Agenda item

5.1

The Board considered an update on the Better Care Fund from Peter Moore Director of Strategy and Integration, Clinical Commissioning Group. The presentation included the principles of the Better Care Fund; the achievements of joint work between organisations in the past year and learning during that time. The themes and plans for the forthcoming year were also outlined, as summarized below:

5.2

·       Implement a new model of Active Recovery

·       Redesign the discharge process and reduce delayed transfers of care

·       Optimise the use of the Disabled Facilities Grant

·       Integrate care home market management functions

·       Join up long-term support adults’ assessments

·       Join up assessment and review between health and care for children with complex needs and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)

·       Implement an assess to admit model to reduce non-elective admissions

·       Prepare business cases for key areas of mental health transformation

·       Continue to implement our approach to social prescribing

·       Improve access to children and young people’s mental health services

·       Increase the personalisation of maternity care

5.3

Members of the Board discussed the issues raised in the presentation, as summarised below:

5.4

There were issues to be overcome relating to the use of funding and the relevant framework to enable this and it was not clear whether some of the problems relating to the Better Care Fund were a matter of national policy or local detail. However, there was a partnership approach whereby plans were owned jointly between health and social care. It was hoped that the development of Accountable Care Partnerships would assist the process of delivery of improvement as set out in place based plans. This approach would include commissioners and providers.

5.5

Ambitious plans were in place and there were challenges to overcome, including organisational boundaries and budget cycles. Whilst the involvement of more organisations was something to be welcomed, effective decision making was also required. The internal market which had been introduced in health in the past two decades had resulted in both successes and failures and one problem was that it created a fragmented system with artificial boundaries, which would need to be removed if a more integrated model was to be successful. The links to the JSNA also needed to be recognised.

5.6

RESOLVED: that the presentation is noted and to request that the relevant plans relating to the Better Care Fund are submitted for approval to a meeting of the Board in May 2017.