Agenda item

The Health and Wellbeing Board is asked to review and note the submission of the Better Care Fund 22/23 planning submission to NHS England.

The Health and Wellbeing Board considered the Better Care Fund Plan 2022/23 submission to NHS England report, to ensure that both national and local governance was completed correctly.

The Board received an overview from the Interim Head of Community and Primary Care, Helen Mason who summarised that:

-        The funding and schemes showed minor changes to what was put forward in 2021-22 funding.

-        There were changes to the requirements which were put in last year

-        The policy objectives had slightly changed – to enable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer and provide right care in the right place at the right time.

-        The BCF also outlined how local systems provided support to unpaid carers with details within the report, also the end of life support.

-        The intermediate demand template plan was also submitted for policy direction, which covered community reablement and bed-based care step up from the community and step down from hospital.

-        The report provided a summary how the financial part was broken down, which included the funding schemes described in amounts. The NHS contribution to the Adults Social Care was £11.3 million. The NHS schemes were funding £6.7 million worth of investments in out-of-hospital services. The BCF and One Croydon programme were a strong foundation within the plans.

-        There was additional investment to the discharge to assess processes in Croydon to enable the continuation of the pathway mandated on the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

-        Metrics, for performance, were also described in the plans

Further comments from the Board highlighted that funding for Adults Social Care would be streamed from the BCF, additionally, the expectation from the NHSE encouraged the review of the propositions to the impact of bed numbers, ways in which the BCF could be used to speed up discharge or avoid admissions. Croydon was successful at being the only London borough to be working with the national team reviewing hospital discharge in Croydon and how learning from other areas could improve creativity in Croydon to be successful.

In response to queries raised by the Board, Annette McPartland, Corporate Director Adult Social Care & Health, and Michael Bell, Chair of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, clarified the following:

-        In relation to people being discharged into long-term placements; the Board heard that this work was to be reviewed as the process was for every placement to be questioned as people were stepped down out of a placement for recovery before going home. The complexity and frailty of people leaving hospital had increased and thus the acuity of people coming out of hospital were in high need, therefore having the right support at the right time and place.

-        In relation to delay in discharge and where patients were held; the Board heard that some of the delays for discharge came down to internal practice; some delays were withing the domiciliary care; other significant delays of people affected and discharge were seen for non-Croydon residents who were in care, and work was undertaken to improve speed of response from their social services team. Further, delay discharged with patients staying over twenty-one days had improved by 30-40% in the last six months, though teams were in a better position to how things were in spring, there was more room for improvement.

The Chair thanked officers for the hard work involved and outlined the importance of the joint work of the Board across the council feeding into the programme.

The Board RESOLVED: To ratify the 2022/23 Better Care Fund planning submission to NHS England.