Agenda item

Chief Officer

Mr Bob Howarth updated the Health & Social Care Integration Joint Board members on the progress of allocating funds from the Integrated Care Fund. He highlighted that the key areas that had been looked at in regard to the Integrated Care Fund plan had been consolidated within the strategic planning work in order to strengthen assessment processes and ensure robust strategic and financial allocation.

Mrs Sandra Pratt briefed the Health & Social Care Integration Joint Board members on progress with the Eildon proposal. She advised that a stakeholder meeting was being held on 29 October 2015 to bring together people from the locality including community and acute staff to help shape the model in terms of how workable and manageable it might be and to refine the submission to Integrated Care Fund.

Dr Angus McVean suggested the GP community may have significant concerns about the Eildon project, that it had been developed at a strategic level and that it lacked in input from primary care providers. He welcomed the stakeholder session on 29 October 2015 and the input of GPs to that session.

Mrs Susan Manion reiterated that the Eildon project was an outline plan with the intent to demonstrate progress. She welcomed the input of GPs to the engagement process.

Mrs Pratt confirmed that the project was a concept for primary care and acute to explore and agree. An outline had been submitted to the Integrated Care Fund in order to advise them that as the project developed and progressed, resources would be sought. The locality would be the driving force behind the project taking into account the potential impacts on both acute and primary care services through testing the model to see if it was appropriate and workable. She advised that all GP Practices in the locality area had been contacted and all but two had given feedback. The GP Practices were keen to participate and engage on the project.

DrMcVean advised that he was now assured that GP input was taking place, however he would have preferred the GP Local Negotiating Committee (LNC) to have been engaged with at an earlier stage.

The Chair commented that the Health & Social Care Integration Joint Board recognized it was important to ensure GPs and all stakeholders were engaged with on all the initiatives that would be developed, tested and established.

Cllr Jim Torrance was surprised to hear Dr McVean’s comments given that Dr Jonathan Kirk and Dr Sheena MacDonald had spoken of the proposed project at various meetings. He further commented that potentially with the success of such a project community hospital beds might be reduced.

Mr David Davidson commented that good engagement with all stakeholders on any project or service change was a key factor of good governance. If a bid were submitted to the Health & Social Care Integration Joint Board to consider, it would wish to be assured that the bid was worthwhile, achieved outcomes and that the background to it was fully understood.

Cllr John Mitchell enquired if the project would lead to the replacement of Viewfield, which had closed when the Borders General Hospital had opened. He further enquired if the £2.13m was for each year or just the first year. Mrs Carol Gillie confirmed that the £2.13m funding was expected for the current year and the following 2 years. She confirmed that there was absolutely no intention to open a replacement for Viewfield as a cottage hospital. Dr Stephen Mather commented that healthcare could not stay static and any proposals that assisted in looking at different ways of delivering healthcare to the benefit of the population should be applauded. He further welcomed the interesting point raised by Cllr Torrance that the success of the project could lead to the consequences of capacity across the system.

The HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE INTEGRATION JOINT BOARD noted the report and in so doing supported the work undertaken to date.