Issue - meetings

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Finance Officer which presented the planned Post Integration Review Internal Audit Report.

The report recommended:-

That the Committee –

(a)          Review, discuss and comment on the issues raised within this report and the attached in Appendix 2; and

(b)          Note the further assurances provided in Appendix 1 re: the timelines for completion of the recommendations.

Colin Harvey (Internal Audit) advised that the report reviewed IJB and Partnership governance arrangements and provided recommendations on (1) the development of a Scheme of Delegation (2) service delivery and commissioning plans; (3) reporting operational and financial performance to IJB partners; (4) the development of a procedure for issuing IJB Directions to partners; (5) the maintenance of risk registers and the review of the Risk Management Framework (6) the development of a budget monitoring procedure (7) the combination of financial and operational performance indicators (8) the development of an asset management strategy; (9) timetabling for locality budgets; (10) the conclusion of work on the Benefits Realisation Framework; and (11) budget control of the Transformation Programme.

Mr Harvey also informed the Committee that a separate audit on the Transformation Programme was ongoing.

Thereafter the Committee reviewed the report and there was discussion on (1) the Partnership’s development of a Scheme of Delegation in consultation with ACC Legal Services; (2) reporting of operational and financial performance to IJB partners, and the Service Response to Internal Audit’s recommendation; and (3) the timescales and process for implementing agreed recommendations.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to request that the Chief Officer review the Service Response in relation to Internal Audit’s recommendation  on reporting operational and financial performance to IJB partners on page 96;

(ii)          to note that in response to revisions being made as per resolution (i), Internal Audit would consider preparing a summary note to take account of the Service’s revised response, and in this event, to request that Internal Audit circulate this note to Committee members by email;

(iii)         to recommend to the Service that the Implementation Date for Internal Audit Recommendation 2.3.5 be delayed until the New Year;

(iv)         to request that the content of the Equalities, Financial, Workforce and Other Implications section within the covering report be quality checked by the Partnership prior to future publication;

(v)          to note the content of the Internal Audit report and issues raised in Appendix 2; and

(vi)         otherwise note the further assurances provided in Appendix 1 re: the timelines for completion of the recommendations.