Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors Mary Cooke, Terence Nathan, Charles Rideout and Melanie Stevens and from Maureen Falloon, Joanna Frizelle, Justine Godbeer, Tia Lovick, Belinda Price, Catherine Osborn and Daniel Wadey.  

There were no declarations of interest.

Report CS14075

This report was considered in conjunction with the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The report set out the options for integrating adult social care assessment and care management functions with community health services commissioned by Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group (BCCG). A steering group had been set up and was seeking authorisation from the Executive to explore options with the existing community health services provider, Bromley Health Care (BHC), and their commissioners, BCCG, who had just taken a decision to extend the existing BHC contract to at least March 2017, subject to ratification by the BCCG Board.

Three options were under consideration -

1.  To work with BCCG on a joint specification for community services in preparation for a joint procurement to deliver a new joint service from 1st April 2017.

 2. To pursue option 1 but also to start looking at ‘soft’ integration opportunities with BHC to start to align the services ready for re-procurement.

3. To pursue option 1, but to test a fully integrated service by formally transferring social care staff to BHC as the existing community provider.

If authorisation was provided, a report would be prepared for the Executive in June setting out the options in more detail. The possibility of a joint bid for funding from NHS England’s investment fund to promote transformation in local health economies would be explored.

A Member asked what money had been set aside for this project. The Executive Director for Education, Health and Care Services stated that £250,000 had been earmarked for “front door services” and that a further £250,000 had been earmarked for future integration. It was confirmed that there was a clear demarcation of funding allocation, and there would be no duplication of resources. Members were informed that eight other local authorities had met just before Christmas to discuss similar options, and that one other local authority was pursuing this approach. 

Some members expressed concerns about the difficulties with sharing information between organisations, and one member commented that housing would be a crucial element to the success of integration and ensuring that a holistic approach was taken. The Executive Director for Education, Health and Care Services stated that guidance was being developed concerning the sharing of data, and that patient consent would be required. It was possible that patients could hold their own notes, and that data could be stored on hand held computers in the future.

A co-opted member asked for assurance that the consultation and engagement process would take proper consideration of the views of residents and the  voluntary sector. 

RESOLVED that the Committee supports the proposal for the steering group to be authorised to explore integration opportunities with Bromley Health Care and the Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group.