Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing on progress of the procurement and mobilisation of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

Ms K Sharp, Head of Public Health Commissioning, and Ms C Maynard, Care Procurement Category Manager, were in attendance for this item.

1. Ms Maynard introduced the report and explained that much work was going on to establish an integrated children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing service.  She set out the governance arrangements between the seven CCGs and the County Council and how the service would be delivered between them. Ms Maynard and Ms Sharp responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    Members commended the work which had been done to draw together the threads of this complex piece of work and hoped that the long and complex journey to improve the service would finally come to fruition in a good-quality service. Ms Maynard assured Members that key performance indicators would be included in the final contract that the provider would sign.  Mr Ireland added that he had much confidence in the new service and commented that the co-operation between the County Council and the NHS provided a good template for future joint working;

b)    Ms Sharp confirmed that the County Council was to contribute the smallest share of the cost of providing the service, £1million - for the children in care, early help and public health elements of the service - compared to the NHS contribution of £15million; and

c)    monitoring of the new service would be an important role for the County Council, and it was important to decide how this would be managed between the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Scrutiny Committee and this Cabinet Committee, without duplication, and to prevent ‘drift’.  Ms Sharp undertook to discuss the issue with Democratic Services colleagues.

2.         RESOLVED that the information set out in the report, and given in response to comments and questions, be noted

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing asking the Children’s Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to enter into S76 arrangements (under the NHS Act 2006) with West Kent CCG as the lead commissioner on behalf of all the Kent CCGs and KCC.

Mrs C Infanti, Commissioning Officer, was in attendance for this item.

1.         Mrs Infanti introduced the report on the commissioning and procurement of the child and young people’s mental health service. She explained that this report sought the committee’s endorsement to formalise the next step of the joint procurement process and enter into legal agreements with the CCGs.

2.         Mrs Infanti gave the following information in response to questions raised by the committee:-

a)    that she, colleagues in Legal Services and CCG colleagues did not foresee any problems in getting the legal agreements in place by  the proposed timeline;

b)    it was also confirmed a lot of work had been done on the performance framework and that any potential provider would be asked to share that performance data with the County Council;

c)    that staff employed by the successful provider would be expected to work alongside current Kent County Council staff in Early Help Units; and

d)    in response to a concern raised, Mrs Infanti explained that the contract would be held by West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group. However, Kent County Council would have an agreement in place that would ensure there were clauses in the contract in regard of performance targets for the provider. This would involve Kent Performance Indicators having to be followed closely by the provider.

3.         Mr A Ireland, Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, reassured the Committee that the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee had been following the progress of the commissioning and procurement of the child and young people’s mental health service in depth.

4.         RESOLVED that the proposed decision to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services:-

a) that Kent County Council enter into such legal agreements that are necessary and appropriate to enable the joint operational delivery of this project between the County Council, West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group and the provider, for the purpose of jointly procuring a mental health service for children and young people, including children in care and integrated provision within the heath needs pupil referral units; and

b) to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, or other nominated officer, to undertake the necessary actions to enter into the agreements,

be endorsed.