Agenda item - Caring Together Update

37.1    Dr David Supple and the Executive Director, Health and Social Care presented an update on Caring Together. They highlighted that a shadow integration year would be beginning in April 2018. While life expectancy was increasing healthy life expectancy was falling and Brighton & Hove was experiencing population growth especially in the number of older residents. The CCG was continuing to run Big Health and Social Care Conversation engagement events, a formal evaluation of the Big Conversation would be produced in March 2018. Four local CCGs including Brighton & Hove CCG were forming a commissioning alliance.

37.2    Members of the Board requested that future updates cover services providing support children and young people in greater detail as the Council had a statutory duty to represent the voices of children.

37.3    Dr Supple responded that he would provide details of how children and young people were being included in the Big Conversation at the Board’s January meeting.

37.4    Malcom Dennett stated that external auditors had reviewed the Big Conversation within wider patient/CCG interactions and had come back with a substantial reassurance.

37.5    Councillor Page expressed concern about a national funding gap for health and social care but welcomed the urgency with which issues with primary care in the city were being address.  

37.6    Mr Deschene was concerned that the Big Conversation did not seem to include providers from the private or third sectors.

37.7    Dr Supple provided assurance that every effort was being made to include all stakeholders in the Big Conversation but agreed that more could be done to reach the private sector. The Chair also stated that he felt private and third sector providers were missing from not just the Big Conversation but from the Health & Welling Board’s membership.

37.8    The Chief Executive, Brighton & Hove City Council reported that through the Greater Brighton Economic Board and the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership the Council was discussing wellbeing strategies with private sector organisations.

37.9    Councillor Barford asked what work was taking place to ensure that minority and disadvantaged groups were able to participate in the Big Conversation.

37.10  Dr Supple stated that he would be able to provide a detailed response in writing.

37.11  Councillor Barford expressed concerns that palliative care was not mentioned in the update.

37.12  Dr Supple responded that the CCG had a clinical lead for palliative care and that hospices had been added to the list of providers to include in the Big Conversation.

37.13  Councillor Penn asked why mental health had been included as part of a grouping in the list of priorities and stated that it should be brought to the fore.

37.14  Dr Supple stated that the grouping was based on commissioning teams and did not represent the importance or lack thereof the CCG placed on any one subject or area. Mental health was one of the three key strategic areas for the local Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

37.15  Councillor Taylor stated that he was concerned that the Health & Wellbeing Board appeared to be marginalised in the proposed integrated governance structures and that its centrality should be maintained.

37.16 Resolved - That the Health & Wellbeing Board noted the update