Issue - meetings

(Mr B Sweetland made a personal declaration of interest in that he is a non executive Director of Kent Community Health NHS Trust).

(Item 7 – Report by Jenny Whittle, Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and Malcolm Newsam, Interim Corporate Director, Families and Social Care)

(1)       Mrs Whittle said this report sought the agreement of Cabinet to proceed with the joint commissioning of emotional wellbeing and CAMHS (Child and Adult Mental Health Services) services with the Kent and Medway Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Medway Council. The report also sought agreement to Kent’s contribution to the Integrated Community CAMHS continuing at the full amount of the current CAMHS grant i.e. £2.4 million. The PCTs currently spend £14m and therefore the total amount available is some £16.4m. Mrs Whittle said the proposed partnership reflected best practice and in commending this report to Cabinet she placed on record her thanks to officers for their part in developing this initiative. Mr Gibbens spoke of the importance of getting the right support for these young people in their transition from children to adult services. Ms Peachey spoke of the importance of working with partners in order to achieve getting waiting times down below 18 weeks. Mr Carter spoke of the links between the Performance Management Framework and ‘Bold Steps for Kent;’ and the need for the ongoing monitoring of targets and relevant bench marking so that time lines are reduced both in the short and medium term.

(2)      Cabinet resolved:

(a)           to note the contents of the report and agreed the joint commissioning with the Kent and Medway Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) of an Integrated Community Child and Adolescence Mental Health Service (CAMHS);

(b)                         to approve in principle the alignment of the Kent County CAMHS funding and a Partnership Agreement with the PCT for the provision and delivery of CAMHS

(c) to confirm and agree the level of KCCs contribution to the integrated CAMHS should be at the level of the current CAMHS grant of £2.4 m.

(d) to agree as already notified in the Forward Plan to proceed to the procurement stage, in line with the proposed timetable detailed in the Cabinet report.