Decision details

The Board is asked to comment on the development and content of the Clinical Commissioning Group's two year operating plan and five year strategic plan in advance of the plans being submitted to NHS England in April and June respectively.

Sharon Morrow (Chief Operating Officer, B&D CCG) introduced the report to the Board. It was noted that:

·  The CCG’s commissioning plans are intrinsically linked to the Better Care Fund plan. The CCG will submit its Operating Plan with the Better Care Fund Plan to NHS England on 4 April 2014.

·  There has been discussion on the CCG’s commissioning priorities across the Health and Wellbeing Board sub-groups

·  The two year Operating Plan is being used as an opportunity to take forward primary care improvements

·  Quality of care issues arising from the Francis Report are picked up in the commissioning plans.

·  The Operating Plan reflects the CCG’s financial position. The Board noted that the CCG must deliver savings of £10 million in 2014/15.

Cllr Worby (Chair of the Board) wanted to see more detail about the Operating Plan at this stage of the process and requested that the draft plan is shared with Board Members in advance of the 25 March meeting, or informal meetings between the CCG and partner organisations are arranged to give early sight of the content of the Plan. Having only been given the priorities to consider the CCG cannot expect Board Members to have confidence in the quality of the plan or that the detail within it has regard for the wider partnership’s objectives. 

John Atherton (Head of Assurance, NHS England) advised the Board that NHS England is working to bring together specialist, primary care, and CCG-led commissioning to make commissioning seamless and ensure that there are no gaps in care pathways or service provision.

Anne Bristow (Corporate Director, Adult and Community Services) commented that the planning process is very NHS-centric. It is challenging to develop truly local plans when NHS England sets very rigid specifications for the CCG’s Commissioning Plans. Anne Bristow was sympathetic to the timescales and process to which the CCG is bound. Anne Bristow asked that the CCG remembers to consult thoroughly with partners on its plans before submitting them to NHS England otherwise there is a risk that partners will feel unable to influence the content of the plans.

Conor Burke stated that the CCG is still in its infancy an organisation making it hard to develop its plans in a way that is fully aligned with those of the Council. This is compounded by having to operate in a complex commissioning framework where responsibilities for certain areas rest with different organisations or at different levels within the NHS. The CCG aims to get to a position where its plans will feel more local and aligned to the strategic objectives of the borough. As governance develops and the health and social care economy integrates further, shared decision-making and shared ownership of issues will follow. 

Marie Kearns (Healthwatch) updated the Board on engagement work done by Healthwatch on the CCG’s priorities. Residents highlighted access to GPs, access to urgent care, early detection of cancer, and developing pharmacy services as their priorities for the CCG.

The Board agreed to:

1.  Note the briefing on the strategic and operational planning process for 2014/15 to 2018/19

2.  Comment on the issues being addressed within the Operating Plan and in particular the emerging priorities that have been identified

3.  Receive the full draft of the Operating Plan at its meeting of 25 March.