Agenda item

Frances Martin explained that the NHS, South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and Worcestershire County Council's South Worcestershire Integrated Recovery Programme was a series of commissioning projects that were working towards greater integration of health and social care for older people who needed support to regain their independence following a crisis at home or admission to hospital.

Nisha Sankey, Head of Transformation for South Worcestershire CCG, gave further details about the commissioning of recovery beds over and above those provided within the community hospitals or the Timberdine Unit.

Analysis had shown if an increased number of people can be cared for at home and if length of stay reduced then there should be sufficient capacity between the new single integrated community-based inpatient nursing and rehabilitation unit and the community hospitals along with a small number of pathway 2 residential beds, Plaster of Paris beds and Pathway 3 discharge to assess beds. The project was exploring options for commissioning these.

In the ensuing discussion various points were clarified:

·         The long lead in time from the tender in February 2016 to implementation in October 2016 was a 'worst case scenario' if a competitive tendering exercise became necessary; however managers wished to provide as much stability for staff as possible;

·         The length of stays in community hospital beds were monitored and the modelling worked on an average length of stay of 21 days. The quicker people are able to go home the more like they were to regain their independence;

·         It would be necessary to work with providers to ensure the right care was available in the community to enable people to be cared for at home rather than in bedded facilities. The expectation was that as capacity for care at home was increased the requirement for beds would fall;

·         Simon Hairsnape wished to note that the Better Care Fund was a countywide fund which was expected to meet local needs on an equitable basis but this project so far just covered south Worcestershire.  Ideally the sign off of this project should be for the whole county so in due course the north of the county would need to be considered.

RESOLVED that the Health and Well-being Board:

a)    Noted the progress with the development of the integrated health and adult social care recovery services in South Worcestershire and the plan to progress integration further;

b)    Noted current availability, usage and future requirements of recovery beds in South Worcestershire;

c)    Endorsed the process and timeline for commissioning recovery beds, and asked that the Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being and the NHS South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group Chief Clinical Officer finalise the specifications , agreed the costs that can be met from the Better Care Fund, and determined how providers should be procured, noting the delegated authority awarded by Worcestershire County Council Cabinet in July 2014 to the Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being;

d)    Agreed to extend the Better Care Fund funding for Howbury House Resource Centre until 30 September 2016, to allow sufficient time to complete the review of recovery beds and implement the resulting commissioning process; and

e)    Noted that this project was only for South Worcestershire and that the Better Care Fund was for the whole of the County.