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The Board considered a progress report
of the Locality Director of Strategic Performance – Health
and Social Care which updated on the financial position of the
pooled budget for the financial year 2023/24. The pooled budget
excluded the Better Care Fund (BCF) which would be reported
separately to this Board in 2023/24.
 
The Director of Corporate Resources /
Chief Finance Officer presented the information and outlined that
an overspend of £6.7m was being reported against
the Local Authority pooled budgets (Excluding Covid
related pressures). This included pressures of £6.8m against
Children’s budgets due to increased placement costs and SEND
(Special Educational Needs) transport pressures, and a £0.1m
in year saving forecast against Public Health budgets due to in
year savings on staffing costs due to vacancies. Cabinet had noted
that the overspend was being reported and that a
recovery plan was being developed, which would be reported
alongside quarter two finance update report.
 
The Senior Officer also informed that
the risk share agreement 2023/24 would remain the same as in
previous two years, so that both partners were responsible for
their own pooled fund gap and in year underspend or overspend.
 
Resolved that the £6.7m overspend
position being forecast in relation to pooled budgets at Outturn,
which would be either be recovered or funded from increased
contribution from the Local Authority be noted.
 
Reason for decision:
This report updated the Board on the
Health and Social Care pooled budgets for 2023/24 in line with
National Health Service England (NHSE) guidelines and the Greater
Manchester (GM) Health and Social Care Partnership requirements. As
part of operating a pooled budget regular monitoring reports are
required.
The Better Care Fund has been excluded
from the pooled reporting and would be reported separately to the
Board in line with NHSE requirements for reporting each
quarter.
 
Alternatives considered and
rejected:
The operation of a formal pool in
2023/24 builds on the shadow pool that was operated by the
Integrated Care Board in 2017/18 and was in line with previous
years reporting; therefore, there were no alternatives to
consider.