Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chair opened the meeting and welcomed Caroline Hiscox onto the Board as Professional Nursing Adviser and thanked her predecessor Jenny Gibb for her work on the Board. The Chair also advised that Kenneth Simpson would also be standing down from the Board as the Third Sector Representative following today’s meeting and thanked Mr Simpson for being a stalwart of health and social care integration in Aberdeen City during the past few years. The Chair added that Mr Simpson’s successor would be nominated by the Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) in due course.

Thereafter the Chair thanked all members and officers who had attended the two day workshop sessions on 21 and 22 November which he had found to be very useful. He also advised that today’s meeting would be the first meeting with the Board’s revised standing orders in effect; and noted that the Strategic Commissioning Plan had been deferred from today’s meeting in order to ensure alignment with the Transformation Plan and would be presented to the Board on 30 January 2018 for consideration.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to welcome Caroline Hiscox onto the Board as the Professional Nursing Adviser;

(ii)          to thank Jenny Gibb and Kenneth Simpson for their contributions towards the integration of health and social care in Aberdeen City; and

(iii)         otherwise note the information provided.

Members were requested to intimate any declarations of interest.

The Board resolved:-

To note that no declarations of interest were intimated by members for items on today’s agenda.

The Chair advised that he had accepted item 10 (Scheme of Assistance Private Sector Grants Budget 2017-18) and item 14 (Care Home Provision) onto today’s agenda as matters of urgency.

The Board resolved:-

To agree that items 10 and 14 be considered as matters of urgency in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The Chair proposed that item 14 (Care Home Provision) on today’s agenda be considered with the press and public excluded.

The Board resolved:-

In terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the aforementioned items of business so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the classes described in paragraphs 8 and 9 of Schedule 7(A) of the Act.

The Board had before it the minute of the Board meeting of 31 October 2017.

The Board resolved:-

To approve the minute as a correct record.

The Chair asked if there were any matters arising from the meeting of 31 October 2017.

In reference to item 7 (Draft Minute of Clinical and Care Governance Committee), the Chief Officer advised that the Lead Social Worker would provide an update on fire safety to members in due course following engagement with colleagues from Aberdeen City Council; and

In reference to item 16 (Board Development Work), the Chief Officer explained that a consultation document had been circulated to members on 4 December 2017 and responses would provide the basis for a report to be presented to the Board at its meeting on 30 January 2018.

The Board resolved:-

To note the information provided.

The Board had before it the draft minute of the Audit and Performance Systems Committee of 21 November 2017 for information.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to accept the APS Committee’s recommendation for the Board to review the Statement of Risk Appetite on an annual basis and request that this review be added to the Board’s report tracker;

(ii)           to note that the Board Assurance and Escalation Framework would be presented to the Board in January 2018; and

(iii)         otherwise note the draft minute.

The Board had before it a statement of pending business for information.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to remove item 2 (Winter Planning) from the Statement;

(ii)          to revise item 11 (Transformation Decisions) to note that Aberdeen City Council rather than the Partnership would be engaging with the Digital Partner; and

(iii)         otherwise note the Statement.

The Board had before it a report by Bernadette Oxley (Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO), ACC)) which informed members of the role of the CSWO to provide information on statutory decision making in the period and to report on progress in key areas of social work and social care provision within Aberdeen City.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)          Note the content of the Annual Report;

(b)          Offer comment and observations on the content.

Bernadette Oxley advised that the report included information on both children’s and adult social work which covered a wide range of areas and she drew members attention to challenges in staffing and workforce planning. Ms Oxley explained that a new commissioning framework was being developed and the Board should pay particular attention to the management of risk section within the report as the IJB was accountable for adult social work services within Aberdeen City including the provision of statutory services such as criminal justice and adult support and protection.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) the processes put in place following the disbandment of the Criminal Justice Board; (2) the learning disability strategy, with particular emphasis on young people transitioning between children’s and adult social care; (3) pressures on Mental Health Officers and what steps the Partnership had taken to support these officers; (4) the provision and viability of social work courses at local universities; (5) the harmonisation of workforce planning within the Partnership; (6) the process for delegating powers from the CSWO to senior social workers; (7) the level of uptake in Self Directed Support; (8) the level of risk to the Partnership due to reductions in core funding; (9) Social Work’s role in the provision of palliative care services; and (10) recent trends in positive destinations for looked after children within Aberdeen City.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to instruct the Chief Officer to provide information on how the Partnership could provide development opportunities and support to Mental Health Officers and to integrate this into the wider workforce planning work stream which would also include detail on engagement with external partners such as the universities;

(ii)          to commend the Chief Social Work Officer for the detail provided within the report; and

(iii)         otherwise note the report.

The Board had before it a report by Jenny Rae (Planning Officer, Strategy and Transformation Team, ACHSCP) which sought approval for the award of contracts for the tendered Framework for Supported Living Services.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)          Approve the award of contracts for the Framework for Supported Living to the successful providers; and

(b)          Direct the Chief Officer to issue a Direction to Aberdeen City Council to enable the completion of the contractual process.

Jenny Rae advised that following a successful tendering exercise, providers for Supported Living and Enhanced Supported Living contracts had been identified and she requested Board approval to issue these contracts.

The Board resolved

(i)            to approve the award of contracts for the Framework for Supported Living to the successful providers; and

(ii)          to direct the Chief Officer to issue a Direction on its behalf to Aberdeen City Council to enable the completion of the contractual process.

The Board had before it a report by Jenny Laing (Occupational Therapy Manager, Bon Accord Care) which provided information on the Scheme of Assistance budget and advised that the 2017-18 budget of £770,000 had been fully committed and that there would now be delays in progressing new applications for this fund.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)                      Agree additional funding of £250,000 in 2017-18 from the Integration and Change Fund to prevent delays  in processing requests for adaptations;

(b)          Instruct the Head of Strategy and Transformation to form a short-life working group, including representatives from Bon Accord Care, Aberdeen City Council and the ACHSCP, to undertake a review of the Scheme of Assistance policy and full working practices in order to ensure demand and budget are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible. This work needs to be completed and should be brought back to the IJB on 30 March 2018; and

(c)          Instruct the Chief Officer to issue a direction to Aberdeen City Council allocating an additional £250,000 to the private adaptations budget.

Jennifer Laing advised that the Scheme of Assistance provided financial support to private households to adapt their properties based on assessed need. She requested that the Board agree to allocate an additional £250,000 to support the Scheme up to the end of the 2017-18 financial year and recommended that a concurrent review of the Scheme take place to assess it future impact on IJB strategic planning.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) the projected cost effectiveness of the Scheme for the wider health and social care system; (2) recent trends in the costs of administering the Scheme; (3) the proposed terms of reference for the Scheme’s review and the importance of taking a holistic view on allocation of discretionary grants; and (4) the timescales for the review of the scheme and when recommendations would be reported to the Board.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to agree additional funding of £250,000 in 2017-18 from the Integration and Change Fund to prevent delays  in processing requests for adaptations;

(ii)           to instruct the Head of Strategy and Transformation to form a short-life working group, including representatives from Bon Accord Care, Aberdeen City Council and the ACHSCP, to undertake a review of the Scheme of Assistance policy and full working practices in order to ensure demand and budget are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible. This work needs to be completed and should be brought back to the IJB on 30 March 2018;

(iii)         to instruct the Chief Officer to issue a direction to Aberdeen City Council allocating an additional £250,000 to the private adaptations budget; and

(iv)         to instruct the Chief Finance Officer to ensure that the terms of reference for the Scheme of Assistance policy align with the Board’s Strategic Plan, and further instruct him to circulate the review’s terms of reference to members.

The Board had before it a report by Susie Downie (Transformation Programme Manager, ACHSCP) which sought approval for the publication of the four Locality Plans which was a requirement of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)          Approve the four proposed Locality Plans; and

(b)          Note the ongoing development programme of work within the localities.

Susie Downie advised that the production of Locality Plans was a statutory requirement and explained that the plans provided a demographic snapshot for each of the four localities, including an assessment of local priorities and need. Lorraine McKenna (Head of Central Locality, ACHSCP) added that the Locality Leadership Group had led on the development of the plans and had engaged with a wide range of stakeholders. Ms McKenna also provided the Board with an overview of identified risks in relation to locality planning.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) the use of inclusive language within the plans in relation to stakeholder and equalities groups; (2) the consultation process, with particular reference to expanding the breadth of the consultation to capture the views of individuals and groups who were not regular respondents; (3) the importance of integrating primary care and social care at locality level; and (4) the administration of localities , with particular focus on locality boundaries, the centralised location of Partnership staff and opportunities for collaborative working.

The Board resolved:-

(i)            to approve the proposed four locality plans;

(ii)          to note the ongoing development programme of work within localities;

(iii)         to note that Locality Plans were living documents and officers would continue to monitor narratives on engagement with stakeholders and equalities groups to ensure this language was both inclusive and compliant with the Board’s statutory duty;

(iv)         to note that progress with regards to implementing Locality plans would be presented to the Board on 22 May 2018; and

(v)          to commend officers for their work in preparing articulate and easy to read plans.

The Board had before it a report by Alison MacLeod (Lead Strategy and Performance Manager, ACHSCP) which presented a revised draft strategy which included additional content on Young Carers as requested by the Board at its previous meeting on 31 October 2017.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)          Instruct the Chief Officer to issue the draft Carers Strategy – A Life Alongside Caring for wider public consultation; and

(b)          Instruct the Chief Officer to bring the final version of the Carers Strategy to the IJB on 27 March 2018 for approval.

Alison Macleod advised that since the last Board meeting further detail on young carers had been added to the draft Carers Strategy and she requested Board approval to consult on the draft Strategy for a period of six weeks beginning on 8 January 2018 before the final plan was presented to the Board for approval on 27 March 2018. Ms Macleod explained that the publication of a Carers Strategy was a statutory requirement and highlighted that an action plan would also be prepared that would set out implementation timescales, ownership, resource and dedicated funding.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) monitoring arrangements for the implementation of the Strategy and the need for carer involvement in this process; (2) the length of the Strategy’s consultation period; (3) financial implications on the Partnership in relation to the Strategy’s implementation; and (4) the need for key IJB strategies to be reviewed prior to the next review of the IJB Strategic Plan to inform its future development and ensure alignment.

The Board resolved:-

(i)             to instruct the Chief Officer to issue the draft Carers Strategy – A Life Alongside Caring for wider public consultation;

(ii)          to instruct the Chief Officer to bring the final version of the Strategy to the IJB meeting on 27 March 2018 for approval;

(iii)         to note that responsibility for monitoring the implementation of the Carers Strategy rested with the Clinical and Care Governance Committee; and

(iv)         toinstruct the Strategic Planning Group to review all IJB strategies and report back to the IJB for approval in order to inform the development of the next Strategic Plan.

The Board had before it a report by Sally Shaw (Head of Strategy and Transformation, ACHSCP) which provided an update on the work of the Ministerial Strategic Group for Health and Community Care (MSG) and sought agreement to revise ACHSCP’s objectives for the year 2017-18.

The report recommended:-

That the Board –

(a)          Note the change in collection of the data by MSG, including the proposed framework for sharing regular updates and request for revised objectives;

(b)          Instruct officers to develop new objectives for agreement by the IJB at its meeting on 30 January 2018 prior to submission to MSG; and

(c)          Instruct officers to look at how the Partnership could enhance data with locally determined measures in order to maximise the usefulness of such data collection.

Sally Shaw provided an update on a recent request made by the Ministerial Strategic Group (MSG) for the Partnership to submit revised performance indicators. The Chair added that reporting these indicators to the MSG was not a statutory requirement but it may be in the Board’s interest to provide this information in order to steer the MSG on performance and reporting priorities moving forward.

Thereafter there were questions and comments on (1) the Partnership’s engagement with ACC’s Commercial and Procurement Service, NHSG’s Health Intelligence Unit and Scotland Excel; and (2) Partnership plans to review outcomes and indicators within its performance management framework.

At the conclusion of this item, the Chair wished all Board members, officers and members of the public a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year prior to the Board moving into private session.

The Board resolved:-

(i)             to note the change in collection of the data by MSG, including the proposed framework for sharing regular updates and request for revised objectives;

(ii)          to instruct the Chief Officer to develop new objectives for agreement by the IJB at its meeting on 30 January 2018, prior to submission to MSG; and

(iii)         to instruct the Chief Officer to look at how the Partnership could enhance data with locally determined measures in order to maximise the usefulness of such data collection.

The Board had before it a report by Alex Stephen (Chief Finance Officer, ACHSCP) and Sally Shaw which provided an update on care home provision within Aberdeen City.

The Board resolved:-

To agree the recommendations within the exempt report, together with an additional two resolutions.

The Board broke out for a workshop session and received a presentation from Alex Stephen on the IJB Budget Protocol.

The Board resolved:-

To thank Mr Stephen for their informative presentation.

JONATHAN PASSMORE MBE, Chairperson.