Community Policy and Review Panel - Thursday, 19th November, 2015 7.00 pm - Agenda and minutes

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 17th September, 2015 (copy attached).

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 17th September, 2015 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

Ms. Sally Banister, the Vanguard Programme Lead, has been invited to the Panel to provide Members with an overview of their Vanguard Programme experience.

The Panel welcomed Ms. Sally Bannister to the meeting.  Ms. Bannister was the North East Hampshire and Farnham Vanguard Programme Lead and had been invited to the meeting to provide an overview of the Group’s Vanguard Programme. 

            Ms. Bannister advised the Panel that the North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group, together with health and social care partners, had been awarded Vanguard status by NHS England.  This would involve plans for moving services away from hospitals and into the community and to bring together elements of health and social care so that services could be provided quicker.  This could happen because Vanguard status brought with it expert guidance and national resources to provide support and flexibility to bring about the aims of the Programme.  Essentially, it could be said that the Programme provided a “turbo boost” to what had already been agreed that should happen to ensure that people were supported to be happy and healthy at home for as long as possible.

            It was noted that Vanguard was a partnership of clinicians and service managers from:

·         NHS North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group

·         primary care

·         Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (which ran Frimley Park Hospital)

·         Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (mental health services)

·         Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust (community services)

·         Virgin Care (community services)

·         Hampshire County Council (social care)

·         Surrey County Council (social care)

·         South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

·         North Hampshire Urgent Care (out-of-hours GP service)

·         voluntary sector

            The Vanguard programme would also work with patients and the public to help shape, develop and continually improve the way services were provided by designing services with the local community, helping people to look after themselves.   It would also enable staff to provide high quality joined up care by making sure that funding and organisational boundaries did not hinder progress.

            Ms. Bannister referred to the structure of the partnership, which comprised a Chief Executives Group of the key partnership members and working groups for each of the following work streams, details of which were also outlined:

·         design group

·         prevention and self-care

·         integrated hubs and enhanced out of hospital care

·         a new model of care for people with acute needs

·         supporting the development of primary care to operate at scale

·         design and deliver a new commissioning model

·         determining the organisational arrangements through which providers work as one

·         understanding the needs of local people and the outcomes they seek

·         effective co-production, engagement and communications

·         access to electronic records for patients and care professionals

·         redesigning the workforce and ensuring behavioural change

·         evaluating the impact of the changes

·         estates

            During discussion, Members raised questions regarding the impact of the Government’s Spending Review, patients’ electronic records and the sharing of such information, the timescale for the Vanguard Programme, costs, outcomes and priorities.

            On behalf of the Panel, the Chairman thanked Ms. Bannister for her informative presentation and it was AGREED that a clinician, Dr. Andy Whitfield, Chairman and Clinical Lead for the North East Hampshire and Farnham  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To receive an update on from Mr. Ian Harrison, Corporate Director, on the latest position of Welfare Reform, nationally and locally.

The Panel welcomed Mr. Ian Harrison, Corporate Director, who had been invited to the meeting to give an update on the latest position of Welfare Reform both nationally and locally.

            Mr. Harrison referred to the current political landscape, post General Election and the continuation of the Welfare Reform programme, including an acceleration and extension of some elements.   In the Queen’s Speech, the Government had pledged to remove a further £12 billion from the Welfare Bill whilst mainly protecting pensioner welfare.  It was known that Welfare Reform would play its part in the creation of a “budget surplus” by 2019/20.  The specific measures which had been announced were:

·         four year freeze on most working age benefits

·         reduction in the benefit cap from £26,000 to £20,000 (£23,000 in London)

·         18-21 year olds not automatically entitled to help with housing costs

·         most welfare support restricted to two children

·         programme of broad based reduction in tax credit awards

·         introduction of a National Living Wage for 25+ age (£7.20 rising to £9.00 per hour by 2020)

·         £800 million additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding for five years for local authorities.

            The July 2015 budget had only set out around £17 billion of the £37 billion required to achieve the surplus in 2019/20.  The remaining £20 billion would be announced in the autumn Spending Review. 

            Mr. Harrison referred to an Ipsos MORI poll that had been carried out in September, 2015 to gather information on people’s views on austerity measures.  In addition, Mr. Harrison briefed Members on research by the Resolution Foundation on spending within the welfare budget, where it was stated that, by 2020, working-age adult welfare was set to fall to its lowest level since 1979; spending on children would be back to its 2002 level; while pensioner spend would fall to its immediate pre-crisis level. It was also advised that pensioner spend reduction was being driven by increasing the State Pension to 66 by 2020.  In respect of the focus of welfare spending, it was noted that pensioner benefits accounted for 45% of total welfare spending immediately pre-crisis, but were set to account for 52% by the end of the decade.  In contrast, tax credit and child benefit spending would fall from 21% to 17% of the total.   It was further noted that, by 2020/21, the share of Government spending flowing to older people and health could reach 43%, which was its highest level since comparable records had begun in the 1990s.  In contrast, it was forecast that the share allocated to education and economic affairs would reach a new low of 19%. 

            In respect of the situation in Rushmoor, Mr. Harrison advised Members that, overall since March 2013, there had been a 6.3% decrease in the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit caseload.  The eligible population levels had increased over the years from 2009 to 2014 from 71,300 to 76,374 with the Benefits caseload as a percentage of the population increasing from 8.5% in 2009 to 10% in 2014.  It was also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            To note the Community Policy and Review Panel’s work programme for 2015/16 (copy attached).

The Panel NOTED the work programme and work schedule.