Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, People, which provided an update on the Complex Care Pooled Budget and options for the future delivery of complex care.

            It was reported that Halton local authority had a pooled budget with Halton CCG since 2002. This was expanded in 2013 to include other community care, nursing and continuing health care funding. The Social Work and Continuing Health Care Teams (CHC) worked as an integrated team with the focus on individual service users, providing safe and effective care.

            During the past two years considerable pressures had been placed on the pooled budget, mainly in relation to an overspend position on CHC. The report set out in detail the impact of increased numbers of people needing support from local authority budgets and the financial pressures on CHC nationally and locally. Table 1 also illustrated the developing picture over the last three years of CHC eligibility determinations.

            The Board noted that changes to local working arrangements, national direction and increased demand in CHC meant that the local authority should review and consider the options for the future operation of the complex care pooled budget. Three options were set out in the report, although it was reported that none would resolve the financial pressures, but some did provide the opportunity to define and clarify roles for CHC without compromising other aspects of the pooled budget.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the contents of the report be noted; and

2)    the Board agree the recommended option.