Issue - meetings

Older People's Strategy

Meeting: 18/06/2013 - Cabinet (Item 64)

Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care

Forward Plan Ref: 2013/022

Contact: Alan Sinclair, Lead Commissioner for Older People Tel: (01865) 323665

Report by Director for Social & Community Services (CA7).

This report seeks agreement of the new Older People's Joint Commissioning Strategy 2013-2016, developed jointly by the County Council and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group. The strategy has been refined and updated to reflect the outcomes of public consultation, and an action plan developed to set out the initial steps that will be taken to implement the strategy over the next 12 months. Appropriate governance arrangements are being developed to oversee the implementation of the strategy. These are linked to the governance for the Older People’s Pooled Budget, as this is a key mechanism for the successful implementation of the priorities within the strategy and will help to ensure alignment with spending decisions by the County Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree the Older People’s Joint Commissioning Strategy 2013-2016.

Additional documents:

CA_JUN1813R05 Annex 2, item 64 PDF 258 KB

Minutes:

Cabinet had before them the new Older People's Joint Commissioning Strategy 2013-2016, developed jointly by the County Council and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Dr Stephen Richards, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire Clinical Care Commissioning Group, referred to recent media coverage on urgent care pressure. Recent public presentations on a plan to address the issue had triggered the interest. He assured Cabinet that it was not the case as reported that £637m of the £650 budgeted had already been spent. More of the funding was committed at this stage than was expected and there was less contingency available than planned. They were committed to delivery with all their partners.

Councillor Price, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, welcomed the work for carers which was vital and also highlighted the importance of work on dementia. Her main concern was the lack of specific measures of success. She added that the objectives were important but she worried that there was a lack of a sense of innovation. She suggested that it might be necessary to look outside for examples of excellence and innovative solutions.

Councillor Heathcoat in proposing the recommendations emphasised that the Strategy was linked to other reports on the agenda today and that it was the result of collaboration by partners and had been subject to public consultation. A detailed action plan was attached. Stephen Richards confirmed the support and engagement of the Oxfordshire Clinical Care Commissioning Group.

John Jackson, Director for Social & Community Services stressed the links to the other reports and commented that the focus was on meeting the needs of patients, users, carers and citizens. Organisational barriers should not get in the way and it was about working in new ways to avoid that. The Strategy so far had been subject to significant consultation. He outlined the further steps to put services in place, and to deliver on key priorities in an efficient way. He detailed how the delivery would be managed.

In welcoming the report Councillor Hibbert-Biles commented that she would wish to see the County Council encouraging the District Councils to provide more extra care housing and the Leader of the Council undertook to pick this up through the Spatial Planning & Infrastructure Partnership.

RESOLVED: to agree the Older People’s Joint Commissioning Strategy 2013-2016.