Agenda item

The Director of Adult Social Care and Health Integration will provide the panel with a verbal update regarding the integration of health and social care.

The Director of Adult Social Care and Health Integration provided Members with an update regarding the integration of Health and Social Care; the following points were made:

• The transition from the current Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) arrangement to the Integrated Care System (ICS) was almost complete, with the switch over due to take place on 1 July 2022.
• The Chief Operating Officer of the ICS was now formally in place, alongside other senior personnel.
• Structurally, the ICS would comprise an Integrated Care Board (ICB), i.e. the formal NHS Board where financial authority and financial allocations for the region would sit, and below that, an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).  Membership of the ICB was stipulated within legislation, whereas the ICP would provide opportunity for local partners to come together to share their priorities and commissioning aspirations.  This would then ‘feed into’ the ICB for deliberation around decision-making.
• The geography of the North East and North Cumbria ICS was larger than any other, not necessarily by population, but area size.  Representations had been made to the Chair of the ICB throughout the development exercise, which indicated that a single ICP across the geography would not be practical and would mean that individual places would struggle to be heard.  It was explained that following the development stages, the NHS had formally announced that the area would have sub-ICPs: the Tees Valley sub-ICP would comprise the five Tees Valley local authorities and would largely reflect the same footprint as the current CCG model.  The Director envisaged that much would feel the same in terms of day to day practical operation, and that benefits pertaining to the prevention agenda and the longer term equalities agenda would arise from this.
• Each local authority area had been asked to look at ten operational priorities in Adult Services and in Children’s Services within Public Health.  Senior officers from those respective authorities would be meeting on 1 July 2022 to discuss converting those locally identified priorities into a set of themes for the ICP.  The five themes / priorities identified in respect of Adult Services were:

-        Ageing well;

-        Sustainability (with a large focus on workforce challenge);

-        Hospital discharge and admission avoidance;

-        Mental health; and

-        Prevention and inequalities. 

It was explained that these themes would be regularly referenced in local inter-agency meetings because they had emerged from work undertaken with the CCG, colleagues in the VCS, and Public Health.  It was felt that this approach would also facilitate joint working locally within the ICS.

During the discussion that followed, a Member queried the progress of the transition from the CCG to the ICS arrangement and whether any issues had been either envisaged or experienced.  In response, the Director indicated that, at present, the senior officers within the ICS had been appointed, which included the accountable officers who would work with the respective local authorities for the various geographical areas.  It was indicated that not all of the final appointments had been made for the senior staff at local level, but it was anticipated that this process would be completed within the next fortnight.  In terms of finance, reference was made to an operating model that focused on delegated financial decisions, which on a broad basis was felt to be sensible and worked in line with the Tees Valley’s objectives.  It was possible that increased negotiation between the Local Authority and the NHS may be necessary in dealing with some matters, such as in respect of continuing healthcare, though this had not been encountered as of yet.

The Chair thanked the Director for the information presented.

NOTED