Agenda item

To receive this Update Report for information

The Board considered the report of the YCYW Programme Manager, Sue Blackman. She gave a presentation (as appended to the report), which covered various aspects under the main headings of Engagement and Consultation, Financial Planning, Contractual Models, and Market Testing, and expanded on the information provided.

Members discussed the report. The Chairman stated that this was a comprehensive review and was a roadmap for the Sustainability and Transformation Plan – it would cover health and care in a wider sense. He referred to the new contractual models being developed – GPs would need to get involved and they were starting to see the connections that were being developed. Diana Hall Hall referred to the recent Community Champions meeting held in Percy Boys Club and requested for the next meeting that it be more bite-size and aimed specifically at that meeting. The Programme Manager replied that there would be no papers for the next event; however, there had been good feedback from the meeting which would shape future events.

Councillor Vic Pritchard asked questions regarding whether everything had been taken into account regarding the 4 models proposed in the public engagement analysis and also whether fears could be allayed about possible privatisation as a result of a series of sub-contracts being proposed. The Programme Manager replied that it was the narrative behind the numbers that was useful and that a hybrid of all models taking the best bits would still be good. With regard to Councillor Pritchard’s question relating to possible privatisation, she continued by saying that, whilst it was recognised that there is not a political appetite to privatise health and social care provision in B&NES, Commissioners are committed to an open and transparent procurement process which will identify the most capable provider of services in the future and this would be a collective decision including the community as part of the evaluation process. Regarding sub-contractual arrangements, it was not expected that the proportion of funding currently allocated to voluntary and third sector provision would fundamentally change and this will form part of discussion with the Preferred Bidder.

Councillor Michael Evans considered that there was an expectation that health care would be provided rather than people taking responsibility for their own health. The Programme Manager replied that all 15 priorities would be considered and new priorities may be developed. People needed to be accountable for their own health and a shift was developing from “care” to “enabling”.

John Holden asked a couple of rhetorical questions but also queried Prime Contract - how it was decided, what goes into the Prime Contract and what is sub-contracted through the Dynamic Purchasing System and how to rationalise the number of providers under the new contract. The Programme Manager responded that there were the 2 aspects of Prime Contract: they are the “integrator” of services and will have overarching responsibility for delivering all Community Health and Care Services in B&NES but they would also be a direct provider of services as we would expect that any Council delegated functions sit within the Prime Provider contract. This will mean that some commissioning functions that currently sit within the CCG and Council may in the future sit within the Prime Provider. John Holden stated that, in view of time constraints, he would seek further information on this aspect outside the meeting.

The Board noted the Update Report.