Community Health and Social Care Partnerships

Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) as proposed in the Community Health Partnership Regulations 2004 are about delivering better services and outcomes for local people, improving health and reducing health inequalities. They do this by developing closer working relationships between with partner agencies and by effective public involvement. CHPs are a mechanism to allow partner organisations, professionals and staff to plan, redesign and deliver services and care more effectively through organisational arrangements that seek to align and strengthen joint working.

NHS Western Isles and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) have agreed that the creation of a Community Health and Social Care Partnership (CHaSCP). This encompasses all the advantages of a CHP with the addition of more integrated partnership working between the two organisations leading to better services to patients, service users and the public.

Many of the relationships that would normally be expected within a CHaSCP are already to be found informally in the Western Isles. There is a long history of partnership working which continues to develop and which will be enhanced by the introduction of a CHaSCP. It builds on the work of the Local Health Care Co-operatives (LHCCs), which were voluntary in nature, by placing statutory obligations upon partners by formalising and developing arrangements such as Joint Future planning and delivery of services, joint service planning and Community Planning.

The development of the CHaSCP will greatly enhance the current local arrangements by formalising links and aligning structures and processes within the context of national guidance and regulations.

Good working relationships have already been developed with several jointly planned, funded, and executed community developments underway, including:

• Carloway Community Development, incorporating day-care facilities;

• Harris House Residential Home, currently at the design stages for the 2009/12 capital plan and with a similar remit to the facilities in the recently completed Taigh A’Chridhe Uile Naomh in South Uist;

• Joint equipment store developments including nursing equipment.

Proposed Developments

The CHaSCP is built on the previous development of the Community Health Services Division and excellent working relationships with the Social Work Department with the involvement of Acute and Public Health services as well as the Government, voluntary sector and the public.

The CHaSCP arrangements comprise: A Joint Services Committee; a CHaSCP Committee and a Management Team; and a series of operational Health and Care Teams. It has two means of public engagement, the six Locality Planning Groups and the People's Health Network.

The Joint Services Committee is a Committee of the Health Board and a Sub-committee of CnES, responsible with delegated authority for delivering a range of services within an agreed budget from these parent organisations. It also assumes responsibility for governance and commissioning of services.

The CHaSCP Committee is accountable to the parent bodies through the Joint Services Committee and constitutes a Sub-Committee of the Health Board. It is primarily responsible for ensuring effective service delivery against local plans, with associated planning functions, for community-based services. It will play a pivotal role in the Western Isles Community Planning Partnership.

Membership of the CHaSCP Committee takes account of the Statutory Guidance for CHPs, with increased clinical, local authority and public representation.

Governance and accountability of the CHaSCP Committee will be directly to the Joint Services Committee, with operational management being through its General Manager – Community Health, to the Chief Executive of the Health Board and Director of Social Work to the local authority.

The CHaSCP Committee assumed responsibility for the existing LHCC Locality Groups, which have evolved into Locality Planning Groups where possible. There will be significant input from Public Health, Acute Hospital Services Division and the newly formed Public Partnership Forum (PPF).

Delegated resources from the Board and Local Authority are operationally managed through a core Management Team.

Potential Future Developments

The Public Health Division will be consulted with regarding further integration to support the Health Improvement agenda and priorities of the CHaSCP.

The Community Planning Partnership is currently being redesigned, with negotiations underway to see where the CHaSCP might be best positioned. Meanwhile the CHaSCP Committee will relate directly to the Community Planning Partnership Board.

The potential for the further development of the CHaSCP will continue to be explored.

CHaSCP Overview

For full details on the membership, roles and remits of the CHaSCP committees and to see how you are represented, please click Structures.pdf