Content

The North Place partnership
board has been created to help deliver the expectations from the
new Integrated Care System (ICS) legislation. The Council is
represented on the board by the Chief Executive.
Historically Fenland District
Council has found it difficult to get into the space of the health
service system to make them aware of the wide range of services
that we have responsibility for that can both help reduce demand
for NHS services and deliver better outcomes for residents (wider
determinants of health).  
As well as this NHS services
can become aware of emerging issues that FDC need to hear about and
as NHS front line teams are not always aware of our services and
those of partners, the Council often only gets involved when it has
escalated and requires a higher cost intervention from ourselves.
Key examples would be Homeless, House condition and Environmental
health duties and responsibilities.  
What is of great concern to all
Council’s is the need to manage increasing demand for
services within a reducing budget determination from
Government. 
System integration to resolving
household issues can help with this. 
Evidence from South Norfolk has
shown that having a triage process that has the “offer”
of the wide public sector & available VCS system rather than
siloed individual organisations struggling to get a collaborative
response, helps deliver better outcomes for residents / households
earlier.  
Once triaged the resident gets
referred to services in a much more efficient and collaborative way
to deliver better outcomes and at lower cost, often through the VCS
sector. The VCS often feel frustrated at being the “poor
relation” to the public sector, so having the sector as part
of the same triage process supports increasing their impact in the
community to assist their bids for funding. 
The Council received 197k from
The North Place Partnership board to commence an Early Help hub in
June 2024 (KEY/22MAR24/01 refers). The funding had a remit
on employment and skills so a focus on encouraging residents
receiving Universal Credit with health issues to get closer to and
back into work. The other focus is residents who are in work, but
sick and what support can be offered to the fit note process within
a GP practice.  Since commencing in June 24 the initial
work has been successful as set out in the Portfolio Holder Update
report to Council on the 30th September 
Joint PHB Report - Sep 2024.pdf
(fenland.gov.uk) (page 10 and 11 refers).
Due to this success the Council
submitted an expression of interest to become the hub for the
Workwell project which the C&PICS have successfully secured
funding from central government for. The remit is very similar to
the pilot that commenced in June 24.
Facts and
Issues 
Health partners have recognised
their structure for managing a Fenland district wide project is
fragmented with 3 integrated neighbourhoods (IN), Wisbech, South
Fenland and Whittlesey being part of the Peterborough
IN.  
The public sector structure
that best fits the geography of such a virtual hub is
FDC. 
The proposed system to be
developed is set out on the diagram below. 
 
 
FDC have costed undertaking the
triage work on behalf of the wider system…ensuring that
there is no further pressure placed on the general fund from
undertaking the work.
The work of the hub will assist
in demand management for our statutory services, homelessness,
environmental health, benefits and house condition prevention,
intervention and management. As well as this non statutory services
like Economic development growth plan and the Golden Age programme
can be utilised to improve impact of work that falls out of the one
team collaboration across the public sector and
VCS.  
The work will also raise
awareness in the health sector of what a District Council does as
well as other partners to enable officers to develop other
initiatives that helps support both the Council’s business
plan and the health service.
Elected Members in South
Norfolk have enjoyed the collaboration as they no longer have to
worry about which part of the system a resident’s issue need
to be referred to …they can drop the request into the triage
and allow the hub to triage and develop a pathway to help
resolve. 
The approach was highlighted by
John Rooke Managing Director, North Cambridgeshire
& Peterborough Care Partnership to members of Overview &
Scrutiny at its March 24 meeting with positive feedback
received.
 
The Workwell in tandem with the
initial pilot will be delivered until March 2026. It was stated at
the original pilot decision that if we could help make the pilot a
success, we can then evidence to health partners that continuation
funding to the Council to support this will be beneficial to ICS
outcomes to secure further funding. This funding receipt is early
evidence of this.
 
Decision Taken
Cllr Sue Wallwork (Portfolio
Holder) and Cllr Chris Boden (Leader) approve:

·        
receiving funding from C&PICS to deliver
Workwell project in Fenland.

·        
to delegate to officers agreement of a contract (if
needed) to receive the money in consultation with the portfolio
holder and the leader.