The financial situation of Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust and Cheshire East Council (Adult Social Care service)
At previous meetings Members have received the Primary Care Trust (PCT) Sustainability Plan together with verbal updates on the PCT’s financial position.
At this meeting a verbal update on both the PCT financial situation and the Local Authority’s financial situation, in relation to the adult social care service, will be made.
Minutes:
Fiona Field, Director of Governance and Strategic Planning, Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust (CECPCT), briefed the Committee on the financial situation of the PCT. The PCT was committed to achieving financial balance by March 2011. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) had validated the PCT Sustainability Plan as deliverable by the PCT. PWC had identified the top 20 providers and the PCT was working with these to identify and deliver efficiencies. The PCT had engaged with GPs to deliver savings around the prescribing budget. There were no figures available at the moment regarding the impact of the recent severe weather but there had been a rise in trauma cases in acute trusts among all age groups and an increase in cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
John Weeks, Strategic Director People, briefed on the Local Authority budget process – a pre-budget booklet was now available and a formal consultation process underway. In adult services a reduction of £3 million was proposed for 2010 – 11 and building based services were being looked at as well as transport, in conjunction with partners. The redesign of Social Care had meant detailed analysis of services leading to redesigned teams so that complex cases could be dealt with by qualified social workers with less complex cases being dealt with by other staff. The focus would be on reablement - an early targeted intense intervention aimed at addressing and improving a mental or physical disability. Quality of all services would be closely monitored.
A Scrutiny Budget Task Group had been established with representation from each of the Scrutiny Committees. Special meetings would be held for each Scrutiny Committee to look at the budget in relation to the Committee’s remit.
RESOLVED: That the current position in relation to the financial situation of the Council and the Primary Care Trust be noted.