Purpose

Approval to vary the Section 75 Framework Partnership Agreement between Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB) for the Better Care Fund (BCF). 

Decision

Cabinet RESOLVED to:

1. Approve the variation to the S75 Partnership Agreement to provide funding for the reablement service from October 2026, with an annual value of £657,212.
2. Approve the variation to the financial contribution set out in the S75 Partnership Agreement for contract year 2026/27 (£439,940).
3. Approve regularisation of variations to the Agreement for contract years 2024/25 and 2025/26 to reflect the annual financial allocations for those respective years accordingly (£509,972 and £373,673 respectively)
4. Delegate authority to the Director of Adult Social Services in consultation with the Director of Corporate Resources and S151 Officer, and Director of Legal and Governance to vary the financial allocations of the S75 annually, and any other variations considered necessary for the viability of the BCF arrangement.

Reasons for the decision

The Better Care Fund is a grant fund with annual planning and approvals from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care. It is a pooled budget with the ICB with clear grant restrictions and intentions to improve integration between Health and Social Care. Governance for the plan approval is via the Health and Wellbeing Board. Additional funding has been allocated to the council by the Integrated Care Board in the 2026 plan to increase the reablement service. The financial envelope for the increased reablement is £ 657,212 and therefore subject to key decision. This is also an opportunity to regularise the Better Care fund annual uplifts for years 2024 –2026 and provide a current list of the funded schemes.

Alternative options considered

The Better Care fund routinely receives an annual uplift defined by DHSC, there are no options to amend this value. The schemes definitions are subject to planning and governance with Central East ICB, approval from NHSE and DHSC and local Governance approval from Health and Wellbeing Board. No other options are considered for the purpose of this approval