Issue - meetings

Joint report of the Head of Social Care Commissioning and Managing Director Partnerships (NEW Devon CCG) on the BCF, Annual Return, Performance Report and Performance Summary

The Board considered a joint report from Mr T Golby (Head of Social Care Commissioning, Devon County Council), Mr P O’Sullivan (Director of Partnerships, NEW Devon CCG) and Mr S Tapley (South Devon and Torbay CCG).

Regular reports were provided on the progress of the Devon Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan to enable monitoring by the Health and Wellbeing Board. Performance and progress was reviewed monthly by the Joint Coordinating Commissioning Group through the high level metrics reports and progress overview.

Quarterly, the Board is required to formally endorse the template supplied by the central Better Care Fund Programme support team, which had been included with the agenda.

In terms of the ongoing Better Care Fund activity and performance monitoring, considerable effort had been made throughout 2015/16 to address the BCF National Conditions requirements. These had all been met and were reflected in the BCF 2016 /2017 First Quarter Return. There were also performance targets for a number of system wide measures, monitored by the Better Care Management Group on behalf of JCCG.

In terms of ‘Outcome measures’, there had been agreement on local action plan to reduce delayed transfers of care as well as a system wide action plan to reduce them. Furthermore, the BCF schemes that were focused on reduction of non-elective admissions were developed, implemented and monitored via the Urgent Care Control Centre under the Success Regime programme.

The local metric for dementia had been changed. Whilst it still monitored support for people with dementia (instead of monitoring diagnosis rates), the length of stay in hospital for those with dementia was also recorded.

The Board further noted that the rates of admission to residential and nursing care homes was 601.8 per 100,000 for over 65 population, significantly below the South West average of 678.2 and the England rate of 668.8. In addition, re-ablement services were effective for around 88% of older people in receipt of those services, significantly higher than the South West (84%), the local authority comparator group (82.8%) and England (82.1%).

The Board asked whether there was any information on the future of the Better Care Fund, particularly in light of Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP), the overall regulation of the Fund by NHS England and whether the Board could lend any further support.

It was MOVED by Councillor Clatworthy, SECONDED by Mr Norley, and

RESOLVED that the first quarter return, as circulated, be endorsed and the Chairman be authorised to sign the return on the Boards behalf.