Issue - meetings

This report provides an overview of the Quarter 1 Report of the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2025-26.

The BCF is a key delivery vehicle in providing person-centred integrated care with health, social care, housing, and other public services, which is fundamental to maintaining a strong and sustainable health and care system.

The report is a part of the requirements set by the Better Care Fund 2025-26 Policy Framework. The report must be jointly agreed and signed off by the Health and Wellbeing Board as one of the planning requirements.

The Commissioning Manager presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

NHS England (NHSE) required the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) to approve all BCF plans, this was one of the national conditions within the Policy Framework. This included planning documents at the beginning of a funding period, and template returns reporting progress against the plans quarterly.

The report provided an overview of the Quarter 1 Report of the Better Care Fund (BCF) for 2025-26.

The BCF was a key delivery vehicle in providing person-centred integrated care with health, social care, housing, and other public services, which was fundamental to maintaining a strong and sustainable health and care system.

The report was a part of the requirements set by the Better Care Fund 2025-26 Policy Framework. The report must be jointly agreed and signed off by the Health and Wellbeing Board as one of the planning requirements.

The Board discussed the report, including:

·       Members acknowledged the extensive work involved in delivering the Better Care Fund (BCF) across the system, covering over 50 schemes.

·       The complexity of managing BCF funding was highlighted, along with expected national changes, including potential links to health neighbourhoods and alignment with the NHS 10-year plan.

·       The importance of responding collectively to the forthcoming national consultation on BCF was stressed, particularly to protect key areas such as intermediate care.

·       The inclusion of voluntary sector examples in the presentation was welcomed, and the need for objective data to track progress against targets for future reports was emphasised.

·       Support was expressed for the point on data, and local charities and community groups were praised, with the Prama Walking Group cited as an example of impactful volunteering.

·       It was shared that volunteering initiatives had saved the NHS nearly £500,000 by supporting safe hospital discharges and reducing readmissions.

·       An offer was made to share a short film highlighting the value of volunteering, which had been shown at the Integrated Care Board. ACTION.

·       Members noted the significant scale of BCF delivery, with approximately £80 million funding around 50 schemes, representing a major partnership effort between NHS, local authorities, and the voluntary sector.

·       Positive examples were discussed, including: same day emergency care improvements, voluntary sector involvement in hospitals and transfer of care hubs, access wellbeing and its role in supporting health workers and social workers and lifeline technology service supporting hundreds of people weekly.

RESOLVED that the Health and Wellbeing Board retrospectively approve the Better Care Fund 2025-26 Quarter 1 Report.

Voting: Nem. Con.