Agenda item

7.1    This item was moved forward on the agenda to be discussed directly after agenda item 4.

7.2    Aileen Buckton introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

·      All London Boroughs and London CCGs have signed up to the Health and Care Collaboration Agreement. The agreement describes how the borough and CCGs aim to work together in a collaborative way.

·      There has also been agreement between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and London for a programme of devolution in London. This agreement is not as detailed as some other areas of the country where devolution is taking place such as for example Manchester.

·      Neither of these agreements contain changes to the governance arrangements for the local authorities involved.

·      The health and care pilots are designed to test out whether devolution can help on a sub-regional level with the integration of health and adult social care. Lewisham Council’s pilot is a continuation of the work on health and adult social care integration that the Council is already engaged in.

·      The bid for devolution that London Councils put forward was signed by the leaders of all London Boroughs. It asks central government for three things: a) flexibility for the use of estates owned by the NHS; b) support in developing terms and conditions of employees working in joint teams; c) suspension of the tariff that’s used to pay hospitals for the care they deliver to encourage increased preventative work. A business case needs to be developed for all these three asks of central government.

·      A press release was issues which implied that Lewisham’s health and care devolution pilot was focused on the integration between mental and physical health. This is a reflection of the current situation of integration of health and care in Lewisham but is not the focus of the pilot.

7.3    Aileen Buckton and Georgina Nunney (principal lawyer) answered questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·      The benefits to patients from devolution are similar to the benefits from the integration programme. If estates owned by the NHS become available to community based teams more easily than patients would see the benefits of community based teams realised more quickly.

·      The Mayor of Lewisham has signed the London Health and Care Collaboration Agreement as Chair of Lewisham’s Health and Wellbeing Board. That agreement has also been signed by Lewisham CCG. The legal status of the agreement and what obligations, if any, it would put Lewisham Council under, could not be specified at the time of the meeting.

·      The London Devolution Bid is a statement of intent that does not bind Lewisham Council to anything.

7.4    The Committee made the following comments:

·      All Members should receive a briefing on what devolution agreements had been signed by the Council, whether these agreements were binding and what these agreements were binding the Council to, if anything.

·      A simple message about what the London devolution deal entails was also needed for residents and for Members to share with residents.

7.5    RESOLVED: that the Committee noted the report, and encouraged a briefing be provided to all Members on the status of any devolution agreement relevant to London.