The Board to receive a report on Sustainable Community Services.

Nicola Jones, NEW Devon CCG provided the Board with a presentation.  It was reported that –

(a)           this strategy was the result of an extensive engagement;

(b)          during the engagement positive messages were heard on the services currently provided;

(c)           questions were not limited to community health services but included targeted questions e.g. ‘do you want to stay in hospital?’ and covered personalised care and carers;

(d)          there were four main groups of services –

·         prevention and personalising support;

·         personal health budgets;

·         pathways for adults with complex needs - community services needed to support the whole pathway in terms of people in crisis and preventing the needs of people going into the acute setting;

·         urgent care.

(e)          current contract with Plymouth Community Healthcare runs until the end of March 2016;

(f)            the strategy was based very heavily on what was heard from people and views were being sought on the position set out in the strategy ahead of the decision being made.

In response to questions raised, it was reported that -

(g)           whilst strategic framework was welcomed further clarity was required on the role of ‘Health and Wellbeing hubs’ in transforming community services and a clearer sense of the intended geographical distribution across Plymouth and Devon.  Further information would be available as proposals moved into the detailed planning stage;

(h)          with this area being the one of the 11^th most challenged health economies in England, work was underway to identify what level of investment into community services was affordable;

(i)            the impact on the Minor Injury Unit model in place in Plymouth would be carefully considered along with the role and impact of shared resource around information technology;

(j)            hubs would need to address the needs of individual  communities and whilst there was a requirement for some consistency the hubs must be locally designed.  There was a role for the voluntary sector to help shape what was required locally;

(k)          public health were key to giving the assurance investment now was shaping the future and reducing morbidity;

(l)            our ultimate purpose is to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing for the people in Devon by the promoting the integration of health care service and anything that takes in that direction was welcomed.

Agreed that the Health and Wellbeing Board is assured that the direction of travel in this document begins to fulfil the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.