Contact: Ron Coe, Ext: 7150

Presenter: Mike Gardner, 01962 763987

1 Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

1.2 That the proposal to enter into an Agreement with Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust and Test Valley Borough Council to establish a pooled budget for Health Improvement and Social Inclusion in the Andover Area under Section 31, Health Act 1999, as an extension to the current pilot scheme in the Winchester area, be approved.

1.3 That £25,000 per annum, for a period of three years from 1 October 2003, be allocated from the budgets for County wide grants to fund the Social Services contribution to the pooled budget, subject to this allocation being matched by both the Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust and .Test Valley Borough Council.

1.4 That the allocation for 2003/04 be limited to £12,500.

1.5 That the allocation be made on the condition that:

a) the Social Services Criteria for Grants be applied to any application for grant from the pooled budget;

b) no grant made from the pooled budget will duplicate a payment made by the Social Services Department;

c) the pooled budget will not be used to fund an organisation which has been refused a grant by the Social Services Department.

d) arrangements be made to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme and that a report on the scheme be made to the Executive Member, Social Care as part of the annual review of grants.

2 Reason

2.1 To establish a pooled budget for Health Improvement and Social Inclusion in the Andover area, under Section 31 of the Health Act 1999, as an extension to the current scheme in the Winchester area.

3 Other options considered and rejected

3.1 None

4 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision-maker or a Member or Officer consulted

4.1 None

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

5.1 None

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1 Not applicable.

Approved by: Date of decision:

Councillor Felicity Hindson

Contact: Ron Coe, Ext: 7150

Presenter: Mike Gardiner, 01962 763987

1. Summary

1.1 This report seeks approval to transfer £25,000 from the budgets for County wide grants to a pooled budget for Health Improvement and Social Inclusion under the provisions of Section 31, Health Act, 1999.

2. Background

2.1 The Winchester Health Improvement & Social Inclusion Budget was established in 2002 under the auspices of the Winchester Health Improvement Management Group (WHIMG), the executive arm of the Winchester Health For All Partnership which includes representatives from Hampshire County Council (HCC), Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust (MHPCT), Winchester Area Community Action, Winchester City Council (WCC), and the local business community.

2.2 Given the need to break the cycle of pressure upon both the health and social services, WHIMG, led by the health and social services representatives, looked at the development of a strategy to resolve the dilemma of how the requirement to address issues of capacity and the consequent budget pressures could be reconciled with the requirement to reduce the cause of those pressures.

2.3 The objective was to address the priorities identified in the Heath Improvement Plan, the content of which had already been agreed and owned by the partner agencies. It was agreed that a Pooled Budget be set up on a pilot basis in the Winchester Area using the statutory framework of Section 31 of the 1999 Health Act. An annual allocation of £25,000 was committed by each of the three statutory partners starting on 1 April 2002 and to last for 3 years in the first instance. Monitoring would be by means of the mechanisms identified in the Guidelines Paper. The title of `Health Improvement and Social Inclusion (HISI) Budget' was also agreed.

2.4 Access to the budget is carefully controlled by means of a Budget Panel, members of which are drawn from the Winchester Health for All Group and include representatives of each of the funding partners.

3. The First Year

3.1 During the first year of operation the HISI Budget was used to grant aid a number of organisations using voluntary resources to provide services aimed at reducing pressures on the statutory agencies. Details of these allocations are set out in Appendix 1.

3.2 On the evidence of the first year's operation the initiative is deemed to have been successful. The budget is particularly seen as effective in encouraging innovation and in bringing partnership resources into some traditional problem areas. The financial contribution to the establishment of the budget has therefore helped to raise the profile of the County Council and its Social Services Department and has permeated other systems, e.g. that supporting the development of community strategies.

4. Extension to the Andover area

4.1 The HISI Budget was set up on a pilot basis and, having been successful, has generated pressure to extend the pilot to include that part of Test Valley coming under the auspices of the MHPCT, i.e. Andover and its environs. Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) and MHPCT are keen to pursue such an approach and are each prepared to commit £25,K for three years to a pooled budget under the terms of Section 31, Health Act 1999 and using the criteria established in the existing HISI Budget. There would be value in further testing such a partnership in a very different and arguably more deprived area, particularly given that the area has been chosen in which to test application of the four corporate priorities. Certainly it would test the ability of the voluntary sector in that area to respond to the needs.

4.2 It is proposed that TVBC, MHPCT and Social Services enter into an agreement under Section 31, Health Act 1999 to establish a pooled budget in the Andover area. The Social Services contribution would be funded by an allocation of £25,000 from the budgets for County wide grants for a period of three years from 1 October 2003, with £12,500 being required in 2003/04.

4.3 Grants made from the pooled budget would be subject to the same stringent criteria as apply to other Social Services Grants, including the financial criteria and care would be taken not to duplicate payments made by the Department or to make payments where grants have been refused by the Department.

5. Recommendations

5.1 That the proposal to enter into an Agreement with Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust and Test Valley Borough Council to establish a pooled budget for Health Improvement and Social Inclusion in the Andover Area under Section 31, Health Act 1999, as an extension to the current pilot scheme in the Winchester area, be approved.

5.2 That £25,000 per annum, for a period of three years from 1 October 2003, be allocated from the budgets for County wide grants to fund the Social Services contribution to the pooled budget, subject to this allocation being matched by both the Mid Hampshire Primary Care Trust and .Test Valley Borough Council.

5.3 That the allocation for 2003/04 be limited to £12,500.

5.4 That the allocation be made on the condition that:

a) the Social Services Criteria for Grants be applied to any application for grant from the pooled budget;

b) no grant made from the pooled budget will duplicate a payment made by the Social Services Department;

c) the pooled budget will not be used to fund an organisation which has been refused a grant by the Social Services Department.

d) arrangements be made to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme and that a report on the scheme be made to the Executive Member, Social Care as part of the annual review of grants.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB. The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

Winchester Health Improvement and Social Inclusion Budget - Monitoring and Review Report, May 2003.

Appendix 1

Executive Member - Social Care

22 September 2003

Health Improvement and Social Inclusion - Pooled Budget

Winchester Health Improvement and Social Inclusion Budget

Set out below are brief details of grant allocations made from the Winchester Health Improvement and Social Inclusion Budget during its first year of operation.

1. The Olive Branch - £3,744

To part fund the appointment of a co-ordinator to support the increased demand for counselling services from lone parents, those with mental health problems, and carers.

2. Creative Support Group - £4,000

To provide peer group support in place of, but also to complement, conventional mental health services.

3. Special Help for Special Families - £10,000

To provide free or subsidised childcare for families in socially deprived areas thereby enabling children opportunities for socialisation, and families support with special needs and behavioural difficulties.

4. Wickham Partnership - £7,000

To help fund a temporary community co-ordinator post to support the identification of the needs and aspirations of the local community and develop action plans to meet those needs.

5. Credit Union Development Co-ordinator - £10,000

Funding for a temporary C.U. development co-ordinator post to support the development of a Credit Union service across the Winchester District;

6. Winchester Live at Home Scheme - £9,017

Funding for an extension of The Friendship Club to reduce isolation to elderly people living alone by providing day care, support and exercise sessions to those on waiting lists for other provision;

7. `DORCAS' Furniture Project - £7,500

Funding to extend a scheme already operating very successfully in Southampton that collects furniture and electrical goods then, following refurbishment, recycles them to those referred by the statutory and voluntary agencies;

8. Youth Counselling 14-25 - £9,511

To support the work of Face to Face, extending the age ranges to provide free long term counselling services to children age 14 -25;

9. Rape & Sexual Abuse Counselling Service - £6,500

Support to people who have experienced childhood sexual abuse or rape and by the provision of an increased level of service to address waiting lists prior to referral to specialist mental health services;

10. KUDOS Employment - £3,000

To provide a Job Coach service for people with a learning disability and high support needs, a group not targeted by the general development of supported employment in the past;

11. Young Carers Project - £6,700

To work within schools, with teachers and others to improve young peoples mental health through education and group support, specifically tackling the issues of living within a family where there are mental health problems, a drug/alcohol dependency or physical illness or disability and the issues related to terminal illness, grief or loss;

12. Falls Awareness & Prevention Project - £9,631

To develop Falls Prevention Guidelines and the production of public information material and thus to reduce hospital admissions and admissions to nursing and residential care (older people being a major target audience);

13. Saturday Kidz Club - £6,800

To support the running of a weekly escorted bus service to enable children from the Weeke estate to access the City centre run club. The target is to offer respite for children away from parents or siblings affected by mental health issues or substance misuse.