Agenda item

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all the circumstances and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. Partners are keen to vary the s. 75 Hospital Discharge Partnership Agreement to ensure that additional funding very recently made available in light of the Covid-19 pandemic can be used most effectively to respond to local need and support the longer-term sustainability of health and social care.

The proposal for a variation to enable additional funding to be safeguarded for local residents has recently come forward and partners have had to act at pace to ensure that Councils can agree to accept the additional funding as indicated. Given the above, it is not practicable to comply with the 28-day notice requirement in Part Four, Section D, Rule 13 of the constitution or the 5-day notice period requirement for key decisions. This is set out in Part Four, Section D, Rule 17, of the Constitution. As set out below, the decision is urgent and time critical in accordance with Part 4 Section H paragraph 18 (a) and 18 (b).

Please be advised that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has further agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this urgent decision. This is because the decision is urgent and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests as the variation of the 75 Hospital Discharge Partnership Agreement would ensure that additional funding very recently made available in light of the Covid-19 pandemic can be used most effectively to respond to local need and support the longer-term sustainability of health and social care. This decision is considered to be urgent as the Council needs to accept the additional funding as soon as possible to enable additional funding to be safeguarded for local residents. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all circumstances, and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. This is in accordance with Part 4, Section H, and Paragraph 18 (a) and (b) of the Council Constitution.

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Well-Being considered the report which noted that Haringey Council (the Council) working in partnership with the four other local authorities (Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Islington) within the North Central London sub-region and the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group (the CCG) had in place, since March 2020, a partnership agreement under S.75 of the National Health Services Act 2006 in response to the global Coronavirus pandemic.

The report noted that the Partnership Agreement acted as a framework for a range of schedules and already covered three Schemes designed to support effect hospital discharge arrangements between the NHS and local government. It was introduced with the support of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) over the period to March 2022. Partners had now determined that a further 3 Schemes, 4, 5 and 6, as detailed in the attached variation, would continue to support smooth discharge arrangements between partners. The report therefore sought approval for the partnership agreement and the additional Schemes now deemed to be required.

Officers provided a correction in relation to recommendation 3.1.3 (recommendation 3 below). It was noted that the delegation should be to the Director of Adults and Health, rather than the Assistant Director for Commissioning. The Cabinet Member noted and agreed this correction.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    To approve Haringey Council’s participation in the existing Section 75 Partnership Agreement (Covid-19 Hospital Discharge Partnership Agreement) between the Councils of North Central London and the CCG which provides for lead commissioning and pooled budgets across a range of schedules.

2.    To approve the variation to include three further Schemes, 4, 5 and 6, as set out in Appendix 2.

3.    To delegate to the Assistant Director Commissioning Director of Adults and Health, after consultation with the Lead Member for Health, Social Care and Well-Being, the authority to finalise and agree any further schedules to the Section 75 Partnership Agreement between the Councils of North Central London and the CCG.

Reasons for decision

The s. 75 Partnership Agreement has supported greater levels of integration between the NHS and the Councils of North Central London by enabling lead commissioning and pooled budgets across partners within a strategic framework as set out in the National Health Services Act 2006.

The Agreement has enabled additional NHS funding to be made available to local government through the CCG to support hospital discharge arrangements during the Coronavirus pandemic. Given the existing pressures on both the NHS and local government social care such support is required to meet local need.

The Council will fail to benefit from significant additional funding being made available to support local social care arrangements should the approvals sought not be forthcoming. The vision set out in the Partnership Agreement aligns with the partnership work, effective use of pooled budgets and integrated working at pace which have been features of the Covid response across North Central London.

Alternative options considered

Consideration was given by officers to suggesting the Council does not participate in this s. 75 Partnership Agreement. However, this approach would reduce the funding available to the local authority to support residents being discharged from hospital and directly therefore affect the funding available to the wider adult social care cohort.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all the circumstances and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. Partners are keen to vary the s. 75 Hospital Discharge Partnership Agreement to ensure that additional funding very recently made available in light of the Covid-19 pandemic can be used most effectively to respond to local need and support the longer-term sustainability of health and social care.

The proposal for a variation to enable additional funding to be safeguarded for local residents has recently come forward and partners have had to act at pace to ensure that Councils can agree to accept the additional funding as indicated. Given the above, it is not practicable to comply with the 28-day notice requirement in Part Four, Section D, Rule 13 of the constitution or the 5-day notice period requirement for key decisions. This is set out in Part Four, Section D, Rule 17, of the Constitution. As set out below, the decision is urgent and time critical in accordance with Part 4 Section H paragraph 18 (a) and 18 (b).

Please be advised that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has further agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this urgent decision. This is because the decision is urgent and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests as the variation of the 75 Hospital Discharge Partnership Agreement would ensure that additional funding very recently made available in light of the Covid-19 pandemic can be used most effectively to respond to local need and support the longer-term sustainability of health and social care. This decision is considered to be urgent as the Council needs to accept the additional funding as soon as possible to enable additional funding to be safeguarded for local residents. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all circumstances, and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. This is in accordance with Part 4, Section H, and Paragraph 18 (a) and (b) of the Council Constitution.