Update - Renewal of the Joint Strategic Plan
Argyll and Bute Council · 26 March 2025
Back to Argyll and Bute HSCP Integration Joint Board (IJB) — 26 March 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 Classification: OFFICIAL Integration Joint Board Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Title of Report: Update – Renewal of the Joint Strategic Plan Presented by: Charlotte Craig, Interim Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Technology The Board is asked to: ▪ Note the updated timeline for the renewal of the Joint Strategic Plan 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As noted in the previous update In November 2024 to the Integration Joint Board, The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 places a duty on Integration Joint Boards to develop a Joint Strategic Plan for integrated functions and budgets that they control, reviewing the plan at least every three years. The JSP is a high level strategy which sets out the vision, strategic objectives and priorities. The JSP is linked with the Joint Strategic Commissioning Strategy (JSCP) which sets out priorities for commissioning and market messages for providers. The development of the JSP and JSCP is overseen by the Strategic Planning Group (SPG). The new JSP will include the JSCP; there will be one combined document for the upcoming planning cycle. The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment which informs the plan is complete. In November the IJB was presented with draft priorities with a view to that addressing the health and social care requirement of the population of Argyll & Bute for the next five years, extending the planning period. Extensive work has been undertaken by teams so far however leadership has reflected on the changing policy environment potentially increased risk and financial pressures. Regular reporting of the annual priorities (year 3) is due to take place to the IJB in May 2025. It is proposed that at this point we review and extend the plan with a focus on outstanding priorities until the new plan is in place. This approach would aim to provide the Integration Joint Board with a greater level of assurance that the final plan has considered the transformational requirement and taken cognisance of both operational and strategic risk. We are also cognisant of our requirement to look outward in respect of our wider partnership including stakeholder communities, be explicit in our commissioning intentions and how we develop this to address our strategic risks and support sustainable service provision.
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2 Classification: OFFICIAL 2. RECOMMENDATIONS The Integration Joint Board is asked to note the delayed timeline of the renewed Joint Strategic Plan and note the contingent action in place to progress this including an updated project plan to the Strategic Planning Group. 3. DETAIL OF REPORT Significant work has already been undertaken by teams with accompanying oversight through the IJB governance (see draft priorities in appendix 1). Given the increasing contraction of the public sector, shifting national policy and ongoing identified strategic risk, some reflection and review has been undertaken. To allow this review of the strategic direction the IJB is asked to support a short extension to the current plan based on the review of the year three priorities in May 2025. We would seek to extend pertinent activity based on the review within the current strategic framework delivering the first draft of the renewed strategy in September 2025 for consultation approval. Following consultation we will return to the IJB with finalised plan by March 2026. Senior Leadership Team would seek to draw together multiple strategic areas to respond to the increasing challenge e.g. workforce, islands, place and review this in the wider policy environment. We will look outward identifying what we need from wider partners to underpin our strategic approach to meeting the forecast need with a focus on developing services as they are to modern rural services delivered by rural practitioners with a focus on sustainability and flexibility. We will communicate an integrated vision working with partners to support community wealth and resilience in our changing environment. We will identify what services are not currently sustainable in their current model and look at other delivery options. We will deliver services differently that meet need, sustainably with opportunities for those who live and work in Argyll & Bute with a focus on developing the key skills that we need to support a culture of prevention and create a resilient, health aware population. We will sustain access to specialist services. We will ensure that you get the right service at the right time ensuring that we have a focus on the most vulnerable in our community with the aim of meeting care and therapeutic needs. We will develop supporting operational planning to deliver our strategy ensuring that we monitor performance and support continuous improvement. Safe quality care will be our driver however we will design our services to be delivered within available resource ensuring we make best use of partnership shared resource. We will participate as a key local partner providing a key building block of health and care services to support people to live and work well in Argyll & Bute. It is important that the new strategic plan and its priorities are realistic, align with staffing and financial resources and enable honest and transparent engagement with the communities we serve. This will take some additional time to create the JSP and ensure that it is written in accessible language.
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3 Classification: OFFICIAL 4. RELEVANT DATA AND INDICATORS • Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. • Data and indicators from the Integrated Performance Framework • Financial Data: Analysis of budgets and actual expenditure; procurement information. • Service data. • User experience and provider feedback. 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC PRIORITIES The plan sets out the Strategic Priorities of the Integration Joint Board which will inform the operational delivery of the delegated services. 6. GOVERNANCE IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Financial Impact – Financial planning remains challenging within an annual budgetary allocation. With a focus on sustainable service as a draft priority the Strategy will require to plan for a period beyond its lifetime. 6.2 Staff Governance – Workforce remains a strategic risk and a risk to the delivery of the plan. The Joint Workforce Strategy should align with long term joint planning so requires to look outwards to place and partners. 6.3 Clinical and Care Governance – Safe delivery of care is essential. We will work with communities and partners to support modernisation of care consistent with wider policies of reform, sustain access to services and develop innovative rural roles and practice. 7. PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY The senior leadership has met specifically to jointly address the required strategic direction using the identified data and noting the strategic and operational risk to sustainable delivery. 8. EQUALITY & DIVERSITY IMPLICATIONS The Strategic Plan will be subject to rigorous review to ensure it meets the highest standards. 8. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES COMPLIANCE No current impact on GDPR however wider partnership may impact data sharing agreements. 9. RISK ASSESSMENT There is substantial risk to the sustainability of the delivery of health and social care services in the strategic and operational risk environment without addressing changing demographics, their needs and workforce. Embedding rural flexibility in our planning approach will be key to delivering sustainable services in rural and island communities and preserving access to services.
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4 Classification: OFFICIAL 10. PUBLIC & USER INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT The Integration Joint Board is developing its approach to collaborating with communities undertaking an asset based approach which is key to sustaining population and resilient communities. We will embed this approach in our engagement and consultation ensuring this is in line with national guidance. 11. CONCLUSIONS The Integration Joint Board is asked to note the extended timeline to September 2025 on the basis of ensuring the longevity of the Joint Strategic Plan and supporting the plan as an active document over a proposed 5 year period. 12. DIRECTIONS Directions required to Council, NHS Board or both. Directions to: tick No Directions required x Argyll & Bute Council NHS Highland Health Board Argyll & Bute Council and NHS Highland Health Board 13. PREVIOUS REVIEW OF THE REPORT Meeting Title of report Date Output (if relevant) N/A REPORT AUTHOR AND CONTACT Author Name Charlotte Craig Email charlotte.craig@argyll-bute.gov.uk
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5 Classification: OFFICIAL Appendix 1 Draft strategic priorities and drivers Living Well, Prevention, Early Intervention and Enablement: We will prioritise activity, interventions and services that: • Reduce the need for people having to access statutory/formal services in the first place. • Support people before their needs become more pronounced and require more complex intervention. • Support people to stay in their homes for longer or return home following treatment and continue to look after themselves as much as possible. Addressing inequalities and protecting the most vulnerable: We may not be able to continue to provide the range of activities, interventions and services that we currently do. When we must change how we provide certain services, we will assess the impact on the most vulnerable people and work with our partners to mitigate any potential negative effect. We may also have to choose between providing services directed at the general population and more targeted services in accordance with where there is the greatest need. Most health and social care services are aimed at all social groups despite differences in need but are often disproportionately used by people whose needs are lower. People and communities with the greatest health and social care needs often experience poorer access to support. Healthy and Engaged Workforce: Our workforce is our greatest asset and resource. If we are not able to attract and retain the right people, none of our priorities will be achievable. Ensuring service sustainability: This priority covers both financial sustainability and responding to the climate emergency. Some of our services in their current form are not sustainable overall for a number of reasons such as: workforce issues, increasing demand, and cost pressures. Individual services will need to develop more efficient delivery models ensuring they make best use of our resources. Quality and Safety: The HSCP needs to ensure that our services continue to operate safely and provide high quality interventions. We will review our quality systems and ensure we have robust quality improvement and clinical governance structures in place. A focus on quality will also entail that we assess our services in terms of impact and effectiveness. The practice of realistic health and social care means that we need to direct resources away from interventions and services for which there is not good evidence that they are effective. Drivers Values: We commit to our organisational values: Compassion, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership and Continuous Learning. Collaboration: Partnership working is central to improving our services. Key partners we will work with to plan and deliver our services include: • People with lived experience and local communities (individuals and community organisations and groups) • Voluntary/third sector organisations and service providers
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6 Classification: OFFICIAL • Independent sector service providers • colleagues from the Council (education, transport, economic development and housing) We also know there is more work to be done internally in terms of applying a system-wide approach and integrating social work, social care and health services workflows. Intelligence and Innovation: Many, if not all, of our services have evolved organically and over time, often without an evidence base. How we deliver our services has not always kept pace with patient need and other developments such technological change. In addition, there is not the workforce to continue some of the service models that we have currently in place. We will need to develop and implement new ways of working and collaborating across professional and locality boundaries. We will make decisions based on evidence and data. We will also use new systems and technology where appropriate to improve how we deliver services. Transformation Board: Our Transformation Board will oversee our large service change projects. It will set the priority projects for each year and ensure the HSCP understands the progress that is being made. Individual Service Plans and Commissioning Priorities: All services will have operational plans which will outline how each area plans to address the overall strategic priorities of the HSCP.