Issue - meetings

Pooled Budget Agreement for Care Home Accommodation for Older People

Meeting: 29/02/2024 - Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 50)

50 Pooled Budget Agreement for Care Home Accommodation for Older People pdf icon PDF 97 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)         That members support the progress made regionally in meeting the Part 9 requirements of the 2014 Act which includes a legal requirement to establish a regional pooled fund for care home accommodation for older people and:

 

(b)         That members support the council entering into a legal agreement between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and the six local authorities across North Wales, regulating the operation and governance arrangements in respect of the pooled fund until such time that they need to terminate the agreement.

Minutes:

The Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning introduced the report which was to seek approval for the partnership arrangements between Health and Social Care across regions and the importance of working together for the shared benefit for those who received services.  She explained that Welsh Government required Health and Local Authorities to work together financially as well as service driven.  Within North Wales the Legislation was taken and in the financial year 2019/20 a single regional pooled budget was agreed for the 6 Local Authorities and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

 

In response to Councillor Mackie the Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning explained that the legislation came into being in 2016 but pooled budgets were complex structures and that all 7 partners needed to come to an agreement on how it could be achieved which took a period of time and resulted in it taking until July 2019 to be compliant but was back dated to the new financial year in April 2019 as part of the original proposal.

 

The Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning explained to members that a pooled budget was the sharing of financial risks and as there was a need to recognise Welsh Governments aspirations that they worked more closely with the Health Board it was agreed that all North Wales Local Authorities and the Health Board put the budget that they would spend for older peoples’ care and health within the care home market in the pooled budget she advised that this met with the statutory legislation requirement and that Welsh Government were happy with the arrangement. She stipulated that not everyone put the same amount in but the amount that was put in was the same that came out.  In 2022/23 Flintshire put in £10.5 million.  She advised that there was a shared administration cost of £20,000 per year paid to Denbighshire for hosting the budget on behalf of the 6 authorities and the Health Board to cover the monthly reporting to Welsh Government and audit and admin costs.

 

The Chief Officer (Social Services) added that he was not aware of the intensions of the Civil Servants that drew up the regulations but the alternative would be a fully fledged pooled budget whereby they all put in what they spent on care homes across the region and that is pooled in one large budget but that way had too many risks.

 

            The recommendations within the report were moved by Councillor Hilary McGuill and seconded by Councillor Gladys Healey.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)         That members support the progress made regionally in meeting the Part 9 requirements of the 2014 Act which includes a legal requirement to establish a regional pooled fund for care home accommodation for older people and:

 

(b)         That members support the council entering into a legal agreement between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and the six local authorities across North Wales, regulating the operation and governance arrangements in respect of the pooled fund until such time that they need to terminate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50