Agenda item

Report of the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health

The Board considered a report of the Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health proposing that the Council suspends its role in the Integrated Care System for a period of up to 6 months and use that time to negotiate with partners to make improvements and address the Council’s concerns about current arrangements.

RESOLVED to

(1)  suspend the Council’s role in the Integrated Care System for up to 6 months, with immediate effect, and delegate responsibility to the Chief Executive to write to health partners formally to inform them of the decision;

(2)  work with all local health partners within the Integrated Care System to agree key principles for the way in which social care in the City is taken forwards within the Integrated Care System; and

(3)  review the position after 6 months, or before.

Reasons for the decision

To seek to agree changes to the way in which the Integrated Care System (ICS) operates and develops for the benefit of the City and its residents.  The Council would like to see changes to the governance of the ICS to include greater levels of democratic involvement and more robust and meaningful engagement with citizens and stakeholders.  The Council would like to agree the shared adoption of key principles in line with Council Plan priorities such as the development of local jobs, training and development of local people and a preference for investment in public services, local businesses, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary sector organisations.  The ICS should play a critical role in tackling health inequalities in communities and therefore, as the democratically elected body and the strongest advocate of community development in the City, the Council is seeking a stronger leadership role across the partnership to represent community health and care services for the City area.

The funding differences between health, which receives more funding, and adult social care, where funding is unable to keep up with demand, have presented significant problems in working in partnership.  The underfunding of social care, and the inherent imbalance between health and care, is holding back the development of the ICS.

The agreement of changes will benefit the development of health and social care integration in order to better serve the needs of the population within the City and wider ICS area.

Other options considered

To remain fully within the Integrated Care System (ICS).  This option was rejected because the Council has a number of issues with the way the ICS is developing and believes it is better to be open and honest  about them with partners rather than proceeding with implied consent to the plans.

To formally notify NHS partners that the Council does not wish to have any part in the development of the ICS in its current form and remove its name from the partnership.  This option was rejected because the Council is committed to the integration of health and social care and would wish to continue to strive towards closer integration where there are benefits to citizens of doing so.  The ICS will continue without the local authority if it left now, and the Council would rather seek to influence changes to the ICS before any decision is taken to leave.  In the event that changes are not able to be made, and the Council remains concerned about the way in which it is developing, then it is possible that the review of the suspension could result in the Council formally leaving at a later date.