Agenda and minutes

Report CS14111

Social care funding from NHS England to L B Bromley for 2014/15 comprised:

·  a one-off £992k integration payment from a national £200m integration sum, forming the first part of the Better Care Fund (BCF); and 

·  a transfer of £4,464,253 from a national £900m sum in the Spending Round, subject to the same arrangements as Section 256 transfers for 2013/14.

With Bromley’s BCF Plan agreed by the BCF Programme Board (subject to six small changes), and previously signed by the Health and Wellbeing Board, BCF funds for 2014/15 had been transferred to L B Bromley as an integration payment under s.256 of the NHS Act 2006. Although BCF plans include some detail on 2014/15 spend, s.256 arrangements require that local authority expenditure plans are categorised into specific service areas agreed with the Department of Health.

The remaining £4.464m would be used to support adult social care and have a health benefit. The sum was provided to make a positive impact on social care services and outcomes for service users. As with the integration payment, the Spending Round sum would be made via an agreement between NHS England and L B Bromley under s.256 arrangements. Funding would be transferred upon signing of the s.256 agreement by both parties.

Local authorities were required to complete a submission template showing how proposed spend meets the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework and the NHS Outcomes Framework. Submissions were to show planned expenditure, with project details against specific service areas. Details were outlined in Report CS14111 along with proposed 2014/15 allocations, although it was not proposed, or required, that all service areas be covered by spend. With the £992k BCF monies retained in 2014/15 Central Contingency, release of the monies was sought to fund the areas outlined. 

Bromley CCG had agreed these areas. Subject to Executive agreement and sign-off by the Health and Wellbeing Board Chairman, the proposals would be submitted to NHS England following the meeting (21^st November), along with final details of the individual schemes. The additional 2014/15 funding would be included with the overall 2015/16 Better Care Fund previously reported to Executive (19^th September 2014). Allowing for any new ongoing commitments not previously reported and recognition that Report CS14111includes one off funding at £150k, the expected contribution towards “Protecting Social Care” would reduce from £3.5m to £3.25m from 2015/16. 

Members considered significant service areas earmarked for the 2014/15 integration funding.

On dementia, there were an estimated 200,000 cases of undiagnosed dementia nation-wide. Dementia was a priority through the BCF strategy. Significant savings could be made through research and early identification of dementia e.g. GPs looking at all their patient records. Early identification could enable measures to slow the onset of dementia; however, it seemed that NHS England preferred all the funding to be spent on patients.

There was also a heavy demand for re-ablement services. Discussions were  developing with the CCG on both rehabilitation and re-ablement – the former being a service provided by the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 93.