Councillor Phil Davies introduced a report and appendices that set out the scrutiny response to two outline business cases relating to proposed new service delivery models within the Council Transformation Programme, specifically:

·  Creating a commissioning hub to jointly commission services with Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

·  Creating integrated community care teams with Wirral Community NHS Trust to deliver services to older people.

The scrutiny response was included in the report to the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 8 September 2016 and was appended to the report. This approach had been adopted to enable Elected Members to be engaged in reviewing transformation proposals as they were being developed.

The Cabinet noted that the report supported the enabling work being undertaken to support delivery of the Wirral Plan. 

New business models were being developed for Council Services to deliver Wirral’s 20 pledges, respond to stakeholder views and support the delivery of the financial savings required.

A briefing session on alternative delivery models and the Council’s emerging transformation programme had been provided for Members on 20 July 2016.

The Cabinet Member for Transformation, Leisure and Culture was keen to ensure there was pre-decision scrutiny of the proposed new delivery arrangements. This was to enable Members to engage in reviewing transformation proposals in line with the need for Council to radically change the way services were delivered to secure better outcomes for residents.

The Cabinet was asked to review the comments of Elected Members in respect of the two outline business cases and include these considerations when reviewing the progress of the proposals to the stage of full business case.

Councillor Phil Davies invited Councillor Moira McLaughlin, Chair of the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, who was in attendance at the meeting, to present her Committee’s report on Transforming Wirral – DASS Business cases.

Councillor Moira McLaughlin informed that the report was the result of the first of, what would be a serious of workshops which gave Overview and Scrutiny Members the opportunity to examine, in some detail, the business cases for changing the way some services were currently provided, to work with partners and to deliver on the pledges of the Wirral Plan.

In this case the proposal was to take another step towards integrating health and social care by bringing together community nurses and social workers into integrated teams based in four hubs, one located in each constituency.

At the Workshop, the Director of Adult Social Services had explained the rationale for the proposal and the mechanics of implementing it.  Then Members had asked questions and comments which were incorporated into the report that had first been considered and approved by the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Moira McLaughlin informed that she was pleased that the session had been well attended and Members had participated in the discussion, asking questions and making comments on a range of issues, including staffing and HR matters, finance, governance and risk, user experience and quality assurance, as well as performance monitoring and Officers had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47

The Chair of the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee introduced her report that provided an update on the Senior Manager for Transformation & Improvement’s report relating to the involvement of scrutiny in reviewing new service models as they are developed. At its meeting 14 July 2016 the Committee agreed to the general proposals within that report and gave delegated authority to the Chair, Vice Chair and Spokespersons to agree arrangements for the scrutiny of specific transformation projects, as appropriate.

The Chair’s report informed that two business cases, both relevant to the remit of this Committee, were at a stage where review by scrutiny members was appropriate. The business cases relate to:

·  Creating a commissioning hub to jointly commission services with Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

·  Creating integrated community care teams with Wirral Community NHS Trust to deliver services to older people.

The Committee was informed that as a result, a workshop was held on 10 August 2016 at which the approach to the outline business cases were explained and examined in further detail, the outcomes of which were detailed in the report. Comments from Elected Members included views on:

• Staffing;
• Increasing demand for services and the need to reduce resources;
• Back-office staff;
• Improved focus on the needs of clients;
• Management of Risk;
• Finance;
• Transfer of Skills;
• Performance Management; and
• Involvement of Scrutiny ‘pre-decision’.

Councillor Wendy Clements requested that a further recommendation be added to those already contained in the Officer report i.e. to urge Cabinet to pay careful regard to the quality of service experienced by Wirral people. The request was supported unopposed by the Committee.

Resolved – That

1)  the report be noted;

2)  RECOMMENDATION to CABINET that the views of Scrutiny Members on the two business cases be considered, prior to relevant decisions being taken;

3)  the operating model and contractual arrangements be developed to ensure that the key points made by Elected Members, as detailed in the report, are addressed;

4)  further consideration be given to the optimal timing for the involvement of scrutiny in the development of future business cases; and

5)  CABINET be urged to pay careful regard to the quality of service experienced by Wirral people.