Health and Care Integration in Devon

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Request:

“Following the Cabinet meeting of 14th March, would you please supply details of the Risk Assessment, Impact Assessment and Equality Statement as they relate to the Health and Care integration in Devon.”

Response:

The integration of health and care services in Devon has been through a series of incremental changes dating back over a decade.

The most recent proposals going to Cabinet on 14th March 2018 made in a report by the Chief Executive ACH/18/81. The recommendations were:-

  1. To note the key features of an emerging Devon Integrated Care System being a single Integrated Strategic Commissioner, a number of Local Care Partnerships, a Mental Health Care Partnership and shared NHS corporate services.
  2. To consider the proposed arrangements in Devon as set out in para 3 and to report to the Appointments and Remuneration Committee as necessary.
  3. To approve the co-location of NHS and Devon County Council (DCC) staff within the Integrated Strategic Commissioner, subject to agreement of the business case.
  4. To invite Health and Care Scrutiny to include Integrated Care System governance in its work programme.

In addition and in light of Scrutiny Committee deliberations Cabinet further resolved.:

  1. That the Health the Wellbeing Board is reformed to lead new governance arrangements for the development of integrated strategic commissioning of health and social care and
  2. That there is continued proactive communication to the public using clear and consistent messaging and where appropriate there will be relevant involvement and engagement.

The paper to cabinet indicated a direction of travel and only recommended joint posts and co-location of NHS and DCC commissioning staff.  No service changes were proposed, no changes to governance arrangements were proposed and therefore no need for impact assessment at this stage.  As and when more substantive proposals are made these will be brought forward to the councils decision making governance arrangements with the relevant assessment of impact.

To reaffirm at this stage nothing is changing other than operational management posts and co-location of staff.