Agenda item

The Cabinet Member will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel Members may ask questions.

The Chairman invited Jane Shayler (Deputy Director for Adult Care, Health and Housing Strategy and Commissioning) to give an update to the Panel (attached as Appendix 1 to these minutes) on behalf of Councillor Simon Allen.

The Panel made the following points:

The Chairman said that, in terms of the Better Care Fund, this Council was in much better position when compared to other Local Authorities because the Council was well into integration process with other NHS bodies.  The Chairman asked what had been happening with the Section 256 money up until this point.

Jane Shayler explained that the Section 256 amount had varied from year to year.  The Section 256 money has been confirmed as an annual amount each year.  The Section 256 money had been used for a number of different services and initiatives, including schemes to address “winter pressures” and investment in re-ablement services.  One of the benefits of the pooled Better Care Fund (BCF) was greater certainty as on-going funding stream.  Jane Shayler added that detailed guidance for the use of the BCF in the Health and Social Care system has now been published, which would enable the development and agreement of joint plans across the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS England and the Council.  The Health and Wellbeing Board, whose members were from all of these organisations, would develop a long term vision of the integrated health and social care and formally sign off on the local BCF plan. 

The Chairman noted that £552k of the Disable Facilities Grant would be a reduction in funding considering that it used to be around £600k (and the Council would make up to £1m).  The Chairman asked if the Council would continue to make up that short fall.

Jane Shayler responded that for the next financial year the Council had not indicated reduction in the contribution to the Disabled Facilities Grant.  The Council would continue to fund the grant directly, in addition to the central government allocation, to approximate amount of £1m.

Councillor Lisa Brett commented that the Royal United Hospital (RUH) was not invited to sit on the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB), the arrangement she personally disagreed with it which, in her view, affected the effectiveness of discussion at the HWB.  Councillor Brett asked how engaged were the RUH in the process considering that they were not represented on the HWB.

Jane Shayler responded that the HWB had had a development session in early December 2013 to discuss the BCF and also establishment of the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) comprising main health and social care providers.  The RUH are part of the SAG.  The CCG and the Council had been considering engaging with all key stakeholders on the use of the BCF.  Jane Shayler said that she would update the Panel on how the RUH would be engaged in the use of the BCF after the HWB meeting on 29th January 2014.

The Chairman thanked Jane Shayler who provided an update on behalf of Councillor Simon Allen.