Voluntary and community sector representative feedback
Event or meeting: Newcastle PCT and voluntary sector representativesDate of meeting 08/02/2012 / Rep’s name Sally Young
Please circle or highlight in bold the main focus for the sector:
There may be opportunities There are implications It is of interest
This is the quarterly meeting between PCT managers involved with the vcs, communications and engagement issues, CCG reps and six voluntary organisations to discuss sector issues.
Newcastle Bridges CCG had recently held a stakeholder meeting with vcos to discuss their Locality Plan and their three core issues – care closer to home, joining up services and prevention. Ray Brown (from Volsag) is involved with their mental health services redesign work. Kay Howes noted Newcastle Bridges is aware of their capacity for commissioning and is looking at how best to achieve this. They are also doing a small primary care project to keep people out of hospital. The Bridges Patients Forum was looking at the ‘Clear and Credible Plan’ (sic – this is the formal title).
Tracy Stuchlik from TyneHealth, noted they were collaborating with Newcastle Bridges and Gateshead CCGs on provider contracts, but this wasn’t a merger. TyneHealth was particularly interested in District Nursing, and doing more work in primary care practices rather than hospitals (eg hypertension and some gynaecological procedures) and looking at its communications.
As the Health and Social Care Bill was still under scrutiny, there were still issues that hadn’t yet been decided and the PCT and CCGs couldn’t progress on every area.
Mike Proctor from the PCT was leading on CSOs (Commissioning Support Organisations); these are sometimes known as CSSs and CSUs. The current approach is one organisation with four hubs. The PCT is appointing directors to work alongside each locality, CCGs and specialised services: with Mark Adams in the Newcastle locality. There will be a North of England Commissioning Group. Also the communications and engagement services could be delivered (partially) nationally. It isn’t clear what will be interim and final arrangements due to the Bill not being agreed.
The local transition plans for public health services are being agreed; these involve the transfer of staff and functions. There are concerns about the potential fragmentation of public health campaigns, so ANEC will become involved.
The PCT is looking at a lead commissioner for vcos.
Sally Young raised the value of the grant aid programme and noted that not everything had to go through formal contracting and there could be additional value when grants were used. The CCG and PCT reps stated how they valued the work of the vcs.
Kieran Conaty noted the work being done by CAOH and CVS on the issue of GP commissioning. The early results from the work done with GPs highlighted that those who used vco services were complimentary, but there was a relatively low level of understanding of the potential scope of the vcs. They weren’t sure what vcos could offer, or how to access them.
Brendan Hill raised the value of pooled budgets and section 256 agreements and there needed to be a shared understanding of the relative merits of different funding arrangements as all were valid. There was reference to Nick Forbes recent letter about shared initiatives and pooled budgets.
Julia Young (PCT) referred to her disappointment over some of the recent EIG decisions by Children’s Services which had implications for joint funded projects. All vcos that received PCT funding had been informed they would be receiving a 1.8% efficiency cut – this reflected a 4% efficiency saving across the NHS for contracts in 2012-13 and an inflationary uplift of 2.2%
The top three issues from the meeting are
· There is still a state of flux because the Health and Social Care Bill is going through parliamentary processes and there are a number of issues, structures, arrangements yet to be agreed
· There is recognition of the value of the work done by the voluntary and community sector
· The focus is (inevitably) on internal issues and areas that must be delivered for the NHS. Voluntary and community sector organisations need to think how they can demonstrate their impact and presence in appropriate ways
o Please tick box if you want to discuss your feedback before it is copied for a forum or network
meeting or put into a newsletter.
Please complete during the meeting or as soon as possible afterwards, and return to NCVS. You can email Martin Gollan or Pam Jobbins or use this freepost address:
Newcastle CVS, FREEPOST NEA4105, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1BR