Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

a.  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2014.

b.  Matters arising.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9^th December 2014 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services) considered a report of the Director of Public Health, which set out proposals to insource the Health Trainer Service.

A Health Trainer Service was established in Coventry following the 2004 White Paper ‘Choosing Health’ and was currently commissioned from the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT).  Health Trainers engaged with local people and supported them in delivering lifestyle behaviour change. They most commonly provided support to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight and to improve their mental wellbeing, but could also support with smoking cessation, alcohol reduction and safe sex.

The service was contracted as an element of a wider contract with CWPT, previously held by the Primary Care Trust and transferred to a joint contracting arrangement held by the City Council and Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group following changes implemented as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

The overall contract was renewed annually. In 2014, the City Council commenced a tendering exercise for the Health Trainer service, under a revised service title of ‘Health and Wellbeing Service’, with a view to a new contract becoming effective from 1st April 2015. However, following this procurement, no provider was able to be awarded the contract.

Following the failed tendering process, detailed consideration had been given to the future provision of the service, with a number of options considered. It was considered that, on the whole, the insourcing of the operations would provide the most efficient, economic and effective option for provision going forward.  It was also considered that insourcing the service would allow the Council to better align operations alongside existing delivery by the City Council.

This report provided a summary of the options considered, consultation undertaken and the results of benchmarking of similar services’ costs.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services) approves:-

1.  The expiry of the Health Trainer contract with the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust on the 31st March 2015 and that the operations are insourced, to be delivered directly by the Council's ‘Be Active Be Healthy’ service.

2.  Officers entering into formal discussions with the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust to obtain the appropriate information to allow the insourcing to take place, including the information required under TUPE (the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) and other appropriate operational information.

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services) considered a report of the Director of Public Health, which set out proposals for the transfer of responsibility for 0-5 public health to the local authority.

As part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, it was agreed that the commissioning responsibility for 0-5 public health would transfer to the NHS National Commissioning Board until April 2015, which was then extended until October 2015.  This responsibility in the main covered the Health Visiting and Family Nurse Partnership Services (FNP).  The services were currently commissioned from Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT) and cost in the region of £5.7m pa.

Guidance had recently been published by the Department of Health to support the transfer of the contracts for the services from the NHS to Local Authorities and the financial cost envelope that would support the transfer was currently out for consultation. 

It was proposed to undertake a “lift and shift” approach for 2015/16 and a minimum floor was being applied to ensure no local authority was funded below an adjusted spend of £160 per head (0-5).

Work needed to be undertaken during January to March 2015 to finalise the financial and contractual arrangements regarding the transfer and it was proposed that a further report be submitted following the conclusion of contractual negotiations.

(1)  RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member (Health and Adult Services) note the current position and request the Director of Public Health to provide a further report regarding the progress of the transfer following conclusion of the negotiations regarding the 2015/16 contract for Health Visiting and Family Nurse Partnership services.