Agenda item

To receive an update on the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Governance arrangements.

Phil Porter (Strategic Director Community Wellbeing, Brent Council) introduced the update, outlining the draft structure for the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) governance in Appendix 1 of the report. He advised the Board that it was being presented in order to be as transparent as possible. The ICP arrangements focused on building on what already existed based on national guidance, such as the Brent Children’s Trust, and had enhanced what was previously known as the Health and Care Transformation Board into the ICP Exec. The main change presented to Board with this iteration was the creation of an ICP Board which brought those two children and adult streams together. The ICP Board had been meeting informally as a cohort and it needed to be formalised. The Terms of Reference, included in Appendix 2 of the report, detailed that membership. He advised the Board that different legislation meant slightly different requirements on memberships for ICP and Health and Wellbeing Boards, and there may be a need to review the membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board once the ICS was in place. The ICP Board would meet 6 weeks before Health and Wellbeing Board meaning anything coming through the ICP Board could be reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board. Robyn Doran (Chief Operating Officer, CNWL / Brent ICP Director) added that the ICP understood the importance of having councillors in the room to ensure good governance. In her role as ICP director she had met, alongside other ICP directors, the new Accountable Officer, and would invite him to meet locally with relevant partners.

The Chair invited comments and questions from those present, with the following issues raised:

·         The Board welcomed the recreation of a significant joint planning arrangement.

·         The Board queried how investment decisions would be made in the future with the new arrangements. Robyn Doran recalled that at a previous meeting Lesley Watts (Chief Executive, NWL CCG) had spoken about a commitment from North West London (NWL) to move money into areas that had been underfunded for some time, including Brent. Robyn Doran advised that a significant amount of money had come into the system both nationally and locally. There was a commitment from NWL CCG and central government, through the Department of Health, to look at a population health approach to funding and there was a recognition that places such as Brent and other areas had been underfunded for a long time. Any new money into the system would go to those boroughs and some of that was already happening. Robyn Doran agreed to conduct a retrospective piece of work outlining what had been invested on in the past year in all of the key areas, including information on where there was large underfunding or unmet need.

·         The Board agreed that it was important to factor in the voice of voluntary and community organisations and the voice of people with lived experience. That conversation had taken place within the subgroups of the ICP and the ICP exec had met with thematic leads in the voluntary and community sector to ensure they were fully represented and involved in the work. Phil Porter encouraged the Health and Wellbeing Board to consider how those voices could be represented on the Health and Wellbeing Board and the importance of that strong statement of listening to those voices. Jo Kay (Brent Healthwatch) agreed with the importance of ensuring those voices were heard, and advised that part of Healthwatch’s governance structure involved a grassroots Community Voices Group that influenced Healthwatch priorities. Healthwatch had a seat on the Integrated Care Partnership Board and were working with other local Healthwatch teams in the patch to ensure Brent was represented at Integrated Care System level.

RESOLVED:

i)              To note the update.