New deal for patient and public involvement
Alyson Morley Policy Adviser Democratic Health Network 13th January 2007
- What’s in the Bill?
- Where do LINks fit in?
- The role of local authorities
- Challenges and opportunities
- What now?
Local Government And Public Involvement In Health Bill
LINks - Remit corresponds to PCT boundaries
- Greater focus on commissioning
- Remit extended to social care
- Loose network – “open to all” individuals and organisations
- Structure and accountability to be locally determined
- How will LINks be resourced?
- Local authorities funded to procure a host organisation to set up LINks
- Money will not be ringfenced
- Host organisations may be existing FSOs
- No guidance on how members will be recruited, inducted or supported
Powers and responsibities of LINks
- Contribute to the shape and quality of health provision
- Focus on commissioning
- Comment on service reconfigurations
- Close working relationship with overview and scrutiny
- Power to inspect NHS premises but not private and independent providers
Other provisions in the Bill
- A duty for “partner authorities” including PCTs to agree Local Area Agreements
- Community calls for action – a right for all councillors to act on community concerns
- Scrutiny of partner authorities’ action on LAA priorities
- Section 242 - strengthening the duty to consult
Where do LINks fit in?
The role of health overview and scrutiny committees
- Cooperation between PPIFs and OSCs has been patchy
- Build on best practice to push improvements
- LAs will receive funding to procure a “host organisation” for LINks
- Much is to be locally determined
Challenges
- Accountability – how do you ensure accountability to the community?
- Resources – will they be adequate?
- Geography – how will LINks operate in large geographical areas?
- Capacity and expertise – will LINks have the expertise to influence commissioning?
- Credibility – with the community and with NHS
- Ensuring that no one interest group dominates
- Relationship between LINks and NHS foundation trusts
- Relationship with sub-regional services eg ambulance trusts
- Turning rhetorical commitment to involvement into a reality
- Commercial interests – what about organisations that are providers of services?
Opportunities
- A wider range of people and organisations involved
- Following the patient journey rather than focused on one institution
- Influencing commissioning to make care more patient-centred
- Building on best practice of PPIFs
- Embedding PPI into business planning of health and social care
- Influencing local area agreements
What now?
- Learning from “early adopters”
- Lobbying/influencing Health Committee, Parliament and DH on resources, national standards, model contracts, national and regional bodies
- Building on current best practice from OSCs and PPIFs
- Reminding DH of its commitment to update regularly
- Draw up terms of reference, codes of conduct and protocols with OSCs