Issue - meetings

The Committee had before it a report by the Alex Stephen which asked the Committee to consider and approve the audited final accounts for 2017/18.

The report recommended:-

That the Committee

(a)          Consider and agree the Integration Joint Board’s audited accounts for 2017/18, as attached at appendix A;

(b)          Instruct Officers to submit the approved audited accounts to NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council; and

(c)          Instruct the Chief Finance Officer to sign the representation letter, as attached at appendix B.

Alex Stephen advised that no changes had been made to the figures that had been set out in the unaudited accounts at the IJB on 22 May 2018. He noted that the use of terminology and language had been reviewed, and additional commentary had been inserted into the narrative section to reflect comments made by the Board, otherwise no substantive changes had been made. Mr Stephen advised that the Committee had the authority to approve the annual accounts and requested that it do so, in order for the accounts to be presented to Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to agree the Integration Joint Board’s audited Accounts for 2017/18, as attached at appendix A;

(ii)          to instruct the Chief Finance Officer to submit the approved audited accounts to NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council; and

(iii)         to instruct the Chief Finance Officer to sign the representation letter, as attached at appendix B.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Finance Officer which reviewed the local code of corporate governance for the IJB as agreed by Audit & Performance Systems Committee on 11 April 2017 and allowed the Committee to comment on the sources of assurances used to measure the effectiveness of the governance principles contained in the CIPFA\SOLACE1 ‘Delivering Good Governance in LocalGovernment: Framework’ document.

The report recommended:-

That the Committee approve the use of the sources of assurance, listed in appendix 1, and review the local code of governance.

Alex Stephen (Chief Finance Officer, ACHSCP) advised that the IJB code of governance had adopted the agreed ACC framework and provided an overview of the sources of assurance outlined in Appendix 1. He explained that IJB accounts would be finalised during the week commencing 16 April 2018.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) how the IJB local code of governance linked in with the NHSG Professional Governance Framework; and (2) Mr Stephen advised that production of a final document would be dependent on ACC and NHSG as IJB accounts were included within both of its partners accounts.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to approve the use of the sources of assurance listed in Appendix 1, subject to these being updated and circulated, and to note the local code of governance; and

(ii)          to request a review of the reporting schedule for the IJB Local Code of Governance programme to ensure that a streamlined approach could be adopted during the 2018-19 financial year.