Meeting documents
- Meeting of Bucks Strategic Partnership Board, Wednesday 29th July 2009 2.30 pm (Item 6.)
· Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board – Neil Gibson (Strategic Director for Communities and Built Environment, BCC)
· Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership – Rita Lally (Strategic Director for Adults and Family Wellbeing, BCC) and Colin Thompson (Director of Commissioning, Buckinghamshire PCT)
Short presentation from each partnership, followed by Q&A session.
Decision to be taken: Note performance of the two thematic partnerships, including use of the LAA pooled fund, and agree any areas of challenge.
Minutes:
Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board
Neil Gibson, Strategic Director for Communities and Built Environment, BCC, gave a presentation on the work of the Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board (attached) and told members the following:
· The Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board had had a statutory role since 2008. The Board complemented the work of the other thematic groups.
· The Board was chaired by Chief Superintendent Paul Tinnion, Thames Valley Police.
· The Board agendas focused on the Local Area Agreement (LAA), Strategy and Performance.
· The Board was responsible for five national indicators and one local indicator.
· The Board had also chosen to monitor four additional national indicators as local priorities.
· The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund was part of the Area-based Grant, and had been c. £550,000 in the current year.
· The Board had taken the lead on equality impact assessments.
A member asked about safety checks and asked if the number of businesses run from home posed a challenge. Neil Gibson replied that workshops on safety had been held which had been aimed at businesses at home.
A member referred to Locality Working Integration, and asked how different programmes could be brought together. Neil Gibson said that locality working was carried out at different levels. Work with vulnerable families needs to take place at different levels, including community and street level. Delivery of the Sustainable Commmunity Strategy needs to be considered in this context.
A member said that the definition of a locality needed to be consistent across different organisations.
A member also said that references needed to be consistent, for instance when referring to the Voluntary Sector.
Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership
Rita Lally, Strategic Director for Adults and Family Wellbeing gave a presentation on the work of the Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership (attached).
Rita Lally and Colin Thompson, Director of Commissioning, Buckinghamshire PCT made the following key points:
· The Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership was chaired alternately by BCC and the PCT.
· The Vision of the Partnership was ‘Promoting Prosperity, Tackling Inequalities.’
· Increased demand was outstripping the resources of the Partnership.
· The number of older people over 80 receiving Social Care services was increasing dramatically.
· A huge challenge would be the introduction of individual budgets (self-directed support) in Adult Social Care.
· A current challenge was the large number of access points for members of the public.
A member asked if District Councils and the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) were included in the Partnership’s agenda.
Rita Lally said that District Councils had a vital role and had provided support at the recent meeting with the Care Quality Commission. There was a District Council seat on the Partnership, and a VCS seat was being arranged.
The VCS would be vital in the implementation of self-directed support, in providing vital infrastructures. However the VCS should not be faced with large amounts of bureaucracy.
A member said that the VCS had been involved in a local pilot regarding falls, and that this would be followed by work on rehabilitation in families. The member said that managing the audit and commissioning processes for the VCS would be a challenge.
The Chief Executive of the PCT said that there was a national drive for PCTs to start commissioning services through tendering. This was an opportunity for a new form of organisation to be created, while still meeting legal requirements.
Colin Thompson said that the PCT was changing its language to mould to community and partnership agendas.
A member of the Economy and Environment Thematic Partnership said that there had been a huge increase in the number of people over 50 accessing learning opportunities. However what happened to those people after a year needed to be discussed.
Rita Lally said that work in Adult Learning could be combined with work in Adult Social Care regarding telecare/telemedicine.
A member referred to NI 134 and asked if the figure was from the Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust or from external hospitals. Colin Thompson said that the figure was the overall figure for the Buckinghamshire population’s use of emergency services (including Milton Keynes).
A member said that the growth agenda should have been included as a challenge to the current system. Colin Thompson said that the growth agenda was being planned for on all levels, including GP list size. The needs of the growth agenda had been registered.
Rita Lally said that planning groups looked at issues such as ensuring there were enough social workers to look after older people in their own homes.
Juliet Brown (Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust) said that acute services would need to form part of any integrated services.
Rita Lally said that a day services map was being created with health services.
RESOLVED
The Board noted the performance of the two thematic partnerships, including use of the LAA pooled fund, and agreed any areas of challenge.
Any further feedback should be sent to Jackie Fisk, and the answers to members’ questions would be attached to the Minutes.
Supporting documents: