Agenda and draft minutes

Consideration was given to the minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care held on 12^th July, 2010.

Reference was made to the Annual Safeguarding report and a request was made that the final version of the report be brought to the next meeting on 13^th September 2010 for approval.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 12^th July, 2010 be approved as a correct record.

Chrissy Wright, Director of Commissioning and Partnerships presented the submitted report which set out the key areas of impact for Health and Social Care for Adult Services in the recent White Paper on the NHS.

The White Paper set out that the role of the Department of Health in NHS would be much reduced and more strategic, focusing on improving public health, removing health inequalities and extending choice.  This would not just be around where and when but also circumstances of treatment and care received and improving the level of engagement of patients and the public.

The main proposals were:

Choice, Control and Patient Involvement

Personal budgets were being extended to personal health budgets and would allow individuals to be in control of how, where and from whom they received their health care.  A personal health budget could either be arranged by the NHS and independent third party, or the individual could be given the money to buy the care themselves through a direct payment.

Other key areas of improvement of choice and control for individuals were:

• The government plans to give patients choice of treatment and provider in the vast majority of NHS funded services by 2013/14
• Every patient would have a right to choose to register with any GP practice they want
• Patients would be given access to detailed information about hospitals and GP services to enable them to exert more choice and control over who provides their treatment

Public Health

There would also be a new Public Health Service, to integrate and streamline existing health improvement and protect bodies and functions, including and increased emphasis on research, analysis and evaluation.  It would be responsible for vaccination and screening programmes and manage public health emergencies.

PCT responsibilities for local health improvement would transfer to local authorities after the abolition of PCT’s in 2013.  Local Authorities would then employ the Director of Public Health jointly appointed with the Public Health Service.

The arrangements for a Public Health team within the authority were not yet known but RMBC would receive a ring-fenced Public Health budget to undertake their public health and health improvement functions.  The allocation formula for those funds would include a new “health premium” designed to promote action to improve population-wide health and reduce health inequalities.

Patient and Public Involvement

A new body would be created for patient and public involvement known as HealthWatch England, a new independent consumer champion within the Care Quality Commission (CQC).   These would be funded by and accountable to local authorities creating a strong local infrastructure, and would enhance the role of local authorities in promoting choice and complaints advocacy.  This would involve the Rotherham LINk being subsumed into RMBC from VAR who currently host the arrangements.  Local HealthWatch representatives would also play a formal role to ensure that feedback from patients and service users was reflected in commissioning plans.

Social Care White Paper

The Department of Health would continue to have a vital role in setting adult social care policy recognising  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.