support co shifts? – There are clear differences in the duties of both roles and Contract Managers are looking at the criteria for ‘acting up’.

• Staff with flexible working agreements are not available to cover extra shifts.

• Recruitment is going well at the moment and hopefully we will have a more flexible workforce in future.

• Recruitment is going well at the moment and hopefully we will have a more flexible workforce in future.

• Staff will not be able to take shifts back as lieu time.

• Extra hours worked when accompanying Service Users on holiday will be confirmed as part of the holiday planning and approval procedures. We are looking at how these hours should be recorded on the time sheets.

Secondary Employment

As part of the Excessive Hours action plan, we also need to monitor the hours worked by staff with secondary employment. The hours they work per week will need to be monitored to ensure they are not working over 50 hours between both jobs.  Staff must inform the Consortium if they take a second job and the combined contractual hours for both jobs should not exceed 37 hours per week. (See memo CLC1078 from Peter Thomas dated 12th March 09)

Buying Additional Annual Leave

One of the projects undertaken by the Chwarae Teg Working group was to look at buying additional annual leave. This work is now complete and as a result, from 1st April 2009 employees will have the option to purchase an additional one week’s contracted hours to add to their existing leave entitlement and to be taken in line with existing leave policy.  A memo and a copy of the new policy has been emailed to all schemes and a further copy of the memo will be included with our March pay slips.
The option to buy extra leave is available to all staff who are permanently employed by The Consortium - once they have successfully passed their probation period.

Working Whilst on Annual Leave

Chris reminded everyone that after extensive discussions between the Operations Department and the Personnel Department in 2004, it was agreed that staff on annual leave can work additional hours on their rest days and that the maximum combination of additional hours and annual leave must not exceed 50hours.
Some employees are using a combination of contracted hours, additional hours and their annual leave to make their hours up to 50 per week without actually taking any leave! The situation is being closely monitored by personnel as it contravenes Health and Safety legislation if staff are not actually taking time off work and Chris said that if this situation continues we may have to stop the practice of working whilst on annual leave completely.

Pay Award 2008/09

The pay award for 08/09 has now been settled at 2.75%. An interim pay award of 2.45% was implemented in November. The extra 0.3% will be paid in the March salary -backdated to April 08.
There is no news yet about a pay award for next year.

I.D.Cards

Members of one staff team have asked if staff I.D. cards can be worn around the neck for easier identification whilst supporting Service Users in the community.  Chris said that this was unlikely to be agreed due to the associated risk assessments. Also it may not be in keeping with our low key approach.

A discussion followed and it was agreed that it would not be acceptable to ‘label’ ourselves by wearing prominent I.D. or uniforms that draw attention to the people we support.

Everyone was reminded that staff should always ask for I.D. from contractors etc who may be carrying out work at the schemes.

Questions from around the room

Q. Staff Meetings: Is it compulsory for staff to attend team meetings?

• A. The C.L.C. Team Meeting Policy States:-
  · It is the responsibility of the line manager to organise the meetings.
  · Staff attending meetings will do so as part of their contracted hours and will be part of the staff rota.
  · All staff will attend meetings unless previously negotiated with their line manager.
  · Team meetings should be held at least monthly.
  Managers should ensure that the same staff are not continuously asked to attend meetings on their rest day or following a wakeful shift.
  (See also, Rota Management Policy, page 9 ‘Attending Meetings’)
  Staff should be rota’d as above to attend Staff Forums and are not expected to give up annual leave. Some staff choose to attend the Forum even if they are not on shift. All staff are paid to attend
  

Q. Service User Holidays:Can Service Co-ordinators accompany Service Users on holiday?

• A. Chris said that although there is nothing in policy to say that Service Co-ordinators cannot go on a Service User holiday, Service Co’s need to be mindful of their management responsibility to the scheme and any Service Users who are staying home plus the extra salary cost to the Service User going on the holiday.
  

Q. Seconded Staff (Social Services): There are several seconded Social Services staff working as a part of staff teams in Network 1 alongside Consortium staff. Will these seconded staff be eligible to apply for Support Co posts when targeted Support is introduced in Network 1?

• A.  At the moment, all Support Co posts are ‘temporary’. If it is agreed to roll out targeted support across other Networks in Swansea, it may not be as a ‘pilot’ so support co posts will be permanent and may be advertised externally and anyone who meets the criteria will be able to apply. If seconded staff do not wish to apply for the permanent posts, they will continue in their existing posts as support workers in the Network.

Q.  Non-Drivers (Existing Staff): Will non-drivers to eligible to apply for Support Co posts?

• A. Existing staff that cannot drive will be assessed on an individual basis taking into account the needs of the scheme applied for. (External applicants will be required to meet all essential criteria)
  

Q. Split Contracts – Network 5: The issues around split contracts (Support Co/Support Worker) in Network 5 are still causing problems especially when covering additional shifts.

• A. Although a ‘Pilot’ is the ideal time to try out new methods of working, Chris still agrees that this kind of contract has not worked and will not be introduced in other Networks. Chris said we need to discuss the situation with the Contract Manager.
  

Q. New Staff - Shadowing Arrangements: How long should new staff be "shadowing" more experienced staff as it seems that under Targeted Support they are often thrown in at the deep end?

• A. A discussion followed. It seems that the example given was due to a lack of communication based on external factors and long term sickness in the Network concerned.
  

Q. Pensions: Why has the Employer Pension Contribution been increased for Service Co’s but not for Support Staff?

• A. Chris said that the problem dates back to when the Company restructured. The Company currently has two types of Pension schemes and although Team Co’s, Housing Co’s and Service Co’s were given equal status, Service co’s were treated differently as they were not included in the Final Salary scheme at the time and now the company cannot afford it. There is still a gap between the two pensions but the 2% increase is a starting point.
  

Q. On Call: Should there be a more consistent approach to On Call? (For example sometimes the On call Team Co covers a shift themselves and at other times they don’t.)

• A. Chris said that it is not always practical for Team Co’s to cover shifts whilst On Call as they may then be unable to respond to other calls.
  
  Everyone was reminded that all calls are discussed at the weekly hand-over meeting and if staff or On Call managers are upset at the way that a call has been handled, it needs to be addressed on an individual basis as soon as possible.

Q. Enhanced Christmas Pay: Where does the money come from to pay the ‘triple time’ at Christmas?

• A. The enhanced rate is paid as a goodwill gesture and comes from the existing staff budget. The recent changes to paperwork were necessary to satisfy the CSSIW regulations. We are working towards introducing more electronic systems and need to decide if we put everything on computer in the future. Some staff confirmed that computer training for their teams has started.

Q .Targeted Support Pilot: When will Targeted Support no longer be a ‘Pilot’ in Neath and Port Talbot?

• A. Targeted Support will no longer be a ‘pilot’ in Networks 5 and 6 from April 2009 and letters are on their way to all staff in those Networks. Targeted Support will continue as a pilot in Network 2 (Swansea) for a while longer.

Q. Response Team: What is happening about 'sleep-in' duties?  There are lots of rumours about at the moment.

• A. Chris said that due to the working time directive we have had to re think how we can support people at night. We are not sure what will happen to sleep-ins and we are working with Swansea to discuss a few ideas.
  
  ‘Sleep-ins’ are not paid at an hourly rate and we are unlikely to be exempt for much longer. To convert ‘sleep-ins’ to wakeful shifts has obvious cost implications for the Local Authority so they have asked us to look at other ways of supporting service user at night.
  
  A discussion followed. Chris said that any pilot scheme would be over an area rather than a Network.
  

• Future Forum Meetings: As a result of to-days low turnout, Chris asked what can be done to encourage more staff to attend the Forum.
  A discussion followed and the following points were raised:-
  The Forum should continue as it gives staff the opportunity to discuss issues and to hear about future plans and developments in the Consortium first hand.
  · Should we allocate a named Forum representative for each scheme?
  · New staff are not made aware of the Forum.
  · Staff are not put on shift or rota’d to attend or are on ‘wakeful’ shifts the night before.
  · At least two staff here to-day are on annual leave but decided to attend anyway.
  · Dates are allocated for the year and reminders are sent out before each Forum.
  Chris will ask the Contract Managers to discuss the Staff Forum at their next meeting.
  

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Next Meeting

• Tuesday 16th June 2009 - 10 – 12 noon. Venue - Training Room