The report is enclosed.

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management, which provided the key elements of the current health and care assurance framework with a focus on governance and assurance from a Council perspective.

The report provided an outline of the assurance framework across the partnership involved in the coordination of health and care services to Manchester residents and how the partnerships interact with the Council’s assurance framework.

The Chair invited questions from the Committee.

A member referred to paragraph 6.2 of the report and the issue of liaison between auditors of the Council and its partners and asked officers where had liaison proved to be less effected and when would the development of processes be completed. Reference was also made to the integration of health and social care with the purpose of empowering communities and officers were asked if governance arrangements were proposed to implement this at a local level.

The Committee was informed that the issue of liaison between auditors related to auditing work that had been undertaken which had not been notified to the Council’s auditors or partnership auditors. Discussions had been held between auditors resulting in the production of a draft working protocols and joints plans document for introduction in 2019/20.

The Executive Member for Adults Health & Wellbeing reported that from a local governance perspective, neighbourhood working through the use of boards was ongoing and this would be included in the memorandum of understanding with the interested partners. This had helped to connect with groups with decision making into a very complex process.

In welcoming the arrangements and processes to introduce and develop local governance, the point was made that the importance of the strategic process was to effect positive outcomes for people at a local level. Officers were also asked that, in view of the separate nature of the audit work undertaken by partners, was it possible to meet at a joint level with the partner audit committees to better understand the breadth of the audit work involved. Also could the Audit Plan include an item that would involve a joint meeting with partnership audit members.

The Audit Committee Chair (Manchester CCG) addressed the Committee and welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Chair of the Committee to identify areas of overlap between the two committees and produce a joint planning paper.

A member stated that consideration needed to be given in the establishment of audit committees within the partner organisations to avoid the duplication of processes and create a streamlined integrated audit service. 

The Executive Member (Adult Health & Wellbeing) made the point that in welcoming the opportunity for the two audit committee chairs to meet it was also important to consider that the Council already had planning and meeting structures in place where health and social care matters are reported, scrutinised and accountable.

A member commented that the Audit Committee could receive the minutes of the Manchester Local Care Organisation Audit Committee to be made aware of the matters being audited.

Decisions

1.    To note the report submitted and the comments received.

2.    To note the current assurance framework, planned developments.

3.    To note that arrangements will be made for a meeting of the Chair of the Audit Committee (Councillor Ahmed Ali) and Councillor Russell (as an Audit Committee Member) and the Chair of the Audit Committee (Manchester CCG) to identify and discuss areas of potential common interest between the two audit committees.

To request that the minutes of the Manchester Local Care Organisation Audit Committee be submitted to the Audit Committee for information.