Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services provided an overview of the projects delivered by the Intermediate Care Fund (ICF) and the opportunities to scrutinise the outcomes that had been delivered.

Full details of the projects which had been delivered following the funding received were detailed in the report, which included: provision of step up/step down beds in residential care homes; purchase of a dementia assessment bed; increasing staff resource; extending specialist dementia care in the community; end of life care; equipment; aids and adaptations; enhanced pharmacy support within the community; falls prevention; dementia community support service; intermediate care support service; healthy homes for discharge project; hoarding tendencies support project; neurotherapy centre; support at night; conversion of a property for short term intermediate care accommodation and development of extra care.

Also detailed in the report were case studies which provided real life examples of how ICF funding had made a difference to people’s lives.

The ICF was designed to be one year funding for 2014/15 and Welsh Government (WG) had confirmed that the Fund would cease on 31 March 2015.  There was a degree of flexibility in funding projects until the end of April to ensure that projects were appropriately closed and support finalised for people who had already started a short term service.  Regional work was underway to identify critical ICF projects where it was considered that the end of the project would have a significant adverse impact on the delivery of effective intermediate care.  In Flintshire, these had been identified as:

·         Step up/Step down provision and the associated investment in in-reach support staff to enable people to return back to the community

·         The falls prevention project

·         The palliative support project and associated nursing support

·         A regional project for minor adaptation and equipment

Those projects had been communicated to BCUHB so there was an opportunity for dialogue aligned to the development of their three year plan.  In addition, potential funding opportunities could continue to be explored from WG.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted including the progress made with the effective use of the Intermediate Care Fund; and

(b)       That given the importance of early success of the priority services which have been recognised by BCUHB, other partners and Flintshire County Council, the case should be made to Welsh Government for continuing financial support when new funding possibilities arise.