Agenda item

Purpose: To inform Members of the Health and Wellbeing Board about the Better Care Fund.

Cathy Winfield introduced her report which aimed to inform Members of the Health and Wellbeing Board about the Better Care Fund (BCF). Cathy Winfield reported that the BCF was originally known as the Integration Transformation Funding (ITF).

BCF plans offered the opportunity to transform local health and social care services and provide better integration care and support. It provided an opportunity to improve the lives of the most vulnerable providing them with better services, support and improved quality of life.

Guidance for the BCF had been published before Christmas 2013. The BCF included money that was originally designated as the Social Care Fund.

Berkshire West would receive about £270k in total and this was in line with what had been expected. Berkshire West CCGs had experienced a better growth than expected and therefore were able to transfer some money into the BCF. The whole of this budget could be spent on new projects. The Health and Wellbeing Board would have to decide how this money was spent prior to the deadline of 14^th February 2014. Proposals would have to meet certain criteria, which in essence aimed to protect social care services. An informal meeting was planned to talk about the proposals.

Some of the BCF money would be allocated under a ‘rewards for meeting goals’ criteria. Money would be retained if the goals were not met and a recovery plan would need to be submitted as an initial step to releasing it.  The spending round established six national conditions for accessing the fund:

·        Plans to be jointly agreed.

·        Protection for social care services (not spending)

·        As part of agreed local plans, 7 day services in health and social care to support patients being discharged and prevent unnecessary admissions at weekends.

·        Better data sharing between health and social care, based on the NHS number.

·        Ensure a joint approach to assessments and care planning and ensure that, where funding is used for integrated packages of care, there will be an accountable professional.

·        Agreement on the consequential impact of changes in the acute sector.

Councillor Gordon Lundie asked what the next steps were and Cathy Winfield reported that planning was underway for a special meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board to take place on 6^th February 2014, where proposals could be agreed.

Councillor Lundie questioned if any of the conditions in particular presented a challenge. Rachael Wardell explained that this depended on the success of plans. She was confident that there was a strong common understanding of what needed to be achieved. It was anticipated that there would be challenges around seven day working.

Councillor Graham Pask asked for clarification around targets and how they would be monitored. Cathy Winfield confirmed that targets set out under each of the conditions were detailed on page 20 of the agenda. There would be a requirement for the Health and Wellbeing Board to sign off plans. Plans would also go through an assurance process involving NHS England and the Local Government Association (LGA) to assure ministers.

RESOLVED that Cathy Winfield would being a paper to the next meeting on the urgent care system.

Sarah Mussett questioned to what degree the BCF would deliver around the urgent care agenda. Cathy Winfield felt this would largely be addressed during conversations about seven day working. Letters had been received by accountable officers from NHS England to plan a recovery for the urgent care system. It was vital that patient flow around the system was maintained.