Issue details

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 North Place Partnership Board have received funding to develop a pilot approach across the district of Fenland. The funding has a remit on employment and skills so initially will focus on encouraging residents receiving Universal Credit with health issues to get closer to and back into work. The other initial focus is residents who are in work, but sick and what support can be offered to the fit note process within a GP practice. However, the aspiration is that this hub will become generic for all issues as the pilot progresses and the funding allows for this.  

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.  

If we can 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 and to then explore where further funding can be sourced to continue the work.  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 proposal was highlighted by John Rooke Managing Director, North Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Care Partnership to members of Overview & Scrutiny at it’s March meeting with positive feedback received.

The pilot is currently timetabled to commence in June 2024.