Issue - meetings

Background:

This report explained that as part of the governance arrangements for the Better Care Fund (BCF) a pooled budget was required in accordance with Section 75 of the Health and Social Care Act.

The report introduced some of the issues in order to establish this by March 2015. This included a recommendation in respect of hosting the fund. Guidance issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

The draft Heads of Term were attached to the report (Appendix 2) and the recommendation was to delegate authority to officers to produce and finalise the agreement with the Chief Operating Officer of the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). It was noted that the Health and Wellbeing Board would consider this report on 21 January 2015 and therefore the delegated authority would take account of the views and comments expressed at that meeting.

The report also provided an update of the approval process for the Better Care Fund plan. It was noted that the plan had been resubmitted on 12 December 2014 and feedback from both the Local Government Association and NHS England had been positive. The report summarised the changes to the Better Care Fund plan and advised that a decision on whether it had been approved or not was anticipated mid January 2015.

Reasons:

The pooled fund has to be hosted by one partner and there is an advantage in

the Council hosting.

Delegating authority to the Director of Children and Adults Services with the

Assistant Director, Legal and Corporate Services, allows more time to

establish the pooled fund agreement which has to be operational by 1 April

2015.