From April 2013 local Healthwatch replaced the Local Involvement Networks (LINks) as the "consumer voice" in health and social care. It is important that local Healthwatch learns from the experience of the LINks to ensure they become the best they can be, and to prevent "reinventing the wheel". The results of a project to capture this learning are now available
Voluntary Sector North West
St. Thomas Centre
22 June 2012
NHS Commissioning Board Authority Chief Operating Officer Ian Dalton and Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh have shared the outcome of the work to agree the geographies that the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) local area teams will serve, as well as the outcome of related work to confirm the number, and coverage, of clinical senates: New Geographies.
Local Government Chronicle's early analysis states:
"... local area teams will all have the same core functions around the development of clinical commissioning groups, emergency planning, quality and safety, and service configuration.
However, there will also be variations between the teams around direct commissioning. While all local teams will commission GP and dental services, pharmacy and some optical services, 10 of the branches will have additional responsibilities as specialised commissioning hubs.
A smaller number of local teams will directly commission prison health and military health services....
The structure is intended to take into account local geographies, service patterns and relationships.
Local area team directors will be appointed over June and July. Further recruitment, beginning with the next most senior roles, will take place from July to December.
The briefing states: “We are working across the system, moving as quickly as we can at the same time as aiming to align the recruitment and transfer of staff at similar grades and levels.
“By working in a coordinated way we aim to maximise opportunities for staff and minimise uncertainty and disruption in the current system.”
Although the document confirms there will be 12 clinical senates, there is no detail yet on who will be part of them or what their role will be.
Further details will be circulated “in the coming weeks”, it says.
There are three areas where clinical senate boundaries cut across those of the local area teams.
“This has been necessary to ensure that the senate boundaries recognise the pattern of patient flows, particularly with tertiary centres,” according to the briefing.
The local area teams in the North West will be (27 across England):
* These two teams are expected to have responsibility for specialist commissioning (ten teams across England); Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral will have responsibility for the majority of the North West (all but North Cumbria).
The clinical senates in the North West will be (12 across England):
Further reading:
Regional Voices, of which VSNW is a partner, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded funding from the Department of Health (Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund) to support voluntary and community sector influence on health and wellbeing boards
The Department for Business Innovation & Skills has published the findings of a research study on European Social Fund delivery with the aim of informing thinking around the next round of programmes
Healthwatch England was formed in April 2013 and is the independent consumer champion for health and social care in England. They have now published a list of local Healthwatch, including those for the North West
The Local Government Chronicle held a webinar to explore the essential elements to ensure local healthwatch organisations are effective in scrutinising local health services and provide a voice for communities. Regional Voices, of which VSNW are a part, are mentioned.
An analysis has been published by NAVCA of the 74 areas that received Transforming Local Infrastructure and provides a national perspective, and allows the sharing of information and ideas
