SUMMARY/PURPOSE
1.
To provide the Cabinet with an update on the
integration of Occupational Therapy with the Local NHS Trust and request
support for a formal Section 31 Agreement.
BACKGROUND
2.
The key objective in entering into any Section 31
agreements is to raise standards, improve the quality of services and improve
the way in which the partners exercise their statutory functions.
3.
The Council and Trust have already taken several steps
to integration by appointing a joint Head of Service who manages both OT staff
and budgets for the Council and the Trust Occupational Therapy Department, on
behalf of each partner organisation.
4.
There was a Blue Paper produced by the Policy
Commission for Care, Health and Housing which considered the future location
for all of the constituent parts of the Housing department. It supported the integration of the
Occupational Therapy service with the local NHS Trust. This was supported by the Cabinet.
5.
During 2005 the Council and Trust Occupational Therapy
Department staff were co-located on the St Mary’s site and now work using the
same IT system.
6.
The next steps are to consider full integration, which
will lead to further benefits.
For the service user these
benefits include:
§
Maximising the opportunities from the total resources available to
service users on the Island; and
§
Providing a single focal point for occupational therapy services.
For
frontline services:
§
Creation of a single identity for occupational therapy services;
§
Development of staff with core transferable generic skills and
specialist skills;
§
Improved clinical supervision;
§
Improving training and development opportunities for staff;
§
Integrating management of pooled fund resulting in faster decision
making and more efficient and better-targeted use of resources;
§
Ensuring that there is a joint planning process for investment in and
development of occupational therapy services;
§
Integration of performance management frameworks to better monitor and
improve the overall performance of the service; and
7.
The Council Occupational Therapy staff will be seconded
to the IW Healthcare NHS Trust (not TUPE), pending the overall health and
social care integration.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
8.
The integration of Occupational Therapy Services in
Health and Social Care on the Island has been a commitment of the current
administration and continues the direction of travel for the creation of a new
integrated health and social care organisation on the Island.
9.
Integration and closer working between Health and
Social Care organisations is a national policy driver as evidenced by the
recent Green Paper, ‘Independence, Wellbeing and Choice’, National Service
Frameworks and Valuing People White Paper and Our Health, Our Care, Our Say
White Paper.
CONSULTATION
10.
Consultation was undertaken with staff and key
stakeholders from 6th February – 3rd March 2006.
11.
The consultation sought their views and comments on
the proposed service integration, especially around the following areas:
§ Is the right
direction for the Occupational Therapy Service?
§ Should the
Intermediate Care Occupational Therapists be included in this section 31? and
§
Should the Mental Health Occupational Therapists be included in this
section 31?
12.
The consultation paper was distributed to:
§ All OT staff
employed by IW Council and IW Healthcare NHS Trust
§ Head of Housing,
Council
§ Interim Director of
Adult and Community Service
§ IWC Cabinet
Member for Health, Care and Housing
§ Associate
Directors of Healthcare Trust Care Groups
§ Executive Team of
Healthcare Trust
§ Health Overview
and Scrutiny Committee
§ Director of
Commissioning, PCT
§ Patient and
Public Involvement Forums
§ Chief Executive,
Earl Mountbatten Hospice
FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS
13.
It is expected that the Council OT budget will be
transferred to a pooled budget, along with the Health OT budget. Both budgets
are approximately £400,000, combining to produce a pooled budget of
approximately £800,000. Secondment of
Council OT Staff to IW Healthcare NHS Trust will happen at the same time.
14.
Council OT Staff and resources are already based at
the St Mary’s site of the IOW Healthcare NHS Trust.
15.
The exact level of resource transfer will be
negotiated between the Council and IW Healthcare Trust representatives. The
process will be supported by the Transition Project Team.
LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS
16.
Health Act flexibilities will be utilised through a
Section 31 Agreement to enable pooling of health and social care budgets. Work is underway through the legal services
team and the Transition Team to ensure that this agreement will be robust and
fit for purpose. External lawyers have
been instructed by the Council Legal Services Team to complete the agreement.
17.
In effecting the integration we will ensure that we
comply with all relevant legislation including employment law.
18.
Pat Szatter, Programme Lead – Internal Governance, has
reviewed the Section 31 Partnership Agreement for the S31 Team and Transition
Project.
OPTIONS
19.
The Section 31 Agreement for OT Services consulted
upon the following options:
·
Council OT Service and IOWHCT OT Department should be
part of this partnership agreement.
·
The above and IOWHCT Mental Health OT Staff should be
part of this partnership agreement
·
The above and the IOWHCT Intermediate Care OT Staff
should be part of this partnership agreement.
·
The above and the IOWHCT Mental Health and
Intermediate Care OT Staff should be part of this partnership agreement
20.
Generally the proposal for a formal agreement was
welcomed by staff and stakeholders.
From the post consultation discussion with key stakeholders, the
proposal is to omit Mental Health and Intermediate Care Occupational Therapists
from this Section 31. They will be part of Section 31’s for Mental Health and
Intermediate Care.
21.
This proposal will be presented to the Joint Trust
Board (for PCT and HCT) for approval on 29th March 2006.
22.
The next steps:
·
Seek agreement to the above option at Council Cabinet
on 21st March 2006.
·
Seek agreement to the above option at the Joint
PCT/Trust Board on 29th March 2006.
·
Section 31 Partnership Agreement to be finalised by 31st
March 2006.
EVALUATION/RISK
MANAGEMENT
23.
The principal risks are outlined with actions
currently in place or proposed to be taken that will address the risk
|
RISK
|
ACTION
|
|
i)
Service specification that is fit for purpose
|
Outcome of budget will determine the level of service provided. OT Team
Leaders integrating service specification and recommending changes.
|
|
ii)
Inadequate budget identified
|
Service
being matched to budget available.
Some
efficiencies possible in bringing two services together.
|
|
iii)
Cultural differences in philosophy of service provision
|
Much
informal work already taken place.
Co-location
has helped this.
|
|
RECOMMENDATIONS
24.
That the cabinet support a formal Section 31
Agreement for Occupational Therapy Services with Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS
Trust.
|
BACKGROUND
PAPERS
25.
Consultation Paper: Section 31 Partnership Agreement
for the integrated provision of Occupational Therapy Services – Nicola Turner,
February 2006.
Contact
Point: Mark Price, Transition Project Director, Tel 550942 email : [email protected]
|
MR
MARK PRICE
Transition
Project Director
|
COUNCILLOR
DAWN COUSINS
Cabinet
Member for Care. Health and Housing
|