Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to describe, and seek agreement in principle, on the proposed future governance requirements for an integrated commissioning arrangement between B&NES Council and BaNES Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Councillor Dine Romero made an ad-hoc statement by welcoming several points in the report, such as making system to work for residents without them knowing how it works and for efficient transitions from children to adult services.  Councillor Romero expressed her concerns that this plan would not deliver all of its aims and objectives and asked what would be payback to the Council taking into consideration estimated costs to support integration.  Councillor Romero also requested that the Health and Wellbeing Select Committee should continue to scrutinise integration and future processes and also spending of public money including the Better Care Fund.

Councillor Vic Pritchard introduced the report by saying that the Council and the local NHS had had a long history of constructive joint working.  Joint health and social care structures had been in place in B&NES since 2009, with commissioning arrangements implemented in that year and provider arrangements consolidated by the creation of an integrated health and social care provider in 2011.  This was supported by a formal Partnership Agreement that described how the then Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Council would work together to deliver improved outcomes for the population.

Joint financial arrangements, primarily pooled budgets, were implemented alongside the original joint structures and have expanded and developed since.  Following NHS reconfiguration, the CCG and Council reconfirmed their commitment to joint working and agreed a Joint Working Framework. The commissioning arrangements were reviewed and redesigned in 2013 in response to the creation of the CCG and the reaffirmation of the commitment by both CCG and Council to joint working and to the integrated commissioning and provision of services.  The overarching aim of this report was to describe the role the two key organisations, B&NES Council and BaNES CCG, could play in leading the extension and enhancement of integrated commissioning for the benefit of the population of Bath and North East Somerset and to create a more sustainable approach to the commissioning and provision of Health and Care going forward.

Councillor Pritchard also assured Councillor Romero that the Health and Wellbeing Select Committee would continue to be involved throughout this and future processes.

Councillor Vic Pritchard moved the recommendations.

Councillor Paul May seconded the motion by saying that the Council and BaNES CCG had worked well together.  Councillor May also highlighted support to families in order for children and young people getting help they needed.

Councillor Karen Warrington also supported the motion by saying that she was keen on integration which would bring positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the community. 

Councillor Tim Warren also supported the motion by saying that the Council had always been for integration with BaNES CCG and for an increase in prevention and early intervention.

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet agreed to:

1)  Support the development of stronger integrated arrangements between the Council and CCG and approve further work to develop the governance proposals so that they can be taken forward to the full Council meeting in May 2018;

2)  Delegate to the Strategic Director for People and Communities to set up shadow arrangements in January 2018 in consultation with the Cabinet Members;

3)  Support the resource request to develop the integration proposal to the next stage.