Councillor Mark Nuti, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, approved the revised 2026/27 Better Care Fund Section 75 Agreement between Surrey County Council and NHS Sussex and Surrey Integrated Care Board. This agreement ensures continued access to pooled funding of £137.7m for integrated health and social care services.

Better Care Fund and Section 75 Agreement 2026/27

Councillor Mark Nuti, Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, approved the revised 2026/27 Better Care Fund (BCF) Section 75 Agreement. This agreement is crucial for the continued integration of health and social care services in Surrey, ensuring access to a pooled funding arrangement valued at £137.7 million. The BCF is a mandatory national programme designed to support services that promote independence, facilitate hospital discharge, prevent unnecessary admissions, and enable community-based care for residents.

The decision noted that the 2025/26 Better Care Fund Section 75 Agreement concluded on 31 March 2026. It also acknowledged that the 2026/27 Better Care Fund Plan had already been approved by system partners and endorsed by the Health and Wellbeing Board on 17 June 2026. The revised Section 75 Agreement includes minor amendments to governance arrangements and the management of underspends, while maintaining the established approach to integrated commissioning and pooled budgets. The agreement aims to support Surrey County Council's priorities of Tackling Health Inequality and Empowering and Thriving Communities, aligning with the No One Left Behind initiative.

The pooled budget of £137.7m for 2026/27 comprises an NHS minimum contribution of £110.5m, a Disabled Facilities Grant of £12.6m, a Local Authority Better Care Grant of £14.1m, and additional Local Authority contributions of £0.5m. The BCF supports adult social care, hospital discharge, prevention, reablement, and community-based services, with the overarching goal of improving resident outcomes and reducing demand on acute health and care services.

The report highlighted that the plan and agreement had undergone appropriate governance processes, with all parties agreeing to its signing. The NHS Sussex and Surrey Integrated Care Board had already signed the agreement. The minimal changes from the previous agreement were made to reflect requests from the Health and Wellbeing Board, improve governance and underspend management, update financial figures, and account for the restructuring of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), with the replacement of Frimley ICB and Surrey Heartlands ICB by NHS Sussex and Surrey ICB.

Failure to approve the agreement would have resulted in non-compliance with national BCF requirements and could have jeopardised the pooled budget arrangements between health and social care partners. The decision was made effective on 2 November 2026, following the standard call-in period.