Agenda item

The Committee to consider an update report from Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group.

Mr R Fisher, Chairman of Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), presented the Committee with an update report that covered a number of a different areas of work.

Commencing with an assurance update, Mr Fisher informed the Committee that the CCG met with the Lancashire Area Team for NHS England on a quarterly basis, who report back to the CCG, which is then, in turn, reported back to the Governing Body on the CCG’s progress and assurances. The CCG then uses the NHS England Assurance Framework to provide assurance to the Area Team, covering all the areas that the CCG was responsible for. The CCG had recently undergone a year end assurance review with the Area Team and assurance of achievement in all areas of its business was provided. It was reported that the CCG Assurance Framework was based across six domains and the Committee was provided with details of each of these.

The Committee was then provided with details of the CCG’s first Annual Report which had recently been drafted. A process of auditing and governance was underway that would lead to final publication of the report by 13^th June. It was expected that the CCG would hold an annual general meeting where the report and accounts would be presented on 9^th September.

Mr Fisher went on to provide the Committee with details of the Altogether Now – Blackpool Community Sports Awards which took place at an event that was held on 3^rd April. It was reported that the event was a success, with hundreds of residents having attended the ceremony at Bloomfield Road where local sports stars from various community clubs and the professional world of sport were honoured. The Committee was provided with a full list of winners.

The Committee then went on to receive a presentation delivered by Dr. M Johnson of Blackpool CCG that related to an update on the Better Care Fund.

Members were reminded that the Better Care Fund was a £3.8 billion single pooled national budget for health and social care services to work more closely together in local areas, based on a plan agreed between the NHS and local authorities. Dr Johnson explained the role of the Programme Board which had been established in February 2014, that was responsible for the co-ordination of the locality plan for Blackpool and the design and implementation of all aspects of the Better Care Fund model that was described in the Plan. It was intended to lead to care being delivered closer to home and services wrapped around the need of the patient. He went on to describe the lengthy process of pulling the Plan together and the submission process which had been completed in April 2014.

The Committee was informed that whilst Blackpool had been held as an exemplar in relation to its submission, there was now a Government pause and guidance was now awaited on the next steps, nationally. Dr Johnson added however that due to the complexity and nature of the work going forward, that it was necessary to press on with the plans going forward on a local basis.

Responding to questions from the Committee, Dr Johnson acknowledged that in relation to budget sharing across Fylde, transience and people moving around was a big problem and that information was not being transferred quickly enough. Work was being carried out on a primary identifier that would speed things up.

In relation to the preparatory work on the project, Dr Johnson explained that a pilot was being planned across GP practices in the north of the town with a commencement date of December 2014.

The Committee agreed to note the presentation and report.

Background papers: None.