To update Health and Wellbeing Board members on Herefordshire’s Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan 2025/26 and seek formal Health and Wellbeing Board approval.

The Corporate Director for Community Wellbeing introduced the BCF Plan 2025/26 and made the following comments: the new BCF objectives aimed to support the shift from sickness to prevention, and from hospital to home; the key changes from previous years were highlighted; the plan had been developed collaboratively and had the support of the One Herefordshire Partnership; and it had been a challenge to bring the planning on budget in line with the funding available, particularly in view of national changes, inflationary pressures, and predicted levels of demand.

In response to questions about the ‘Key changes since the previous BCF Plan’ section (agenda page 315), the Corporate Director provided clarifications about the funding of operational social work teams and Talk Community services from the council’s base budget, with the BCF funding repurposed towards long-term adult social care placements.  Consequently, there was limited additional funding to increase investment in prevention, community resilience or admission avoidance.  It was noted that the voluntary and community sector may be able to assist with prevention, but this would require some level of investment.

The Chairperson welcomed the focus on outcomes and noted that the ambitions to reduce emergency admissions, discharge delays, and long-term admissions aligned well with the recently published ‘Urgent and emergency care plan 2025/26’.

Resolved:  That

a)           The Herefordshire Better Care Fund 2025/26 Narrative Plan (Appendix 1), Planning Template (Appendix 2) and the Capacity and Demand Template (Appendix 3), submitted to NHS England, be approved; and

b)      The ongoing work to support integrated health and care provision that is funded via the BCF be noted.