To agree a 6 month extension, to 30^th September 2016, to the original S75 agreement between the Local Authority and the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

The director for adults and wellbeing presented the report on the proposal to agree a six month extension to the original section 75 agreement between the council and Herefordshire clinical commissioning group (HCCG), to 30 September 2016.   He said that this was a technical cabinet paper which did not change policy but maintained an existing financial arrangement with the HCCG.  There were two section 75 agreements, one was a legacy from the former Primary Care Trust, whilst the other had been put together to enable the HCCG to transfer funds to the council under the Better Care Fund (BCF) initiative. Both of these agreements expired at the end of the current financial year.  The intention was to merge them into one agreement, but this would not be possible to achieve by the end of March.  National guidelines for the BCF had been published two months late, and the plan would not be finally signed off until the end of June.

In reply to questions raised by cabinet members, the following points were made:

• That the Section 75 (S75) agreement was a straightforward legal document.  The BCF plan would need to be signed off through a national assurance process by the end of June, and that there should be three months thereafter to finalise the S75 agreement.

• That continuation of the current risk share agreement with the CCG would not be recommended to cabinet, nor was there any requirement for the council to enter into one.

Resolved:

That:

a)    the extension of the general section 75 agreement (at appendix one to this report) to 30 September 2016 be agreed;

b)    the section 75 agreement for the better care fund (at appendix two to this report) for the period 1 April 2016 to 30 September 2016 be agreed;

c)    the principle of developing a single section 75 agreement between the council and Herefordshire clinical commissioning group (from September 2016 onwards) be approved, which will be presented at a future cabinet be ratified; and;

d)    authority be delegated to the director for adults and wellbeing to finalise the council’s funding contribution and detail of the better care fund delivery plans, following approval by the health and wellbeing board.