Health
The pace of change is quickening and many structural and personnel changes are currently taking place within the health service.
Please use Charlotte Bennett; Strategic Development Officer for Health as your point of contact. She will answer your query or direct it to the appropriate person for you.
Charlotte’s email is charlotte.bennett@vast.org.uk or you can call her on 07584 631658.
Below is an extract from NHS Stoke-on-Trent’s recent Chief Executive’s Update:
GP Commissioning Consortium Chair Appointed
I am delighted to announce that Dr Andrew Bartlam has been selected as Executive Chair of the Shadow GP Commissioning Consortium. Dr Bartlam has been a GP at Millrise Medical Practice in Milton for 22 years and has been Clinical Lead for one of the Practice Based Commissioning Clusters and Chair of the `Super Cluster’ for the past three years.
The Shadow Consortium will be a Sub Committee of the PCT Trust Board and will be responsible for managing the transition from PCT to GP Led commissioning over the next two years. The Trust Board will delegate responsibility and budgets for commissioning the majority of NHS Services, including Hospital, Community and Mental Health Services to the Shadow Consortium.
Operating Framework
The Operating Framework is detailed so we have picked out the key aspects you may be interested in. However you can read the full document here: www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/DH_4015576
PCTs will remain statutorily accountable in 2011/12 and 2012/13. However it is unlikely that 151 fully functional PCTs can be maintained as a third of them are already without a permanent Chief Executive Officer. We also know that locally there are many vacancies at all levels of PCTs.
Therefore the Department of Health is proposing that we implement a single management team for the whole of Staffordshire on or before 1st June 2011. This team will develop the regulatory and accountability roles that will ultimately transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board, and develop the commissioning support for GP Consortia.
The NHS Commissioning Board will be created in shadow form during 2011/12 and it was announced that Sir David Nicholson will be the first Chief Executive Officer of this Board and will develop the sub structure during 2011/12. There is a tighter focus on delivering QIPP plans and managing risk during the transformation. Service quality remains a priority and the focus is on outcomes rather than process.
PCT Allocations
Stoke-on-Trent will see a revenue growth of 4.9%. This will be reported as the highest in England, which is a strong financial settlement. However this is not a comfort blanket it is the last chance for significant reforms and there are outcomes we will have to meet, in an area which has high deprivation and health need. Part of the PCT allocations this year is to support adult social care and create greater joint working between health and social care.
Liberating the NHS – Next Steps
Following the consultation on the White Paper there are key areas that have altered; in particular
- Creating a clearer more phased approach to the introduction of GP Commissioning, by setting up a programme of GP Consortia pathfinders.
- Significantly strengthening the role of health and well being boards in Local Authorities to enhance joint working through new responsibilities on a Health and Well being strategy spanning NHS, social care, public health and potentially other services.
- A longer phased transition for completing provider reforms.
- Extend Local Authority scrutiny powers to all NHS funded care.
- Maternity Services to be commissioned by GP Consortia
- Please promote the attached message from NHS Stoke on Trent with your service users in order to alleviate the pressure on A&E and to ensure that resources are used effectively.
- Your ideas are requested! Please find attached a letter from Stoke City Council requesting your ideas on the future shape of social care services. This is not a sales pitch exercise for specific project ideas, but rather an attempt to get discussion going with people across the sector as to how things might look in the future.
- NAVCA is calling for your support in their campaign for Real Power for Communities – please see the attached document for information on how to show your support.
- Department of Health Financial Assistance Fund opens for applications.
The Department of Health has announced that its ‘Financial Assistance Fund’ is now open to applications. This emergency fund is offering support to third sector organisations in 2010-11 who are experiencing financial difficulties that threaten their ability to continue their activities. Please note the short timescale: the closing date for completed applications is noon on Wednesday 19th January, 2011. Further details of the fund are on NAVCA’s website: http://www.navca.org.uk/news/financialassistance.htm
