Agenda Item No.
JOINT COMMISSIONING PARTNERSHIP BOARD
9
THURSDAY 28 JANUARY 2010 AT 10.00 A.M.
LEARNING DISABILITY PLACEMENTS HISTORICALLY FUNDED BY THE
PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS
Author: Judith Jackson, Planning and Commissioning Manager,
Learning Disabilities
Tel: 01438 843232
Lead Officer: Mark Lobban
1. Purpose of report
1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide the rationale for transferring the management and monitoring of the budget for the low and medium secure placements made by the East of England Strategic Commissioning Group at present held by the Primary Care Trusts to the Joint Commissioning Team and to seek approval for this.
2. Summary
2.1 The original paper agreed by the Joint Commissioning Partnership
Board in October was that the management and monitoring of the Primary
Care Trusts held budgets for secure provision in the private and voluntary sector should pass to Adult Care Services. It is now considered that this can be better managed by the Joint Commissioning Team and approval is sought for this change. This change is in line with the Primary Care Trusts’ plans and has their full support. Any financial risks will remain with the Primary Care
Trusts rather than the Joint Commissioning Partnership Board.
3. Recommendations
3.1 That the Board is asked to agree that management and monitoring of the budget for the low and medium secure placements made by the East of
England Strategic Commissioning Group at present held by the Primary Care
Trusts transfers to the Joint Commissioning Team.
4. Background
4.1 A paper was presented to the July 2009 meeting of the Joint
Commissioning Partnership Board entitled ‘Learning Disabilities Continuing
Care Transfer Funding’. Agreement was given in principle for the transfer of
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the Primary Care Trusts historical placement budgets for learning disability into the Joint Commissioning Partnership once a number of specified tasks were completed to all the partners’ satisfaction. The Joint Commissioning
Partnership Board also endorsed the recommendation that the Joint
Commissioning Team then commissions Adult Care Services to manage the service and associated budget.
4.2 Since the Board meeting much work has been undertaken looking at the details of the cases covered by what was described in the paper as continuing care and the realisation reached that most of these case do not meet the present continuing care criteria, but are in fact learning disability historic placements funded by the Primary Care Trusts.
4.3 Further analysis shows that 28 of the people being funded by the
Primary Care Trusts are in private and voluntary sector provided secure services, and so come under the contract with the East of England
Specialised Commissioning Group.
4.4 The budget for places in NHS secure services is already in the Joint
Commissioning Partnership B oard’s partnership arrangements. These cost per case placements are also covered by the contract with the East of
England Specialised Commissioning Group and contract managed by the
Joint Commissioning Team.
4.5 The proposal is that when the funding for the Primary Care Trust funded secure placements passes to the Joint Commissioning Partnership the funding stays with the Joint Commissioning Team to manage rather than passing to Adult Care Services, as originally proposed in the July Board report.
4.6 It is the view of both the Primary Care Trusts and the Joint
Commissioning Team that the Joint Commissioning Team is better placed to manage resources aligned to learning disabilities as a total rather than persisting with the current system which can lead to inefficiencies in the way that services are commissioned.
5. Financial Implications
5.1 The budget for the current 28 placements is in the region of
£5,000,000. Analysis shows that 7 of these are recent placements.
5.2 There are risks to the budget whoever is managing this, as more placements may be required, if. for instance, the courts require more people to be detained in placements providing treatment rather than prisons, but it is the view of the Primary Care Trusts and the Joint Commissioning Team that by bringing together the work with the East of England Strategic
Commissioning Group this can be managed more effectively.
5.3 Should demand increase risks will need to continue to be carried by the Primary Care Trusts rather than the Joint Commissioning Partnership.
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Background Papers
Learning Disabilities Continuing Care Transfer Funding – Joint
Commissioning Partnership Board July 2009 - item 7C
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