Agenda item

To receive an update and also sign-off of the quarterly report.

Sue Lott, Adult Social Care – Urgent Care, Acute and Prisons, Margaret Ashton-Gray, Health and Social Care Integration Finance, Lancashire County Council and Paul Robinson, Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit, NHS provided a progress update of the Better Care Fund reset work and actions taken since the Health and Wellbeing Board in September 2023.

The Board were informed that the quarterly report has been submitted and requires formal sign-off from the Health and Wellbeing Board at this meeting. The report shows that it is broadly on track with regards performance against the mandated Better Care Fund metrics, except for admissions to long term residential care for which mitigating actions are in place.

The quarterly finance report (circulated separately to the Board) is a first iteration of what will become a regular part of the Better Care Fund quarterly reporting. A template will also be circulated separately for which the ambition is to use as the reporting template for future finance reports.

The reset programme is progressing and updates regarding various elements are provided within this report, including take up of the Better Care support offer and proposals on which element of the thematic review the system should commence first.

Information is also provided on the Hospital Aftercare service (circulated separately to the Board) which is one of the services funded through the Better Care Fund. The stories demonstrate the positive impact the service has for the people it supports. The intention is to regularly provide this type of information to the Health and Wellbeing Board, to support awareness of the scope of the services and teams delivered through use of the monies in the pooled fund.

Further detailed information can be found in the report on the following:

·  The Lancashire Better Care Fund Quarterly Report

·  Section 75

·  Quarterly Finance Report

·  The Review and Reset Work

·  Better Care Fund (BCF) Support Offer Update

·  Hospital Aftercare – Stories

Following the presentation, the following comments were made:

·  That delays in funding payments from the Integrated Care Board to the Better Care Fund, from a Board's perspective raises concerns and assurance was needed.  Lancashire County Council is the accountable body for the Better Care Fund, and for example the Discharge to Assess (D2A) fund is paid into the fund by the Integrated Care Board and then distributed back to the Board.  This is the current mandated mechanism to receive the monies into the pool and the schemes that have been approved which are carried out by the Integrated Care Board, will then be returned, so they can continue to provide those services.

·  The Better Care Fund pooled funding mechanism needs to be reviewed.

·  In terms of the additional Integrated Care Board funding allocation of £10m into social care, the Board were informed that discussions commenced in the last financial year when the benchmarking information was shared with the Integrated Care Board and that there continues to be discussions on allocation of spend and it is hoped that a decision on that spend will be reported back to this Board at its next meeting in January 2024.

·  It was suggested that a Better Care Fund Manager from the Integrated Care Board needs to be identified to oversee the funds activities.

·  As from April 2024, the Lancashire Place Partnership will take delegated responsibility for the Better Care Fund from the Integrated Care Board.  It was suggested that when decisions on the funds are to be made, that a joint meeting between Lancashire Place Partnership and the Lancashire Health and Wellbeing Board is convened.

Resolved:  The Health and Wellbeing Board:

(i)  Received the report and commented on the progress to date on the review and reset programme and receive a further report at the Board's next meeting in January 2024.

(ii)  Considered and endorsed the proposal of focussing on the theme of Intermediate Care first.

(iii)Received and considered the Finance Summary Report (circulated separately to the Board).

(iv)Agreed and signed-off the Lancashire Better Care Fund Quarterly Report (circulated separately to the Board).

(v)  Would receive the decisions for spend, following further discussions on the additional Integrated Care Board funding allocation of £10m into social care at its next Board meeting in January 2024.