Councillors and committees

Agenda item

Joint Strategic Review of Short breaks for Children with Disabilities

Decision:

1.       The responsibility for funding short break services for children and young people currently accessing Beeches be transferred from Surrey Clinical Commissioning Groups (NHS) to Surrey County Council.

2.       Surrey County Council continues to run Applewood as a short break service.

3.       Beeches remains as an option for families through their personal budgets by direct payments or arranged by Surrey County Council rather than the current block contract arrangements, subject to agreement with Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (who run Beeches).

4.       Surrey County Council and NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG work with Surrey and Borders Partnership to transfer commissioning arrangements to individual spot purchases at a fair price.

5.       Surrey County Council continues to develop options for the use of personal budgets with families either through direct payments or arranged by SCC.

 

Reasons for Decisions:

 

Overnight short breaks are a positive experience for children and young people with disabilities to spend time away from their parents, relax and have fun with their peers.  They are also a lifeline for many families giving parents a break from the day and night care for their child.  They give siblings an opportunity to spend some quality family time with their parents. SCC and NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG are committed to ensure that this type of support continues to be available.

 

The recommendations acknowledge that:

·                Both Applewood and Beeches have capacity to deliver services to a wider group of children at this point in time; both are highly valued by the families and young people who use them.

·                Local Authorities are responsible for funding short breaks for children with social care needs and disabilities. The recommendations allow an opportunity to correct a historic financial legacy where the CCGs in Surrey inherited responsibility to fund Beeches although children were referred by SCC but required an assessed Health need.

·                All 15 children who access Beeches have assessed social care and disabilities needs.

 

The recommendations take into account the views expressed by the parents, carers and professionals and the desire to find a solution that enables ongoing access to both Applewood and Beeches facilities.

Given the current underuse of Beeches, it would not be good value for money for SCC to purchase the service through a block contract in addition to funding Applewood. The recommendation made is therefore to start negotiations with NHS Surrey and Borders Partnership Foundation Trust to establish whether they would continue to deliver Beeches once the NHS block contract ceases by agreeing to individual purchasing of placements at a market rate that acknowledges any complexity of need.

The CCGs could consider redirection of funding currently used for block contract of Beeches to support a wider range of children and young people through investment in Community Nursing, Therapies or other healthcare services for children if this funding is released.

 

SABP would continue to own and run Beeches.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children and Education Select Committee]

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families confirmed that Surrey County Council had a statutory duty to provide short breaks for children and young people with disabilities and that the Joint Strategic Review of Short Breaks was a joint project between Surrey County Council (SCC) and NHS Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on behalf of the six Surrey CCGs.

The key area of the review considered options for the future use and funding of short break services in East Surrey. The review focused on Applewood which is located in Tadworth and run by SCC; and Beeches which is located in Reigate, commissioned by the NHS Surrey CCGs and provided by Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP). Both facilities were underused.

Beeches is funded by Surrey CCGs from a block contract, which is high cost and if the recommendation were agreed, the County Council and NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG would work with Surrey and Borders Partnership to transfer commissioning arrangements to individual spot purchases.

The Cabinet Member referred to the detailed consultation process undertaken, including issues raised and action taken. She also mentioned the EIA and considered that the proposals should not have a negative impact for the children and their families. She confirmed that the service would work closely with the individual families.

Finally, she said that she hoped that she had addressed the points raised in Mr Botten’s question (submitted under item 4).

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.       The responsibility for funding short break services for children and young people currently accessing Beeches be transferred from Surrey Clinical Commissioning Groups (NHS) to Surrey County Council.

2.       Surrey County Council continues to run Applewood as a short break service.

3.       Beeches remains as an option for families through their personal budgets by direct payments or arranged by Surrey County Council rather than the current block contract arrangements, subject to agreement with Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (who run Beeches).

4.       Surrey County Council and NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG work with Surrey and Borders Partnership to transfer commissioning arrangements to individual spot purchases at a fair price.

5.       Surrey County Council continues to develop options for the use of personal budgets with families either through direct payments or arranged by SCC.

 

Reasons for Decisions:

 

Overnight short breaks are a positive experience for children and young people with disabilities to spend time away from their parents, relax and have fun with their peers.  They are also a lifeline for many families giving parents a break from the day and night care for their child.  They give siblings an opportunity to spend some quality family time with their parents. SCC and NHS Guildford and Waverley CCG are committed to ensure that this type of support continues to be available.

 

The recommendations acknowledge that:

·                Both Applewood and Beeches have capacity to deliver services to a wider group of children at this point in time; both are highly valued by the families and young people who use them.

·                Local Authorities are responsible for funding short breaks for children with social care needs and disabilities. The recommendations allow an opportunity to correct a historic financial legacy where the CCGs in Surrey inherited responsibility to fund Beeches although children were referred by SCC but required an assessed Health need.

·                All 15 children who access Beeches have assessed social care and disabilities needs.

 

The recommendations take into account the views expressed by the parents, carers and professionals and the desire to find a solution that enables ongoing access to both Applewood and Beeches facilities.

Given the current underuse of Beeches, it would not be good value for money for SCC to purchase the service through a block contract in addition to funding Applewood. The recommendation made is therefore to start negotiations with NHS Surrey and Borders Partnership Foundation Trust to establish whether they would continue to deliver Beeches once the NHS block contract ceases by agreeing to individual purchasing of placements at a market rate that acknowledges any complexity of need.

The CCGs could consider redirection of funding currently used for block contract of Beeches to support a wider range of children and young people through investment in Community Nursing, Therapies or other healthcare services for children if this funding is released.

 

SABP would continue to own and run Beeches.

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents: