Council is requested to agree to the following recommendations of the Constitution and Standards Committee held on 28 September 2023.

To approve the recommendations of the Constitution and Standards Committee in respect to the establishment of the Integrated Care Partnership.

Minute extract and report are attached.

The fifth matter requiring approval was the establishment of the Integrated Care Partnership as a Joint Committee, as recommended by the Constitution and Standards Committee on 28 September 2023.

On a motion by Councillor Tony Cox, seconded by Councillor Phil Gilchrist, it was –

Resolved – That

(1)  the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership be established as a Joint Committee.

(2)  the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board and a named deputy be appointed to represent the Council on the Cheshire and Merseyside and Care Partnership.

(3)  the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to make any necessary changes to the Council’s Constitution.

The Democracy Business Manager introduced the report of the Director of Law and Governance. The purpose of the report was to establish the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership as a Joint Committee within Wirral Council’s Constitution. The Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership had been in place since 2020 as a collaborative body between relevant partners and stakeholders, and following the requirement for the establishment of an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) which is a statutory committee formed between an NHS Integrated Care Board and all upper-tier local authorities within the same Integrated Care System were, Cheshire and Merseyside ICP will be known as the Health and Care Partnership. Council agreed to appoint to the Health and Care Partnership as on outside body at its meeting in December 2022. The Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership has since been established as a Joint Committee under S116ZA of the Health & Social Care Act 2022 and the report sought to enable Wirral Council to adopt the Joint Committee arrangements and appoint to the Health and Care Partnership. The Partnership would have one elected member from each of the nine Cheshire and Merseyside Local Authorities, with provision for deputies as required.

Members noted that there was a legal obligation to appoint to the Integrated Care System, regardless of political opinion, and commented that involvement in the system ensured that issues did not arise that were out of Wirral’s control.

A further conversation was had regarding the appointment of a named deputy and Members were assured that a Deputy would be a Council appointment. The Chair commented that he had highlighted to the Director of Law and Governance that there should be some function to allow Members to question the representative on this body.

Resolved – That Council be recommended to;

(1) Establish the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership Joint Committee.

(2) Appoint the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board and a named deputy to represent the Council on the Cheshire and Merseyside and Care Partnership.

(3) Authorise the Director of Law and Governance to make any necessary changes to the Council’s Constitution.