Issue - meetings

33.1     The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the performance of Health and Social Care Connect (HSCC) and its future direction.

33.2     The following points were made in response to questions:

·         The range of languages spoken in the county has not been a significant issue and an interpreting service is available quickly if needed.

·         The target for abandoned calls is below 5% which is in line with other call centre based services and has been achieved at times. The increase in abandoned calls appears to relate to the increased volume being handled by the same staff capacity. There is a low rate of abandoned calls in the Health Hub.

·         There are options for people to use the HSCC online service or to contact the service by email and there has been increased use of these routes. HSCC wants to increase its digital presence in future, reflecting increased public expectations and higher rates of internet usage amongst over 65s but the majority of contact is still expected to be by phone.

·         HSCC is publicised via a regular advert in Your County. The Health Hub is promoted via primary care events, bulletins and merchandise displaying the number, including posters which can be made available to elected Members. Increased traffic to the service reflects increased awareness.

·         The volume of safeguarding concerns has remained consistent but the role of HSCC has been significant in terms of undertaking initial screening and redirection of queries where appropriate, enabling locality teams to focus on those which become a formal safeguarding enquiry.

·         The HSCC number was chosen as the most used number from the three previous services It is recognised that it is not the most memorable number but it was a practical option in the circumstances.

33.3     RESOLVED:

(1)  To receive an update by email on the future direction of the service in the autumn to determine if further scrutiny is required.

(2)  To request that posters to advertise the service be supplied to Members of the committee.