Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to highlight to Members how health and care services in York have increasingly worked in a collaborative and effective manner during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to update on plans currently being prepared to extend and improve on this positive working for the benefit of local communities across York.

Members considered a report that highlighted how the health and care services in York had increasingly worked in a collaborative and effective manner during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the plans currently being prepared to extend and improve on this positive working for the benefit of local communities across York.

Members noted that these plans were being led by a number of health and social care partners in York (including the Council, NHS commissioners and providers and voluntary sector organisations) and included the establishment of a new ‘York Health and Care Alliance’ for the city.

The Director of Public Health, the Accountable Officer (Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)), the Director for Primary Care (NHS Vale of York CCG), the Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care and the Consultant in Public Health (City of York Council/Vale of York CCG) were all in attendance to provide an update and answer any questions.

The Consultant in Public Health provided a presentation to Members on the future of the health and care system in York. He highlighted the work partners had undertaken locally to prepare the system and to respond to forthcoming government legislation set out in the February 2021 white paper ‘Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all’.

Members were informed that:

·        42 Integrated care systems (ICSs) were to be established on a statutory footing in England through both an ‘NHS ICS board’ (this would also include representatives from local authorities) and an ICS health and care partnership.

·        ICSs would take on the statutory and allocative duties of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in April 2022, and from that point the Vale of York CCG would cease to exist.

·        A duty to collaborate would be created to promote collaboration across the healthcare, public health and social care system.

·        Locally, it had been agreed that York would be designated a ‘place’ within Humber Coast and Vale area and be invited to send a representative to the ICS board.

·        Governance arrangements for the Alliance during its 2021/22 shadow year would be proposed to the Board at its first meeting in April and during this year, neither the Alliance nor the Alliance Board would be a legal body itself, and would not be able to make decisions in their own right.

·        During the shadow year, decision-making and accountability would remain the purview of each organisation involved, and any decisions affecting the Council would be taken back through existing governance routes as appropriate.

·        It would be recommended that the Alliance was adopted as a subgroup of the Health and Wellbeing Board during the shadow year.

Members noted that partners had set three areas of first focus and seven other key priorities for the Alliance in 2021/22, as highlighted in the report.

Members raised some concerns regarding accountability, data sharing and partnership structures and in answer to some questions raised, officers confirmed:

·        Processes were in place to ensure GDPR and data protection legislation would be followed appropriately.

·        Representatives on the Alliance had already collaborated on emerging plans and had shown a strong commitment to working together more closely.

Further discussions took place regarding the accountability of the Alliance and its relationship with the Health and Wellbeing Board. Officers and the Executive Member confirmed the shadow year would build on and further develop relationships, the partnership structure and accountability, with reports and recommendations being presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board, this Committee, Executive and ultimately Full Council for consideration and approval.  Members also noted that the Accountability Officer for the CCG had been identified as the key link between York Place, the Alliance and ICS.

The Chair thanked officers and the Executive Member for attending the meeting and the Democracy Officer was requested to liaise with the Director of Public Health regarding this Committee scrutinising reports ahead of Executive. 

[Between 19:03 and 19:05 the Chair lost connection, during which time Cllr Cullwick (Vice-Chair) Chaired the meeting]

Resolved:

(i)           That the collaboration and joint working between health and social care, both prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the opportunities this work presents in improving health services for citizens in York in the long term, be noted.

(ii)         That national policy direction and reforms, which encompass both health and social care, have implications for local authorities in terms of integration and collaboration with NHS partners, be noted.

(iii)        That the following decisions by Executive on the 18th March 2021, ratified by Full Council on the 22nd March 2022, be noted, to:

·        Endorse the plans being proposed in York to respond to the national legislative changes, including current plans to establish the ‘York Health and Care Alliance’.

·        Agree the Council’s participation in this new Alliance, including the interim governance arrangements in 2021/22 in its ‘shadow’ year.

·        Recommend the adoption of this Alliance as a subgroup of the Health and Wellbeing Board, subject to approval at Full Council.

·        Support the proposed priorities and areas the Alliance will focus on in its first year aims for the Alliance, and the aims of the Alliance to be people centred, integrate services and deliver timely and appropriate care.

·        Agree that future reports will be considered by the Health Scrutiny Committee, the Health and Wellbeing Board and the Executive on progress and future arrangements for the York Health and Care Alliance

Reason: To keep the Board updated on the future of the health and care system in York.