Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director – Children and Young People’s Directorate, and the Operational Director – Halton and St. Helens Primary Care Trust (PCT), seeking agreement on the next steps in the integration of services in Halton for children and young people through new working arrangements between Halton and St. Helens PCT and the Children and Young People’s Directorate of Halton Council. Agreement was also sought to place those new arrangements and their governance within the context of Halton’s Children’s Trust Arrangements (Alliance Board).

The report outlined how the proposals were intended to improve outcomes for children and young people, seeking to build on the integration of Education and Children’s Social Care Services that formed the Children and Young People’s Directorate in 2006. The proposals focused on the way the Children and Young People’s Directorate and its partners would do business together in future. An integrated approach would enhance the Council and its partner’s ability to deliver the key objectives of the Community Strategy under the umbrella  of the Local Strategic Partnership. All the services within that Partnership would continue to be directly accountable to their parent body for the quality and effectiveness of their services. However, the proposals enhanced the Council’s ability to fully discharge its new statutory duties to children and young people in the Borough.

The Health Services referred to were outlined for the Board’s consideration and it was advised that health services for children were focused on three on three principal groupings:

• The Sick Child – children who required specific medical interventions due to illness or injury;
• The Vulnerable child – children who had a particular set of circumstances that made their health vulnerable, for example hearing loss, a chronic condition, or their welfare or safety; and
• The Well Child – routine health matters that all children needed.

Integration of those services would be complemented by the further alignment of other health-related services and a dialogue would be established with General Practitioners in the Borough on the “best fit” with General Practice. It was advised that Dentistry Services were not part of this arrangement.

Members noted that the PCT was moving towards being a commissioning organisation and, in light of this, the PCT would explore a relevant NHS provider to deliver services to the “sick” child, whilst entering into this management arrangement with the Council for health services for the “well” and “vulnerable” child.

The proposed structure for the joint new arrangements were attached at Appendix 1 of the report. It was advised that NHS staff would not be subject to TUPE or seconded to the Council and so there would be no change to the terms of employment or conditions of any NHS employee affected by these arrangements. Lines of accountability were outlined for consideration and it was advised that the PCT would identify a named individual (Assistant Director, Children and Family Health, Halton) to become part of the Children and Young People Directorate’s Senior Management Team. This post would have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100