Decision details

RDASH and NHS SY ICB are leading the Transformation of Mental Health Services Programme, including older people’s functional mental health and dementia care pathways.
2. Until recently, RDASH employed and managed a team of Social Workers to support the delivery social care assessments and interventions for older people with mental health needs. The provision was not funded and created a cost pressure for RDASH. RDASH is currently funding an agency Social Worker to support meeting the needs of Older People with Mental Health needs. This is time limited.
3. All of the Older People’s Mental Health Social Work posts, currently held by RDASH, are now vacant.
4. The Integrated Mental Health S76 agreement funds the delivery of Adult Social Care
provision only and describes the social care outcomes to be achieved for adults between
the ages of 18 and 64 with mental health needs.
5. Transferring funds from the Mental Health S76 budget to Adult Social Care will ensure the Older People’s Mental Health Social Work posts will be professionally aligned with, and supported by, Adult Social Care within the Council, providing greater management oversight and supervision of the team, and management of the workload and priorities.
6. The development will reduce demand on the Locality Social Work Teams who are currently managing the demand for Older People’s Mental Health.
7. Following the negotiations between the three partners listed above, it is agreed that the current Older People’s Mental Health Social Work functions to be transferred to the Council and funded by release of funds from the Mental Health S76 agreed budget as set out below:
For 2023/24 the release value is 01/11/23 – 31/03/24 – 5/12ths of £162,366 = £67,652, with the full annual value for 2024/2025 being £162,366 plus annual inflationary rise, yet to be agreed.
8. The Mental Health S76 agreement will be extended for a further year (as is provided for within the current agreement) and monitoring of its delivery and outcomes will be strengthened

Following a period of negotiation between Adult Social Care, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SY ICB) and Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humberside NHS Foundation Trust
(RDASH), agreement was reached to apply a contract variation to the Integrated Mental Health Section 76 Agreement to

1. Reduce the value of the Integrated MH Section 76 agreement from the 2023/24 budget of £756,248 to £688,596 with effect from 1st November 2023.
2. Re -direct the released funds to Adult Social Care to enable the establishment and funding of a Council’s Older People’s Mental Health Social Care team.

Do nothing. RDASH will cease funding of the agency Social Work capacity and have no plans to recruit to the Older People’s Mental Health Social Work vacancies. Demand for Older People’s Mental Health services is currently being managed by Locality Social
Work Teams, which is not sustainable