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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED TO: • Note the progress made towards creating an Integrated Community Care System (ICCS) for older people and people living with frailty; • Note the Addendum report at Appendix 1 and 1A providing an update on the Regional Health & Social Care Partnership Agreement; • Note that approval has been agreed by the local authorities at the Cabinet meetings held by RCT Council on the 7th July 2025, Merthyr Tydfil Council on the 9th July 2025 and Bridgend Council on the 22nd July 2025; and • Request that further updates are provided as appropriate on the progress of the Regional Partnership Agreement to future meetings of the JOSC.
The Chair welcomed everyone to the virtual meeting of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Services Board, Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
Members noted that, as set out within its terms of reference, their core statutory functions include the Five Ways of Working (as set out on the agenda).
The following declarations of interest were made pertaining to the agenda: Councillor B Stephens, RCTCBC– “I sit on the Board of Care & Repair” Councillor C Middle, RCTCBC – “My wife is a care worker for the private sector”
The minutes of the hybrid meeting held on the 17th July 2025 were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED TO: • Note the progress made towards creating an Integrated Community Care System (ICCS) for older people and people living with frailty; • Note the Addendum report at Appendix 1 and 1A providing an update on the Regional Health & Social Care Partnership Agreement; • Note that approval has been agreed by the local authorities at the Cabinet meetings held by RCT Council on the 7th July 2025, Merthyr Tydfil Council on the 9th July 2025 and Bridgend Council on the 22nd July 2025; and • Request that further updates are provided as appropriate on the progress of the Regional Partnership Agreement to future meetings of the JOSC.
Councillor J Gebbie, Chair of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership (RP) provided Members with an overview of the work regionally with the health Board and other local authority partners to develop the Integrated Community Care System (ICCS). Councillor Gebbie stressed the importance of the matter being brought before Scrutiny for appropriate oversight. Councillor Gebbie advised that the ICCS brings community services, social care services, the third sector and health services together in a joined up approach with the intention of reducing delays and removing any duplication across those services. She added that the vision is based on four key principles, a consistent regional model, that it is adapted locally to meet individual needs, a single point of access and a team around a person approach (all health and care professionals, all third sector partners working together including pooled budgets and commissioning). Councillor Gebbie commented that as all Elected Members are aware, the demands on resources are critical and therefore consideration does need to be given to the manner in which services are delivered. Members were advised that the first point of contact will be through a charity or a community based team with access to statutory services so that services can be as flexible as service users need them to be. Across the three local areas of Merthyr Tydfil, RCT and Bridgend, progress looks different. In the Merthyr Tydfil and RCT areas the initial focus is on ‘aligning’ current community-based health and social care teams. Bridgend is at a different stage, and the next step is further developing the existing integrated model, an existing partnership is being evolved as the local authority has already worked with that arrangement under a Section 33 for a number of years before the partnership was initially considered. Bridgend is therefore currently looking at staffing gaps and governance arrangements. Councillor Gebbie stressed the importance of the role of Elected Members having political oversight which is crucial to the agenda in terms of public funds being used transparently and overseeing the governance arrangements such as the updated Regional Partnership Agreement (Health Board and the three Local Authorities, RCT, Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend) and by asking the right questions in terms of sustaining local partners. Members were apprised of the next steps which involves implementing the full business plan by Autumn 2025 with a fully integrated model expected by Spring 2027 which will be an iterative process, matrix management, shared budgets and prioritising co-production. Members were provided with an outline of the ‘Hackathons’ and the outcomes of the exercise. Councillor Gebbie explained that trusted assessors are helping speed up hospital discharges but can’t replace social workers or occupational therapists, so it is about understanding the dynamic of where it can be used. Care & Repair provide valuable support for residents returning home from hospital safely. As the need of residents is outstripping the local authority’s budgets the Regional Partnership re structured its underspend for the year and distributed it to the three local Health Boards to reduce the financial burden. Local charities are delivering mental health support, frailty response services and even medication assistance at home and pooled funding is being explored to support dementia crisis response delivered in part by the community and voluntary sector partnership. Members were advised that a performance framework is being delivered which includes whether residents stay safe at home and whether they regain independence after receiving reablement services. Measuring the impact of the third sector services including pilot projects such as pharmacy tech, mobile responders and community based step down care (and it is important that these are prioritised so that funding can be released into these arenas). It also identifies where short term grants need to be transitioned into sustainable long-term support, which is important when considering that Cwm Taf Morgannwg has an ageing demographic and specific hot spots which represent more challenging and complex areas to deliver support and even more importantly as some Councils in Wales are predicting that their Social Services spend will overtake Education budgets. With some of the highest indicators of depravation in health inequalities than anywhere else in the UK, it is important that longer term future arrangements are key to overcoming this. Councillor Gebbie highlighted the challenges ahead such as digital integration, devalued social care staff and an over reliance on short term funding. In conclusion, Councillor Gebbie set out the vision of the care system which includes the NHS, Voluntary Sector, Community Services and third Sector working as one with a more efficient use of resources (which are limited at times) better care for residents and services that fit how residents live today. Members’ role is crucial to challenge, support and approve the changes that will bring the vision to life. Members watched two videos following Cllr Gebbie’s presentation entitled The Golden Thread - behind the scenes and The Golden Thread and agreed they were both enlightening and brought the issues to life. Members spoke of widening the model to all citizens and widening the net to cover all social care by changing the wording to reflect that, however, the Regional Integrated Services Director commented that the video describes that the work of the Regional Partnership is for older people, however he added that this could be expanded on later. Members queried the timescale for the communications being shared with the public as they felt this was crucial in order to bring this work to the attention of a wider audience. Councillor Gebbie indicated that most of the work is already in the public domain with an excellent website offering information on the work and events of the RP such as the ‘Hackathons’ which have proven very successful. In response to a query regarding the future scrutiny of the RP, Councillor Gebbie committed to sending the RP workstreams to the JOSC to enable scrutiny which would improve practice and service delivery. In response to a query regarding the engagement of the Trade Unions in view of the potential impact on employees within the service area, Councillor Gebbie acknowledged the already good communication and engagement with Trade Unions and Senior Officers which has taken place with further discussions to be had. The Regional Integrated Services Director spoke of the purpose of the integrated service which was much needed to reinforce the provision of care within the communities so they can provide vital services for people in the local areas where they live. He also commented on the case for change, with the current health and care system out of shape and people staying in hospital far longer than is needed which can often lead to deconditioning. He spoke of the need to strengthen the integrated community resource and community network teams. The Regional Integrated Services Director commented on the consultation being undertaken currently with Older People with meetings arranged with Age Alliance and the appetite for the change being consistent with national drivers and with the strong legal agreement now in place it’s a compelling case for change. The Chair of the PSB extended his thanks to Cllr Gebbie and the Regional Integrated Services Director for their presentation and he commented on his recent visits to the third sector and voluntary groups who are providing services to vulnerable residents under challenging circumstances. He referred to the greater risk to statutory organisations if these services were lost and the importance of procuring services and making them sustainable and more joined up. In conclusion the Chair of the PSB acknowledged the importance of the timelines in place to progress and deliver the ICCS. The Chair of the JOSC sought clarity on how the success of the programme will be measured, how those at risk can be identified, whether appropriate mechanisms are in place for frontline staff and whether residents are engaged with and understand the model. In response the Chair of the RP commented on the current public engagement already underway through the hackathons and the Regional Integrated Services Director referred to the outcomes and performance framework which is embedded in the Regional Partnership Agreement to enable Cabinets, Councils and the Health Board to track progress at a population level over time in addition to the commitment to report back to organisations regularly on performance. Both spoke of the importance of resourcing the workforce and creating the right alignment with frontline staff to increase knowledge and collaboration. Following the discussion and consideration of the reports and updated addendum report it was RESOLVED TO: • Note the progress made towards creating an Integrated Community Care System (ICCS) for older people and people living with frailty; • Note the Addendum report at Appendix 1 and 1A providing an update on the Regional Health & Social Care Partnership Agreement; • Note that approval has been agreed by the local authorities at the Cabinet meetings held by RCT Council on the 7th July 2025, Merthyr Tydfil Council on the 9th July 2025 and Bridgend Council on the 22nd July 2025; and • Request that further updates are provided as appropriate on the progress of the Regional Partnership Agreement to future meetings of the JOSC.
The Chair of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg PSC JOSC thanked all Members and Officers for their attendance and contributions during the meeting with particular thanks going to Councillor Jane Gebbie, Chair of the Cwm Taf Regional Partnership (RP) and Matt Jenkins,Regional Integrated Services Director for delivering the update on the ICCS. The Chair reiterated his earlier comments that he felt it was vital for there to be an integrated and seamless Health & Social Care provision in place with partnerships working in collaboration across all agencies.
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