Agenda item

This report and presentation will provide a progress update on the development of the Sussex Integrated Care System, including how the ICS is shaping new partnership working in West Sussex.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is asked to note the progress made, and the updates to partnership working in West Sussex.

8.1     The Board received a progress update on the development of the Sussex Integrated Care System (ICS), including how the ICS was shaping new partnership working in West Sussex.

8.2     It was reported that the NHS Long Term Plan had reinforced the role of integrated care systems (ICSs) in establishing more collaborative working and joined-up care for patients and their local populations. ICS was described as partnerships that bring together providers and commissioners of NHS services across a geographical area with local authorities and other local partners, to collectively plan and integrate care to meet the needs of their population. It was noted that the central aim of the ICS was to integrate care across different organisations and settings, joining up hospital and community-based services, physical and mental health, and health and social care. This depended on collaboration and a focus on places and local populations as the driving forces for improvement.

8.3     The presentation highlighted two key functions for integrated care systems:

• co-ordination of system transformation – this means partners in the ICS working together to agree changes to local health and care services and develop supporting strategies, for example, around the development of digital infrastructure, estates and workforce
• collective management of system performance – this means partners in the ICS working together to collectively manage and improve the overall financial and operational performance of all the NHS organisations within the system.

8.5     In changing the way the systems worked across providers and commissioners in Sussex it was acknowledged that there were issues that needed to be addressed in order to focus on integrating care and on innovative approaches to prevention and wellbeing. Board Member’s attention was drawn to the report which set out some priorities for strengthening partnership work to improve outcomes for our population.

8.6     In receiving this update, Board Members welcomed what had been achieved so far. This included;

·       Sussex Health and Care Partnership (SHCP) recognised as a mature ICS in April 2020

·       Partnership Executive established for the Sussex Health and Care Partnership

·       Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies agreed at place

·       5 year Sussex Strategic Delivery Plan published in January 2020

·       Partnership Executives established for Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex

·       “Vision 2025” approach agreed by SHCP Executive

8.7     Board Members then;

·       considered the future goals for 2025 whilst noting the ongoing partnership activities;

·       pointed out the importance of Housing links to health noting partnership activity on strategic plans to form a Housing Memorandum of Understanding;

·       highlighted Winter Planning as a key example of strategic planning work across the system;

·       recognised that the ICS unlocked partners ability to lead and work together collaboratively;

·       welcomed the opportunity to remove budget conversations away from patient care;

·       drew attention to new NHS Guidance on Hospital Discharge and how ICS could help to deliver with a co-production model;

·       committed to the delivery of priority services in health care and social care;

·       agreed that the Local Community Networks (LCNs) were important in assisting with tackling health inequalities and should retain their progress and continue development;

·       informed that the Primary Care Networks worked together with wider community services with national arrangement. These varied in size and were set up to meet specific national specification. Primary Care had delivered enhanced care in Care Homes and established coverage across whole of West Sussex. Development was noted as evolved within the neighbourhood structures.

·       noted community reablement as a key objective in order to keep patients out of hospital and in their homes; and

·       acknowledged the improvement ICS had made to enable partnership working by collective decision making and using providers and commissioners to drive change.

8.8     In summing up, the Director of Strategy, SES CCG stated that place based working is at the heart of transformational change. There was still a national structure but the ICS was enabling partners to move closer to a regional structure. It was pointed out that the ICS was a more responsive system to operational changes. Challenges were recognised including allocation of resources and budgets and it was foreseen that money would test the partnership when receiving fixed sums of money.

8.9     The Chairman, with the agreement of all Board Members, congratulated everyone involved with the establishment of the ICS. The Chairman was particularly grateful to the Chief Executive of Sussex CCG and everyone who had contributed to the establishment of this partnership working which would ultimately benefit residents.

8.10 Resolved – that the Health and Wellbeing Board noted the progress made to partnership working in West Sussex.