Agenda item

(1)          Dr R Stewart and Mr Gough introduced the report and gave a short presentation about the Kent Better Care Fund submission.  The presentation included an outline of: the Kent Vision for the future of health and social care; finance and budget issues; metrics for monitoring performance; the assurance process; and the next steps in the submission process.

(2)       The HWB had previously considered a draft submission to the Better Care Fund at its meeting on 12 February 2014.  On 6 March 2014 a joint letter had been received by the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and Adult Social Care outlining the outcomes of the assurance process.  Further assurance was required across a number of areas and steps had been taken to ensure these issues were addressed in the final draft plan being considered.  The final plan had to be submitted to NHS England by 4 April 2014 together with the CCG’s commissioning plans.  Following the submission, further work would be required within each care economy to develop detailed implementation plans.

(3)       Ms Cox identified the need to ensure that the social care element of the Better Care Fund plans dovetailed with CCG plans; the need to work with acute care providers to understand the impact changes in care provision would have on hospital admissions; and the need for clear governance of the significantly larger funds due to be committed to BCF in 2015-16.  Mr E Howard-Jones undertook to lead a group to consider governance and risk issues and report to the HWB in September 2014.

(4)       Concerns about the lack of public health integration within the BCF submission were also raised.  Although most of the public health elements had been included, it was suggested they could be simplified and aligned with health commissioning in relation to winter warmth, social isolation and falls prevention and more explicitly stated in the Better Care Fund submission.  Mr Scott-Clark undertook to circulate revisions to the BCF submission to better reflect the public health elements.

(5)       The importance of mental health issues and a need to understand how the integration plans could be implemented at scale and pace were also identified.

(6)       RESOLVED

(a)       That the Better Care Fund Plan be agreed and endorsed for submission to NHS England subject to no objections being received to the proposed re-wording of the public health elements that was to be circulated.

(b)       That the clear commitment to closer integration across health and social care and the radical transformation evident in the Better Care Fund Plan be endorsed resulting in the citizens of Kent being able to expect:

•           Better access – co-designed integrated teams working 24/7 around GP practices

•           Increased independence – supported by agencies working together

•           More control – empowerment for citizens to self-manage

•           Improved care at home – 15% reduction for acute admissions and long term care placements, rapid community response particularly for people with dementia

•           To live and die safely at home – supported by anticipatory care plans

•           No information about me without me – the citizen in control of electronic information sharing

•           Better use of information intelligence – evidence-based integrated commissioning.

(c)        That progress to meet the areas of development to achieve the final submission be noted.

(d)       That a further report be considered by the HWB on 17 September 2014 outlining the governance arrangements for managing budgets from 2015.