The Board received an update on the 2022/23 Better Care Fund (BCF) for Staffordshire.

The Board were reminded that at their meeting in September 2021, the 2021/22 national BCF Policy Framework had been published with a requirement for the submission of BCF Plans in September 2021. The Board therefore delegated approval of the 2021/22 Staffordshire BCF Plan to the Health and Wellbeing Board Co-Chairs.

In March 2022, the Board noted that the 2021/22 BCF Plan was submitted to NHSE&I in December 2021 and approval was received in January 2022.

An update on the BCF 2022/23 policy framework was provided to the Board, with an ask to delegate approval to the Health and Wellbeing Board chairs as in previous years. This would then inform a Section 75 agreement which would be approved and signed by the Council and Staffordshire Integrated Care Boards.

Resolved – The Board were asked to:

a)   Note that the 2022/23 national BCF Policy Framework had been published, with a requirement for submission of an expenditure plan, narrative plan, and a capacity and demand plan in September 2022;

b)   Note that the BCF 2022/23 funding had been confirmed (as outlined in table 1 of the report);

c)   Delegate approval of the 2022/23 BCF Plans, and BCF reporting to the Health and Wellbeing Board Chairs; and

d)   Note that the contracts for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for 2022/23 had been issued to the District and Borough Councils, and upon their return, the funding would be passported over as required by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.