The Sub-Committee received an update on the developing the medium-term financial strategy (MTFS) to bring together all known factors affecting Health, Adults and Communities savings the main points arising from the questioning on the presentation maybe summarised as follows:

The Committee:

v  Commented that the financial position for the Borough at this time is subject to significant uncertainty. Which makes financial planning even more challenging than normal and when taken alongside the huge uncertainty surrounding financial forecasts at the time of a global pandemic.

v  Asked if the Borough was satisfied that all the contributions to the local pooled budget had been done correctly to deal with the growing health and social care pressures. In response it was noted that the final report by Grant Thornton into the pooled budget was awaited and would be circulated to the Sub-Committee once it is published.

v  Noted that the local pooled budget had a particularly good spread of joint initiatives and projects and robust processes around continuing healthcare

v  Agreed that these joint funding arrangements of the Integrated Care Fund should be the subject to further scrutiny by the Sub-Committee.

v  Noted that Adults and Children’s passenger transport has been the subject of a strategic review by Grant Thornton with a number of recommendations arising from it around better utilisation of the internal transport fleet, route optimisation and savings achieved through more cost-effective external transport routes delivered via a dynamic purchasing system (DPS). However, more work will need to be done to ascertain the savings already identified to ensure there is no double counting. Also, it was noted that the Grant Thornton review is not the only way in which transport savings are being modelled in the Borough and there is a working group that cuts across Children's and Adults to consider a full range of options.

v  Agreed that this and other similar reviews should be the subject of further detailed scrutiny.

v  Agreed that consideration should be given to the Sub-Committee looking at (i) how savings can be delivered in the Reablement, Hostels and Substances misuse services without adversely affect residents; (ii) how  to unlock funding and share ideas across services to create a better functioning social care system that meets people’s needs more effectively. 

The Chair then Moved, and it was resolved that the Chair in consultation with Divisional Director, Strategy, Policy and Performance consider how to progress further scrutiny affecting Health, Adults and Communities savings.