Issue - meetings

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Finance Officer which presented the Committee with a summary of a recent NHSG Internal Audit report prepared by PwC. The internal audit report assessed the design and operating effectiveness of key controls for budget setting and staff governance at the Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray Health & Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs).

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to note the content of the NHSG Internal Audit Report, as attached at Appendix A; and

(ii)       to instruct officers to implement the actions outlined in the action plan of the

NHSG Internal Audit report, as attached at Appendix A.

PROFESSOR MIKE GREAVES, Chairperson.

The Committee had before it a report by Alex Stephen which provided the Committee with an opportunity to review and comment on the unaudited final accounts for 2016/17.

The report recommended:-

That Committee -

a)            Consider and comment of the Integration Joint Board’s Unaudited Accounts for 2016/17;

b)            Note the revised Annual Governance Statement and assurances provided from NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council and the internal auditors; and

c)            Agree to bring forward the Committee’s meeting date on 12 September 2017 to 21 August to ensure that the IJB annual accounts can be agreed and submitted in a timely manner to partner organisations.

Alex Stephen advised that in drafting the accounts he had closely followed the CIPFA template, and outlined his hope that auditors across Scotland could liaise on a standard way to audit IJB accounts particularly as these were the first set of annual accounts to be audited. He advised that changes to the Annual Governance Statement may have to made as new information became available and he highlighted the Partnership’s responsibility for operating Kingsmead Nursing Home as an example of a recent addition to the Statement.

Thereafter there was discussion on whether the Management Commentary could be interpreted from a political perspective; and questions on the parameters of significant market failure within the social care market; and the Partnership’s source for demographic information contained within the Management Commentary.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to revise Jonathan Passmore’s term as Vice Chairperson on page 127 to readApril 2016 to December 2016;

(ii)       to request that officers in consultation with the Chairperson of the IJB, review references to potential risks to the IJB if additional funding from the Scottish Government was not made available in future years on page 121;

(iii)      to note the revised Annual Governance Statement and assurances provided from NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council and the internal auditors; and

(iv)      to agree to bring forward the Committee’s meeting date on 12 September 2017 to 21 August to ensure that the IJB annual accounts can be agreed and submitted in a timely manner to partner organisations.

PROFESSOR MIKE GREAVES, Chairperson.