The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will be attending to speak to the Community Wellbeing Board.
Minutes:
The Chairman introduced the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to the meeting of the Community Wellbeing Board.
The Secretary of State spoke to the Board, in particular highlighting the following;
· He gave an example of a time he had met with a parent of a young person with severe autism who has been in a secure hospital for two years. He emphasised the parent had been particularly distressed over being unable to visit and hug their child for over two months. He stated that this young person could receive a better level of care from local authorities.
· Regarding the integration of public health he emphasised the need for more porous boundaries between services.
· He reassured Members the Adult Social Care Green Paper was now intended at an April publication.
· He highlighted that the Adult Social Care Green Paper would include a section on digital and informatics interoperability between health and care with reference to the positive examples such as in Leeds. He also indicated there would be sections on the integrated models of care as well as on support for carers.
· Regarding integration he emphasised we need to move to learning from the best models.
In the discussion that followed, the following points were raised;
· In regards to a query as to how the Secretary of State would achieve cross-party support for funding adult social care, he responded by emphasising that a lot of work had been to gain a consensus. He raised that there will be an increase in the budget funded through taxes. He also raised that there had been injustices in the way that adult social care is funded both between different areas and in the unequal provision for different conditions.
· A query was raised regarding the Secretary of States thoughts on whether the government regrets cuts to public health, why public health is having an £85 million budget cut despite performance improving and how work on the social determinants of health could make significant savings for the NHS. The Secretary of State responded by emphasising the budget changes are the result of the 2015 review. He asked that the LGA provide evidence to help inform the summer review to include in future debate on the public health budget.
· In regards to a query as to how the Secretary of State can ensure local government get their fair share of funding towards digital innovations, he raised that the technology vision would focus on delivering better services and value for money through better use of data. In particular he emphasised the importance of digital innovations supporting interoperability between adult social care and health.
· In regards to a question regarding local government contribution in the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan the Secretary of State the importance of correct governance. He voiced that although Health and Wellbeing Boards were working brilliantly in some areas it was not the case everywhere. He did emphasise that the NHS Long Term Plan supports local authority representation on integrated care systems.
· In regards to a view expressed that memorandum of understanding needs to be finalised so that data can be shared more effectively with the NHS the Secretary of State emphasised that there would be chapter in the adult social care green paper focusing on this.
· In regards to a query as to the future of the Better Care Fund after 2019/20 the Secretary of State emphasised that extra money would be put into the fund in winter showing the government continued commitment.
· A view was expressed that there was continued frustration amongst local authorities around the delayed adult social green paper and the lack of support for prevention. In response the Secretary of State emphasised the role of better using digital and technological innovations to better use resources in social care.
The Chairman expressed his thanks to the Secretary of State for attending the meeting of the Community Wellbeing Board and for a valuable discussion.