Decision details

Further to Minute No. 57 of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting held on 19 February 2014, the Cabinet considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive which provided details of background to the Better Care Fund (BCF) (formerly the Integration Transformation Fund) and outlined the approach being taken in developing Sefton’s Better Care Plan. The first stage of which, is that a BCF template had to be submitted by 14February 2014 to NHS England (North), which would then be assured by that organisation, with support from the Local Government Association, to assess whether Seftons BCF, is sufficiently robust to deliver the Governments vision for the integration of health and social care.

Decision Made:

That the first iteration of the Better Care Plan, as agreed by the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Older People and Health, which was submitted to the Government on the 14 February 2014 be approved.

Reasons for Decision:

The Government is pooling resources within the Better Care Fund, and had nominally proposed the amount for each local area, subject to jointly developing with its Clinical Commissioning Groups a joint plan. The first stage of the process is to submit a planning template, which would be assured, to assess whether the plan was likely to deliver the governments vision for integration of health and social care. The deadline for the template to be submitted was 14 February, 2014, and the Cabinet Member - Older People and Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Children, Schools, Families and Leisure, as Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, agreed to submit the template by the deadline, but subject to the approval of the Cabinet on formal recommendation of the Health and Wellbeing Board. It is not known what the impact would be of none compliance with the process, but it is possible that the resources nominally allocated to Sefton would not be available.  Therefore to ensure the resource is secured, the process has been complied with. 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None