Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director Commissioning, Performance and Transformation

The Assistant Director Commissioning, Performance and Transformation submitted a report (previously circulated) updating Members on progress of the submission of the Darlington Better Care Fund Plan for the 2022/23 programme and the review across all funded schemes.

The submitted report stated that the Better Care Fund (BCF) was a programme spanning the NHS and Local Government which sought to join up health and care services; integrated care boards (ICBs) and local government were required to agree a joint plan for using pooled budgets to support integration, which was governed by an agreement under section 75 of the NHS Act (2006); and the plan was owned by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Details were provided of the four national conditions for funding, three of which remain as previous years, with a change to national condition 4; the four key metrics  that the plan must deliver against were outlined along with funding for 2022/23. Members were informed that the funding package was not new monies.

It was stated that the plan for Darlington was submitted to the BCF national team on 26 September following endorsement by the Programme Board; Health and Wellbeing areas had been advised that the outcome of the assurances of all plans would not be completed until 24 October; and a service review was underway across all funded schemes and was due to be completed by December 2022.

Discussion ensued regarding horizon scanning; the Assistant Director Commissioning, Performance and Transformation assured Members that the service review would provide clarity and help to identify which schemes would require co-funding; and that all services worked collaboratively as a system to ensure the right services would continue to receive funding.

RESOLVED – (a) That the expected submission of the Darlington 22/23 Plan and approval of the plan towards the end of November be noted.

(b) That the programme review be noted and a report be tabled at a future meeting of this Scrutiny Committee, detailing the outcome of the review.