Agenda and draft minutes

There were no Declarations of Interest made at the meeting.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th March, 2014.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th March, 2014, be approved as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 11^th and 19^th February and 26^th March, 2014, were noted.

Further to Minute No. S87 (Better Care Fund) of the meeting held on 26^th March, 2014, it was noted that feedback from the local Peer Review had found the Plan to be “amber” in every respect i.e. on track to deliver.  It would be the subject of a self-assessment in September, 2014.

Consideration was given to a report presented by Mark Scarrott, Finance Manager (Neighbourhoods and Adult Services), which provided a financial forecast for the Adult Services Department within the Neighbourhoods and Adult Services Directorate to the end of March, 2014, based on actual income and expenditure to the end of February, 2014. 

It was reported that the forecast for the financial year 2013/14 was an underspend of £24k against an approved net revenue budget of £73.408M, a further reduction in the overspend of £562k since the last report. The report included the recently approved funding for winter pressures, funding towards achieving Public Health Outcomes together with additional Health funding to support patients being discharged from hospital.  The main budget pressures related to the delayed implementation of a number of budget savings targets including Continuing Health Care funding and implementing the review of In-house Residential Care and under-achievement against Continuing Health Care funding.  

Management actions together with additional Health funding had resulted in reducing the forecast overspend in line with the approved cash limited budget.

The latest year end forecast showed there remained a number of underlying budget pressures.  The main variations against approved budget for each Service area were as follows:-

Adults General

·         This area included the cross cutting budgets of Workforce planning and training and corporate charges and was forecasting an overall underspend based on estimated charges including savings on training budgets and additional funding for HIV

Older People

·         A forecast overspend on In-House Residential Care due to delays on implementation of budget savings target and recurrent budget pressure on Residential Care income

·         Recurrent budget pressures in Direct Payments, however, client numbers had reduced since April together with a reduction in the average cost of packages

·         Underspend on In House Transport

·         Forecast underspend on Enabling Care and Sitting Service, Community Mental Health, Carers’ Services, and planned delays on the recruitment to vacant posts within Assessment and Care Management and Community Support plus additional income from Health

·         Overspend on independent sector Home Care due to an increase in demand since April

·         Overspend on independent residential and nursing care due to delays in achieving the savings target for additional Continuing Health Care income (an additional 74 clients receiving a service than forecast). Additional income from property charges and Health was reducing the overall overspend

·         Forecast savings on in-house day care due to vacant posts and moratorium on non-pay budgets

·         Overall underspend on Rothercare due to delays in Service Review including options for replacement of alarms together with additional income plus winter pressures funding for Telecare equipment

·         Minor underspend in other non-pay budgets due to moratorium on non-essential spend

Learning Disabilities

·         Independent sector Residential Care budgets now forecasting a slight underspend due to a review of high cost placements.  Work continued on reviewing all Continuing Health Care applications and high cost placements

·         Forecast overspend on Day Care due to a delay on the implementation of Day Care Review including increase in fees and charges plus recurrent budget pressure on external transport

·         Pressures on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.