Agenda item

[To receive a position report on the Better Care Fund]

                                                                                                                [Sarah Carter]

Sarah Carter presented a report which provided the Board with an update on progress made in relation to the development of the Better Care Fund Programme in Wolverhampton and which outlined the next steps to be taken with regard to the next steps required for the sign off of the Better Care Fund Plan. She explained to the Board that since the report had been produced the submission had been rated by the Department for Health in the category as “Approved with Support”. This meant that, overall the Review Team and the Modification Panel had confidence in the Plan. There were, however, some items of evidence or information that would need to be submitted to provide full assurance. The Team would want to review these particular areas before the Plan could be approved fully. Areas in this category would be assigned a Relationship Manager from the Task Force to agree a plan to provide the further information identified through the National Consistence Assurance Review (NCAR)process. This would be a straightforward and light touch process and the aim was for all Health and Wellbeing Board’s in this category to have their Plans approved fully before December 2015.

She reported that a report in connection with “Pooled Budget” arrangements

Would be submitted to the meeting scheduled for 7 January 2015 with the proposals being signed off at the meeting scheduled for 4 March 2015. A number of issues needed to be addressed before the official sign of including:

·         Whether responsibility for monitoring the Better Care Fund expenditure would be undertaken by the Health and Wellbeing Board;

·         The level of oversight of the Programme required by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Viv Griffin reminded the Board that it had been the practice to stage two “Away Days” each Municipal Year and suggested that arrangements be made for such an event in order that consideration could be given to the issues now referred to. This suggestion was supported.

Sarah Carter reported that the final Better Care Fund submission would be uploaded shortly on the Websites of both the City Council and the Wolverhampton City Clinical Commissioning Group. Maxine Bygrave requested that an “Executive Summary” be provided to Healthwatch Wolverhampton and that she would arrange for it to be uploaded to the Website. Alan Coe suggested that if an “Executive Summary” document was not available information pertaining to the Better Care Fund should be provided in a format that was easily understandable and in a “what does this mean for me/ my relative” format. Sarah Carter assured the Board that these issues were being addressed by the Communications and Engagement Team.

Resolved:

1. That the next steps of the plan programme be approved;

2. That delegated authority be granted to the Chair of the Board for the final Better Care Fund detailed scheme descriptions and submission to the Department for Health;

3. That arrangements be made for a further “Away Day” event to consider the responsibility for operational oversight and financial and performance monitoring, metrics and plans associated with the Better Care Fund;

4. That further reports be submitted to future meetings on the “pooled Budget” arrangements and the Section 75 proposed draft agreement.