The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing presented a report, that provided an update to Council in relation to the current situation with regards to the Health Boundary change in April 2019, in order to ensure that Members are aware of the work that has and continues to be undertaken in readiness for the health boundary realignment from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board to Cwm Taf University Health Board.

By way of background information, she advised that on 13 December 2017, Welsh Government commenced a consultation entitled ‘Effective Partnership Working in Bridgend, Proposed Health Board Boundary Change to align decision-making across Health and Local Government’.  The consultation closed on the 7th March 2018.

The consultation sought views on a proposal that healthcare services for people in the area of Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) should be provided by Cwm Taf University Health Board (Cwm Taf) instead of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (ABMU) to align decision-making across health and local government.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing confirmed that as from 1 April 2019, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board will be known as Swansea Bay University Health Board and the Western Bay region will be known as West Glamorgan region.  Similarly, Cwm Taf University Health Board will be known as Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and the Cwm Taf region will be known as Cwm Taf Morgannwg region. 

She added that from a local authority perspective, whilst the disruption to general services may not be as significant as that experienced by the Health Boards, the boundary changes impact on a number of BCBC services.  BCBC has been a crucial partner to the Western Bay Health and Social Care Regional Programme and therefore, from a local authority perspective, critical work has been undertaken to protect Bridgend services during this potentially disruptive time and to secure continuity in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region after the 1st April 2019.  Therefore, it has been essential that BCBC adopt a structured approach to the disaggregation of regional services which has required close working with a range of partners to ensure that where regional funding supports integrated services, such services are accounted for between Western Bay, ABMU Health Board and BCBC.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing then advised that in planning for the changes to regional boundaries, a Transition Programme was established which includes at various levels, Officers from the two Health Boards, BCBC and the third sector. The governance structure was  attached at Appendix 1 to the report and this showed the overarching Boards plus the work streams that support the Transition Programme.

The report then confirmed, that most of what impacts on BCBC is included in the Partnership Work Stream. This had been chaired by herself and also comprised Officers from the other key partners involved in the new arrangement.

A set of Principles were agreed by all partners at the onset, to underpin the work of the Transition Programme and form the basis by which all partners would hold themselves and each other to account, for successful delivery of the required changes. Appendix 2 to the report included these Principles and the Partnership Work Stream has its own set of principles which are based on this.

The next sections of the report included further information on Third Sector arrangements, Workforce issues, Estates and Finance.

In respect of the latter, the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing confirmed that Western Bay currently receives various regional revenue grants from Welsh Government on an annual basis such as integrated Care Funding (ICF) and Substance Misuse Action Funding (SMAF).  These grants are allocated via the Health Boards but the criteria is clear that they have to be approved by the regional partnership arrangements. These regional grants have been disaggregated to separate out the Bridgend locality apportionment which would then go to the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region in time for the new financial year 2019/20.

The Partnership Work Stream has worked to ensure that the disaggregation of grants is done in a fair, open and transparent manner and agreement has been sought from the two Regional Partnership Boards to this end. The table in paragraph 4.17 of the report, showed the breakdown of grants and disaggregated amounts for the Bridgend locality.

She further added, that Welsh Government had made available an additional £30m of ICF revenue funding across Wales in 2019/20. It was estimated that this will equate to approximately £1.3m for the Bridgend locality. Also, ICF Capital allocations for Bridgend transferring from Western Bay to Cwm Taf had been identified as £1.5m for 2019/20 and £1.8m for 2020/21.

The next part of the report outlined the Services in Scope and these were shown in paragraph 4.21, with an extract (in table form) of the schedule setting out the services so referred to there in paragraph 4.22 (of the report).

Paragraphs 4.23 to 4.29 of the report then described in more detail the Regional Partnership Arrangements. The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing added that a Regional Partnership Shadow Board had been established and from April 2019 and thereafter, BCBC would be a member of the full Board.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing then advised of the roles of the supporting bodies of the Public Service Board (PSB) and the Cwm Taf Health Board of which the Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help was an associate Member.

In conclusion, she then informed Council of the report’s financial implications where there was a small amendment to that contained in the report, namely that the funding to support the transitional work streams had been secured to the value of £180k for 2018/19, made up of £100k from Welsh Government and £80k from all the Health Boards together.

She then introduced Allison Williams, Chief Executive Cwm Taf Health Authority, together with Maria Thomas Vice-Chair, and the former then gave an update from the Health Board’s perspective, following which both she and the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing responded to Members questions. 

RESOLVED:                        That Council noted the approach and progress made to date with regard to the Health Board Boundary change.