To receive any questions from members of the public.
Minutes:
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3.1 Public Questions from Save Our NHS
3.1.1 Mike Simpkin asked the following questions regarding the Health and
Wellbeing Board, the Accountable Care Partnership and cuts to NHS Pharmacy budgets.
3.1.2 1) The Health and Wellbeing Board is the statutory lead for health strategy in the city. Why has it not met in public for nine months? Has it been holding meetings in private?
2) The paper entitled Better Care Fund Update, para 2.1 refers to the establishment of the Sheffield Accountable Care Partnership Board.
a) What is the present and future status of the ACP Board?
b) Who are its members?
c) What powers does it or will it have, delegated or otherwise?
d) If the ACP Board is a shadow board, what is it a shadow of?
e) What is its relationship to the Health and Wellbeing Board and how does it differ?
f) What is the relationship of the City Council to the Accountable Care Partnership Board?
g) What is the relationship of the Accountable Care Partnership Board to the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System?
h) Various promises have been made in Council and CCG meetings that the ACP board will begin to meet in public. When will this happen?
3) Have there been any effects in Sheffield of the 2017, 7.5% national cut to the NHS pharmacy budget? For example it was forecast that some pharmacies might no longer have sufficient staff to run the advice services which are essential components of local strategies such as the Primary Care Strategy while nationally large chains such as Lloyds have been closing practices. Did any Sheffield pharmacies qualify for special assistance? Have there been any pharmacy closures in Sheffield?
Mr Simpkin also asked an additional question-
4) What is the point of the Better Care Fund if it cannot prevent incidents like the threatened eviction of the long-term residents from Birch Avenue Care Home and disputes over eligibility and entitlement between the CCG and the Council? The CCG’s re-assessments of Continuing Care both residential and community-based have landed it in a lot of discredit.
3.1.3 Councillor Cate McDonald (Co-Chair) advised that not all meetings were held in public, it is stated in the terms of reference that the board would meet in public at least twice a year. It had been unfortunate recently that some of the meetings has been cancelled due to a range of reasons beyond control.
3.1.4 The Accountable Care Partnership Board was a partnership board with no statutory role. The members who sat on the board were Chairs and Chief Executives of the partners to the Sheffield ACP. This included Primary Care Sheffield, Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, leads from the Integrated Community Service, the Partnership Programme Director and the Director of Public Health. The Board had no powers, delegated or otherwise and was not a shadow board. Councillor Cate McDonald (Co-Chair) advised that the board has an aspiration to have a greater impact In the future.
3.1.5 The Accountable Care Partnership Board’s relationship with the Health and Wellbeing Board was fluid and developmental at the moment. The board had a developing role alongside the other Boards. It was advised that more information would be available once the findings from a recent CQC review were known. Regarding the Board’s relationship with the City Council; the City Council was a member of the Board.
3.1.6 The Accountable Care Partnership Board’s relationship with the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System was that both were partners of the NHS. The ACP Board had a focus on Place and what was happening at a local level.
3.1.7 Councillor Cate McDonald (Co-Chair) confirmed that a meeting of the ACP board had taken place today and it had been agreed at this meeting that the Board to meet in public on a quarterly basis. Agenda’s and minutes for the meeting will be published online. Rebecca Joyce, Accountable Care Partnership Programme Director expected that the next public meeting of the Board would be held at the end of June.
3.1.8 With regards to the question on national cuts to the NHS Pharmacy budget, it was confirmed that there had been no closures of pharmacies in Sheffield and there was no indication of any impact upon pharmacies in Sheffield. It was advised that just recently two additional pharmacy licences had been granted in Sheffield.
3.1.9 In relation to the final question, Councillor Cate McDonald (Co-Chair) advised that the Better Care Fund was an ongoing programme; there was an item on the agenda which included a presentation around the Better Care Fund which may provide answers to the question if Mr Simpkin wished to remain in the meeting for this item.
Nicki Doherty, Director of Delivery – Care out of Hospital did however advise that the presentation only covered an element of the Better Care Fund and may not cover the information that Mr Simpkin sought.
Phil Holmes, Director of Adult Services recognised the challenges around Birch Avenue Care Home, but felt that arguments between the Council and CCG would not contribute to resolving this
Dr Tim Moorhead advised that members of the Health and Wellbeing Board were unable to provide a full answer to the question around the Better Care Fund and the closure of Birch Avenue Care Home at the meeting, so a full written response would be provided to Mr Simpkin in due course.