Agenda item

The Committee was presented with a report outlining the Commissioning Delivery Plan for the next four years. The report had been written by the Director of Commissioning and Members were requested to note the report.

The report highlighted the difficult  financial environment that the Council was now operating in and outlined the key points that commissioners had to consider when developing a commissioning strategy. It was noted that the information gathered by commissioners would be used to complete a business case that would inform a Gateway 1 report, and that this should therefore be linked to the four year financial forecast.

The Chairman was concerned to see that there were ten ECHS reports red flagged on the Commissioning Board Work Plan. He asked when the relevant reports would be in place as some issues had already gone beyond the deadlines. He was considering asking the relevant directors to attend the Sub Committee to explain why this was the case, and what they would do to rectify the situation. The Chairman expressed concern that the relevant strategic plans for the red-flagged reports were not in place, and indeed may still not be in place in any reasonable timescale.

The Director of Commissioning informed the Committee that she was working with the Deputy Chief Executive and Mr Feven with respect to revised timescales and it was hoped that most of the red-flagged reports would be presented to the Commissioning Board by 30^th July.

It was confirmed that the Commissioning Directorate had provided all the relevant training to officers across the Council which should enable the ECHS Directorate to deliver the reports on time. It was noted that in the five years since the Commissioning Board had been established, significant savings in the region of £15m had been realised. However, it was fundamental that sufficient time be spent working through the commissioning cycle, starting from detailed service reviews, so that the commissioning process was undertaken in the most efficient way possible; this would produce the best outcomes for all concerned.

The Chairman stated that he would like to be kept informed as to whether or not the revised deadline of 30^th July was met. The Chairman asked for an update report to be provided concerning this for the next meeting.

The Director of Commissioning said that this work was critical to confirm growth requirements over the next 4 years, and the deadline for finance that officers were working to was the 30th July. When these pressures were identified, then a financial envelope could be formulated to deal with any service re-design that may be required. The Chairman commented that when there were problems with getting behind on a schedule, it was often difficult to catch up, and this was concerning. The Vice Chairman asked if this matter was a one off glitch, or was it systemic. 

A Member asked for an update concerning the Mortuary Contract, and asked if bids had now been received. It was explained that the contract had to be extended as the relevant health authority staff had not been available previously to deal with the new bid. However, it was the case that a bid had now been received.

A Member proposed a motion that was seconded by the Chairman. The motion was that in the future, if a report was going to be presented late to the Commissioning Board, then two weeks subsequent to the missed deadline, a letter would be required to be written by the relevant director explaining why this was the case. The letter should be sent to the following recipients:

·  The Chief Executive

·  The Deputy Chief Executive

·  The relevant Portfolio Holder

·  The Director of Commissioning

·  The Commissioning Board

·  The Chairman of the Contracts & Commissioning Sub Committee

·  The Vice-Chairman of the Contracts & Commissioning Sub Committee

Post Meeting Note One:

An email was sent by the Committee Clerk on 18^th July to the Chief Executive and the Deputy Chief Executive, outlining the principle of the recommendation. In this case the email referenced the 30^th July date for the receipt of current red-flagged ECHS reports to the Commissioning Board. The Director of Commissioning, Paul Feven and Committee Members were copied in to the email.

Post Meeting Note Two:

The Chief Executive responded to the determination of the Committee and pointed out that the resolution by-passed the managerial responsibility and accountability which was held by himself.  Going forward, he would ensure that the requirements of the resolution were met by the Commissioing Board.  Additionally, he would ensure that the Director of Commissioning would be able to update the Committee on any actions undertaken by himself or his delegated officer and would be able to offer an explanation to Members if required. 

Councillor Mellor expressed reservations about asking for the letter as he felt that it would over complicate a simple matter. Councillor Tickner expressed the view that asking for the letter would create more work, with a possible request for more resources, for these reasons he abstained. 

A discussion took place concerning what information should be incorporated into the Commissioning Board Work Plan going forward. It was agreed that the named officer responsible for reports should be added. The Director of Commissioning explained some of the terminology used in the Commissioning Board Work Plan document. ‘Strategy’ was the equivalent of ‘Gate Zero’, requiring a detailed Business Case to be undertaken in line with the training modules and how this would help to mitigate future cost pressures. ‘Award’ meant that the bid process was completed and a decision had been made in terms of contract award. 

Members discussed the relationship between the Commissioning Board and the Contracts and Commissioning Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED that:

1) In the future, if a report was going to be late going to the Commissioning Board,  then two weeks subsequent to the deadline, a letter should be written by the relevant director explaining why this was the case, as noted in the minutes.

2) Going forward, the names of responsible officers should be added to the Commissioning Board Work Plan. 

3) For the September meeting, an update report should be provided to inform the Committee what occurred with respect to the provision of ECHS reports to the Commissioning Board on 30^th July.