Issue - meetings

Report CS18044

The Committee considered a report recommending the reallocation of preventative funds within Better Care Funding for 2017/18.

In September 2016, the Local Authority and Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group agreed to jointly commission a range of primary and secondary intervention services funded through the Better Care Fund.  These services were designed to reduce the requirement for unplanned care, prevent or delay the need for long term care packages and to support residents to remain independent for as long as possible.  Following consideration by the Council’s Executive at its meeting on 19^th July 2017, a contract to deliver these services was awarded to Bromley Third Sector Enterprise from 1^st October 2017.  This represented a slight delay from the originally anticipated start date of 1^st April 2017.  It was therefore proposed to utilise the underspend on the 2017/18 allocation from the Better Care Fund to offset cost pressures sustained by the Local Authority and Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group as a result of reduced preventative services in 2017/18, and that this be split in accordance with the financial make-up of primary and secondary intervention services on the basis of 60% to the Local Authority and 40% to Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.

Members stressed the need for assurances to be provided that any funding would be used for the purposes set out in the Better Care Fund.  The Deputy Chief Executive confirmed that services had been in place since 1^st April 2017, and that funding would be allocated within the key parameters of the Better Care Fund.

The Committee noted that a shrink back to budget should be one of the positive impacts of the Better Care Fund.

RESOLVED that the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

1)  Approve the reallocation of £825,500 of Better Care Fund originally allocated for preventative services to be split between the Local Authority and the Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group on a 60%/40% split;

2)  Approve that the reallocated funding be put against overspends and pressures attributable to not having preventative services in place, and note that the preventative services have now been awarded and will commence from 1^st October 2017; and,

3)  Note the agreement of Joint Integrated Commissioning Executive to this action on 19^th July 2017.