Agenda item - Better Care Fund 2021/22 and 2022/23

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Agenda item

Better Care Fund 2021/22 and 2022/23

Joint Report of the Managing Director, Brighton and Hove CCG and the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care (copy attached)

Minutes:

35.1    The Board considered a joint report of the Managing Director, Brighton and Hove CCG and the Executive Director, Health and Adult Social Care presenting the Better Care Fund Plan 2021/22 and 2022/23.

 

35.2    The report was introduced by Ashley Scarff, Deputy Managing Director of the CCG who explained that the Better Care Fund (BCF) was an important element of delivering the Brighton and Hove Placed Plans and supporting the delivery of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The joint fund held by the Council and the CCG supported schemes which delivered on local priorities which supported admission avoidance, enhanced personalisation. Supporting hospital discharge, reduced length of stay, equality and health inequalities.

 

35.3    The report presented (Part A) the approved BCF Plan for 2021/2022 and (Part B) the plan for 2022/2023. The Plan for 2022/23 required approval by the Board and further approval for the extension of the BCF Section 75 agreement, which governed the joint fund between the council and the CCG, beyond its current end point of March 2022 to enable continuance of funded schemes to March 2023.

 

35.4    Councillor Appich, sought confirmation regarding measures being undertaken to address workforce pressures and to retain care workers and other front-line staff within care homes. The Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health explained that funding had been put into place to seek to address staff shortages in the short term and to address shortages as a result of staff sickness. Work was also being undertaken to support care providers in the longer term as the picture was mirrored across the country as a whole. In answer to further questions in respect of the Improved Better Care Fund, Ashley Scarff explained that this referred to the additional supplement which had been provided in addition to the original fund.

 

35.5    Councillor MacCafferty referred to similar issues which had been experienced in retaining social workers. The Executive Director, Adult Health and Social Care explained that a very productive meeting, the first face to face one for some time had taken place the previous week and partners were actively working to address these issues arising including those around hospital discharge arrangements to seek to build in funding stability, to improve capacity planning for the future.

 

35.6    Lola Banjoko, Chief Executive of the CCG explained that key conversations were on-going to identify what was needed and what needed to be responded to and to have conversations to ensure that the key role of the voluntary care sector was optimised. The Executive Director explained that utilising technology also had a role of play in freeing up staff resources.

 

36.7    Joanna Martindale, referred to the current annual funding cycle and enquired whether there was any scope for longer periods of funding in order to build in greater stability. It was explained that the existing timeframe was set by government and that it was no changes to the existing arrangements were envisaged presently, although the opportunity to do so might occur in the future. Unfortunately, the Council’s budget cycle and that for the NHS were not aligned.

 

35.7    RESOLVED – (1) That the Board notes the BCF Schemes delivered in 2021/22 and NHSE Guidance received in the 2021/22 Approval Letter that:

 

all BCF are required to review and revise BCF discharge ambitions and activity plans in order to support the aim of maximising capacity across acute and community settings – enabling the maximum number of people to be discharged safely and quickly, home wherever possible, and supporting people in their own homes”;

 

(2) That the Board approves the proposal to prioritise stability into 2022/23 by carrying forward all schemes funded in the previous year, subject to minor amendments resulting from scheme review and any further guidance issued in year by NHS England; and

 

(3) That the Board authorise the Executive Director Health and Adult Social Care and the Manging Director, Brighton & Hove CCG to agree and execute an extension to the Better Care Fund Section 75 Partnership Agreement (the Agreement) between the Council and the Brighton & Hove CCG to extend the Agreement to March 2023.

Supporting documents:

 


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