Agenda item

To submit a report by the Interim Head of Adults’ Services.

Due to the Leader having another commitment, Councillor Ieuan Williams, the Vice-Chair took the Chair for this and the subsequent item.

The report of the Interim Head of Adults’ Services which sought the Executive’s approval to enter into a pooled fund pilot with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for the supported living budget for adults with learning disabilities resident in Anglesey was presented.

The Interim Head of Adults’ Services outlined the background by stating that the Council is a key partner in both the North Wales Learning Disability Strategy and the North Wales Together – Seamless Service for people with learning disabilities. Approving the proposed pilot will enable the Council to make a significant contribution to the successful achievement of key performance measures for the North Wales Together Learning Disability Transformation Programme the foundation of which is the Learning Disability Strategy. Pooled funds are a mechanism to enable greater integration of health and social care support and are viewed as being particularly effective for population groups with complex needs. The current mechanism for securing joint health and social care funding for adults with learning disabilities involves two processes which are not well aligned. The rationale for piloting a pooled fund is to test and evaluate whether integrating these processes leads to better quality services and outcomes for individuals whilst also improving the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.

With regard to the operational implications of the proposed pilot, the Officer advised that the pooled fund would be underpinned by a statutory Section 33 agreement outlining joint responsibilities, management structures, performance and quality assurance measures, financial and project governance structures. The first stage of the pilot will pool the existing financial commitments of both agencies for supported living for adults with learning disabilities resident in Anglesey – currently 36 cases. The current total spend for both BCUHB and the Council is £3,166,201.87 split as £1,346,723.81 to Health and £1, 819478.06 to the Authority. The North Wales Together Transformation Programme will allocate a financial contribution to the pooled fund once the pilot is operational to support the initial stages of delivery. Although the financial implications for the Council and BCUHB will not increase as a result of the pilot, there may be a requirements to contribute to annual supported living uplifts and uplifts in health care support needs for individuals as would be the case regardless of the pilot. The pooled fund will be held and managed by the Isle of Anglesey County Council on behalf of the partners and the Service Manager for Learning Disability and Mental Health will become the pooled fund manager responsible for the effective utilisation of the agreed pooled fund in line with the Section 33 agreement.

Once signed the agreement will remain in place for one calendar year at which stage it will be subject to a strategic and financial review by a Partnership Management Board which is to be established for the pilot.

Councillor G.O. Jones, Chair of the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee provided feedback from the Committee’s 10 November, 2020 meeting which had considered the proposal and said that the Committee had received a presentation by the Interim Head of Adults’ Services on the aims of the pilot project and the objectives of introducing a pooled fund. The legislative background was explained to the Committee and the governance arrangements were outlined. The Committee noted that the project had been risk analysed and that it would be subject to an annual review process by a Partnership Management Board. The Committee had raised questions about the added value which entering into the pilot would generate and whether it would impact on the services which the 36 individuals to whom the pilot will apply currently receive. The Committee had further sought to ascertain whether there were any similar pooled funding initiatives currently in effect in Wales and/or England and whether they are successful. Having received assurances on all matters raised the Committee had determined to recommend the proposed pooled fund project to the Executive.

Noting the views of Scrutiny, the Executive was supportive of the proposal.

It was resolved –

•           To accept and to note the content of the draft Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Shared Service Delivery/ Pooled Budget Pilot- Learning Disabilities.

•           To approve the piloting of a pooled fund between Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in a staged approach for the existing supported living budget for adults with learning disabilities resident in Anglesey who are currently jointly funded. This is for agreement of phase 1 sign off initially.

•           That the IOACC Legal Department provide an independent view aligned to the S33 agreement.

•           To delegate to the Monitoring Officer the right to complete the section 33 agreement and to the Section 151 Officer the right to agree with BCUHB the financial arrangements to ensure the funds are properly and effectively managed.