Reading Borough Health and Wellbeing Board has Emergency Meeting for New Regional Plans

Reading Borough Council's Health and Wellbeing Board - which has a remit to bring together the local health and social care economy - is holding an extra meeting at short notice at 6pm on Tuesday, 14th June 2016 in Committee Rooms 4A and 4B at the Civic Offices.

The meeting appears to be to review plans which are due to be finalised before the next planned meeting. The final plan for the integrated working of health and social care - the Better Care Fund plan will be reviewed. Plans to move care of people with learning disabilities from hospitals to the community, known as "Transforming Care Plans" will also be reviewed. But the urgent novelty is a report on the development of the draft plan for the new regional "Sustainability and Transformation" unit - known variously as BOB, WeBOB and COBWeB. The region unites Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Western Berkshire and is under the leadership of David Smith, the CEO of the Oxfordshire CCG. Draft five-year plans which should show trusts rapidly returning to financial sustainability and to meeting their targets are due to be lodged with NHS England by 30th June. The responsibilities at the new regional level are likely to cover workforce changes in primary care, IT developments in support and the re-organisation of urgent care and A&E departments where a national programme is under the leadership of Professor Keith Willett of Oxford.