Agenda

A Lead member will be appointed to act as chairman for the meeting. The Lead member will also have responsibility for reporting back outcomes of the meeting to the Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee in January.

The public will be given the opportunity to contribute at an appropriate time during the meeting, as determined by the Lead Member.

Background

At the 29 April Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee Development Day carers funding was indentified as a priority for review. The Chairman was also notified that the Cabinet Member for Adult Care had received representation on the matter of carers’ breaks.

A written question on carers funding was also received at Committee in July from the Chair of the Wiltshire Swindon and Users Network (WSUN). The questioner was keen to get assurance that the full allocation of funds received by the PCT for carers’ breaks would be made available for the purposes intended.

The Committee requested that both the Department of Community Services (DCS) and NHS Wiltshire (NHSW) provide reports on the resources allocated to carers services to the September 9^th Committee. These can be found on the following links for information:

DCS report: http://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=8473

NHSW report: http://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=8480

On taking the matter forward the Chairman proposed that a Task Group to consider carers funding would be established in November. This was based on the limited capacity of members at the time to due their commitments to other activities.

On 11 November the Committee resolved to consider carers funding in two parts:

1.         A rapid Scrutiny meeting would take place in December to consider the allocation of funding and monies spent in respect of carers’ breaks for periods 2009/10 and 2010/11.

2.         A Task Group would be established in the New Year to look more broadly at carers funding including the affordability of the carers strategy and the services commissioned and delivered by NHS and WC. 

The Committee commissioned a Mental Health and Dementia Task Group in July to review how the Dept of Community Services and NHS Wiltshire would deliver the Joint Commissioning Strategy for Dementia, including how actions in the strategy would be funded.

At the November Committee the Chairman also recommended that the funding for Dementia be explored along with carers’ breaks funding at the rapid scrutiny meeting in December.  This would prevent the same key representatives from both organisations having to attend a further meeting on another funding related issue.

The purpose of today’s meeting is to therefore consider“the allocation of funding and monies spent in respect of Carers’ Breaks and Dementia for the periods 2009/10 and 2010/11”.

In addition to the evidence supplied under Item 5 below, the following documents have been sent to the Scrutiny Members for background reading:

·        Draft Wiltshire Joint Commissioning Strategy for People Living with Dementia and their Families

·        Draft Wiltshire Carers Strategy 2010-13

·        Refresh of the National Carers Strategy

·        NHS Operating Framework 09/10 and 10/11

The meeting will be split into two parts:

PART A – Carers’ Breaks Funding

Attached to this Agenda are the following documents in relation to Carers’ Breaks Funding. The Lead Scrutiny Member will invite representatives from NHSW, DCS and WSUN to present the evidence attached and to provide verbal evidence as appropriate:

PART B – Dementia Funding

Attached to this Agenda are the following documents in relation to Dementia Funding. The Lead Scrutiny Member will invite representatives from NHSW and DCS to present the evidence provided and to provide verbal evidence as appropriate:

Witnesses will be thanked for their participation and will be invited to leave. Following consideration of the evidence, scrutiny members will be asked to agree their findings and recommendations. These will then be sent to the interested parties for reply and reported to the parent Select Committee on 13^th January for endorsement.