Agenda item

(To receive a report from the Chairman of the Joint Commissioning Board (JCB), which updates the Board on the activities of the Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC) programme, Better Care Fund (BCF), and the Joint Commissioning Boards)

The Board gave consideration to a report from the Chairman of the Joint Commissioning Board, which provided an update on the activities of the Lincolnshire Health and Care Programme, the Better Care Fund, and the Joint Commissioning Boards.

A short verbal presentation was received from Allan Kitt, Chief Officer, South West Lincolnshire CCG, which provided the Board with an update on progress made with the Lincolnshire Health and Care (LHAC) Programme.

It was reported that since the sign-off of the first phase of the LHAC by all stakeholder organisations over the winter of 2013, the programme had been working towards finalising the more detailed recommendations for change.  The overarching vision for Lincolnshire Health and Care was the development of a system that prevented ill health, supported people as early on in their journey as possible, maintained their independence, and gave them choice and control at every stage of their journey.

The Board noted that in order for the case for change to be fully made and improved, a strategic outline case was required to be developed.  It was noted further that the outline case needed to be assured by NHS England who had legal responsibility to ensure that any proposed reconfiguration met the key standards required.  The strategic case also needed to be reviewed by the Clinical Senate who has regional wide responsibility for ensuing that proposed changes to services are both clinically evidenced, and reflect safe, high quality services.

The Board was advised that following feedback from the Clinical Senate and initial review by NHS England it had been identified that despite the strategic outline case being very strong, there was still a number of areas where further work needed to be undertaken.  These were mainly around the detail surrounding the options for reconfiguration.  To complete this, work was being done, which would then be reviewed by the LHAC Stakeholder Board and others, prior to going out to public consultation. 

The Board was reassured that they would be kept updated as the strategic case was finalised and the assurance process with NHS England and the Clinical Senate was completed.  It was also highlighted that the public consultation would be at the end of the winter, and that the programme remained in a very strong place and that work on the Neighbourhood Teams continued to be developed. 

Glen Garrod, the Director of Adult Social Services, provided the Board with an update on the Better Care Fund (BCF).

It was reported that progress had been reviewed on the progress of the £197.3m BCF pooled fund and that the BCF Task Group had recently agreed to move to fortnightly meetings to enable it to:-

·         Review 2015/16 BCF schemes being invested in across Lincolnshire;

·         To consider the challenges facing health and care over the next year, particularly £20m to protect Adult Care;

·         Look at funding for 2016/17. It was highlighted that it was anticipated that the national requirement would be for an agreed position to have been reached by February 2016;

·         The work being undertaken to complete Quarter 2 return was due to be submitted by 27 November 2015.  It was noted that the target of achieving a 3.5% reduction in non-elective admissions was achieved in the first quarter of 2015 would not be achieved in the quarter ending June, and September, and that it was currently being viewed as being very doubtful for the quarter ending 31 December 2015;

·         The establishment of a £1m Local Integration Support Fund with individual bids for a maximum of £50K being requested; and

·         An update on the recently announced Comprehensive Spending Review on the effects upon health and social care and the BCF.  It was noted the extra money from the Districts would add £500m by the end of the decade for Disabled Facility Grants on top of existing allocations.

During discussion, one member raised the issue that prior to the LHAC consultation exercise, consideration should be given to employing a Communications expert to ensure that the right message was being delivered.  The Board were advised that a person had been engaged to ensure that key messages were delivered, and key personnel were briefed to ensure consistency of the message being delivered.

RESOLVED

            That the report be noted.