To update the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) members on the Herefordshire’s Better Care Fund (BCF) quarter 2 performance template 2025-26 and seek formal Health and Wellbeing Board approval.

Hilary Hall updated the board on the Better Care Fund (BCF) quarter 2 performance template 2025/26, the main points included:

i.             As per national requirements, the quarter 2 performance template had been submitted on 11 November 2025, and retrospective approval was sought from the board.

ii.            The BCF Delivery Plan had been approved by the National Team which incorporated a revised Discharge to Assess (D2A) Model.

iii.          Data showed that the system was on track to meet the goals for the national metrics ‘Emergency admissions to hospital for people aged over 65 per 100,000 population’ and ‘Long-term admissions to residential care homes and nursing homes for people aged 65 and over per 100,000 population’.  The system was not on track to meet the goal for the metric ‘Average length of discharge delay for all acute adult patients’ and an overview was provided of the D2A Action Plan.

iv.          It was reported that the BCF was overspent by £0.901m at quarter 2, due to overspending on services facilitating hospital discharge (£0.714m) and services for Deprivation of Liberty standards and Approved Mental Health Professionals (£0.206m), offset by small amounts of underspending in other services.  It was noted that savings and mitigation plans were in place but there were rising demand-led pressures.

Resolved:  That

a)      the Better Care Fund (BCF) 2025/26 quarter 2 report at Appendix 1, as submitted to NHS England, be approved retrospectively; and

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