The Integrated Care Board (ICB) will provide a verbal update on their current position.
Minutes:
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) provided a verbal update on key areas of work and developments across the system.
Key points included:
· The ICB's management change process was continuing, with consultation on proposals progressing. Two rounds of voluntary redundancy processes had taken place and a number of posts had been ring fenced as part of the organisational restructure.
· It was recognised that this was a challenging period for staff and appreciation was expressed for the patience and understanding shown by partners during the process. A range of staff support measures had been put in place, including wellbeing support, career advice and CV workshops.
· Work was ongoing to determine future structures and responsibilities within a reduced workforce operating across a wider geographical footprint. Going forward, ICB staff would be clustered across the Leicester, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire area.
· Development of the ICB's 5 year plan was progressing. The plan would set out how the organisation intended to reduce health inequalities, improve the quality of care and respond to increasing demand across health services.
· The plan would focus on a more strategic approach to commissioning and service delivery, recognising challenges relating to workforce pressures, rising demand and inequalities in health outcomes.
· A key ambition was to shift care away from hospital based settings and towards neighbourhood and community based models of care, with a greater emphasis on integrated service delivery.
· Priority transformation areas identified by the ICB included:
Frailty.
Reducing mortality.
Children and Young People's mental health.
Neurodiversity.
· Following a request from NHS England for all Integrated Care Boards to provide an update on future arrangements, the ICB had submitted a response on 15th May. This outlined a 3 year vision for collaborative working and service delivery and highlighted areas where national support may be required to support implementation of the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan.
· An update was provided on vaccination programmes. A visit was scheduled to take place at City Hall to support a national inquiry into declining childhood vaccination rates across England. The visit would involve local partners and stakeholders and would explore current challenges, variations in uptake, system responses and planned actions.
· It was reported that a wider issue affecting vaccination recall and invitation systems across the East Midlands had been identified, impacting more than 7,000 children aged up to 6 years. Work had taken place to address the issue and preventative suspensions had now been lifted.
· Approximately 800 children had already received vaccinations as a result of the corrective action taken. Further work was ongoing to ensure clinical coding was accurate and to identify whether older children may also have missed vaccinations and required follow up.
· The Board was advised of recent success in a regional excellence awards programme relating to chronic kidney disease. A preventative programme delivered through primary care had been recognised as a Midlands regional champion and had progressed to the national awards stage, with winners due to be announced the following week.
· Recognition was also given to local digital health teams that had received awards and commendations for innovation, including work relating to remote monitoring, virtual wards and digital transformation within hospital services.
· The appointment of a new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was expected to influence future national health priorities and policy direction, with further updates to be provided as details emerged.
In response to comments and questions from Board Members, it was noted that:
· Members acknowledged the scale of organisational change taking place within the ICB and recognised the challenges this presented for staff and partner organisations. It was emphasised that clear and regular communication with partners would be important throughout the transition period, particularly where staffing changes affected established points of contact.
· Assurance was sought regarding governance arrangements during the restructuring process. It was confirmed that governance processes remained in place and that statutory requirements, including partnership agreements and decision making arrangements, would continue to operate as normal.
· It was explained that a number of processes had been streamlined to reduce delays, including the introduction of greater flexibility around delegated authority and sign off arrangements. The impact of a planned 30% workforce reduction was already being felt, with May and June seeing the highest number of voluntary redundancy applications.
· It was acknowledged that keeping partners informed of staffing changes had been challenging given the pace and scale of the management of change process. Significant work was underway to support staff and maintain communication during the transition.
· Particular concern was raised regarding capacity in priority areas. Neighbourhood working had been identified as a significant priority and the need to recruit to key senior posts as quickly as possible was highlighted.
· Concerns were expressed regarding the difficulty in securing consideration of the Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report by the ICB Board. It was noted that the report was intended to be shared with the ICB Board to provide statutory partners with an opportunity to comment and contribute.
· The Chair encouraged partners to remain patient and supportive while the ICB managed a substantial programme of organisational change.
· It was further noted that workforce gaps had emerged in some areas as staff left the organisation whilst management of change processes remained ongoing. Recruiting experienced staff into priority areas and networks had proved challenging and continued to be a key focus for the organisation.
AGREED:
• That the update be noted.