Policy review

A review by Stephen Blann, CLB Policy & Networks Officer.

I have compiled a review of 10 national policy issues that will have a direct local impact. As these issues are ‘live’, they’ll be updated as and when more information becomes available. I’ve also put together a list of five consultations, feedback and implementations that are at various stages of development, which I’ll update as they progress.
email: stephenb@communitylinksbromley.org.uk
phone: 020 8315 1907

10 policy issues which will have an impact locally

Transforming Social Care 2008-9 and ongoing
Community Empowerment White Paper 2009 onwards
Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
Changes to children’s trusts
Darzi review / NHS constitution
World class commissioning / Contestability and Contracting
Welfare Green paper
Future and effectiveness of the Compact
New Mayor
2012 Olympics & legacy

5 consultation feedback and implementations

Picture of health 2008 – 12
Healthcare for London 2008
Building a Better Bromley Publication / Implementation 2008-2020
Dementia strategy consultation 2008 and ongoing
LAA baseline / measurement

1. Transforming Social Care 2008-9 and ongoing

LB Bromley has received a Transforming Social Care Grant - to enable it to pilot the “personalisation” agenda. Personalisation is the phrase used to describe changing social services - away from designing services t and assessing people’s eligibility towards identifying what each individual needs and identifying where to buy services to suit them. People will be allocated a budget - but this may not pay for all the services they need. This will be a major change in attitude and way of working for social services, voluntary sector and service users and carers. Read more from the Department of Health website

Bromley council has set up a Transforming Social Care Programme Board which includes some voluntary sector membership. The board will be meet from August to December. More news will appear in future bulletins.

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2. Community Empowerment White Paper 2009 onwards

This sets out a whole range of initiatives but also restatement of existing ideas. Key ideas will be rights to information, participatory budgets – where local residents are actively involved in setting priorities and making allocations of money - and other citizen decision making. This could also encourage services to be devolved towards smaller local services and decision making.

Communities in Control Real people, real power [1.7 MB]
Communities in Control Real people, real power - summary [437 KB]

Bromley council and the local strategic partnership are revising the Bromley Community Engagement strategy although not with the more radical proposals in the white paper.

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3. Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

Sustainable Community Strategies – in our case Building a Better Bromley - and Local Area Agreements (LAA - recently agreed in Bromley) need to be based on sound evidence. Councils and Primary care trusts must now produce this in the form of a joint strategic needs analysis and also demonstrate community involvement in compiling it. Although published by department of health it is covers a much wider range of social and economic issues. It is intended to identify needs for 3-5 years ahead, but be reviewed every year, and shape LAAs lasting 3 years and Sustainable Community Strategies lasting 10-15 – so it has quite an impact.

In the short term the Bromley JSNA is being produced. A consultation event was held in July with a final draft being produced in September. The local voluntary sector needs to identify / fill in gaps. Compared to the “core dataset” there are several of these – a real issue is the capacity of the sector to collect the data needed. In the medium to long term the sector will need to apply pressure to ensure it remains involved in JSNA AND that the JSNA actually affects annual review of LAA and development of new LAA.

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4. Changes to children’s trusts

Proposed legislation later in the year as to structure and how children’s trusts operate. Impact on sector only indirect – responsibility for Children & Young people’s plan transfers to children’s trust rather than local authority. More people covered by a duty to consult - schools but not voluntary sector.

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5. Darzi review / NHS constitution

Following recommendations for London Lord Darzi – surgeon and government minister produced further ideas for reforming the NHS, making patient choice more central and making the NHS “independent” with its own constitution.

A draft constitution is currently out for consultation so a short term issue in responding to that. Longer term it could transform the relationship between NHS and third sector as well as between NHS and patients and NHS and politicians.

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6. World class commissioning / Contestability and Contracting

To meet the aspirations of a “world class service” for health and social care the World Class Commissioning programme has been introduced – recognising there are weaknesses and inconsistencies across the country at the moment. Commissioners will undergo training there will be an impact on how and why services are commissioned with an aspiration that commissioning becomes more outcome focussed. Those voluntary groups receiving Lottery funding will appreciate the significance of outcome funding. There is also a link back to Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

Beyond health and social care a number of government departments and public bodies are moving to a process they call “contestability” - a step beyond competitive tendering whereby service is specified and anyone can “contest” their ability to deliver it. Services often have specific outputs and outcomes with payment by results and large complex single contracts which involve many organisations coming together as a single consortium. In the longer term this may see large service delivery voluntary organisations in receipt of public contracts and those who are not.

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7. Welfare Green paper

This is currently being consulted on but could have long term implications. There will be an impact on those working with or supporting people receiving benefits. Recipients need to be much more pro-active in finding suitable work - with assistance and could mean people having to work for benefits - including volunteering. This will radically alter the dynamic of third sector activities. There will be an impact on advice agencies and support agencies for those with disabilities ( in widest sense) and for those involved in volunteering - having potentially less willing volunteers. This is also an example of contestability – voluntary groups can bid for contracts to deliver support services – with payment strictly by results.

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8. Future and effectiveness of the Compact

The Compact Commission led by Sir Bert Massie is conducting a debate about the future and effectiveness of the compact. It looks at both the national picture and the impact at a local level. One key question is should the Compact remain voluntary or acquire statutory force?

9. New Mayor

As the new mayor consolidates his team and begins to implement his policies LBB may follow London lead more than in the past and both begin to adopt some of the ideas in conservatives green paper on third sector.

10. 2012 Olympics & legacy

Although still 4 years away there are a number of implications for the sector here – encouraging greater participation in sport and physical activity and greater sporting success (the National Sports Centre is in the borough). Although not an adopted Olympic borough there will be huge demand for volunteers .

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5 consultation feedback and implementations

1. Picture of health 2008 – 12

The decision of JPCT has been announced with some token reference to the consultation process. There is an implementation plan covering the period up to 2012 as a long timescale is needed to make the changes decided. At the end of this time Queen Mary’s Sidcup will loose &AE and only undertake planned surgery ( whilst Princess royal will only undertake emergency and day case surgery. Surgery will end Orpington hospital.

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2. Healthcare for London 2008 -

Whilst decision makers may feel confident that APOH is consistent with Healthcare for London this may not be the case. Work will continue over the summer to identify locations of both the specialist centres (which may or may not be any of the hospitals affected by APOH) but also the development of polyclinics.

Read more of the Health Care for London website

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3. Building a Better Bromley Publication / Implementation 2008-2020

The final version after the consultation events earlier this year will be discussed at the council executive meeting on 8th September and the local strategic partnership on 17th November. Whilst a report of voluntary sector consultation has been produced the full version (with or without changes) has not yet been published . Need to keep a watching brief that there is a credible delivery plan, that wide range of partners is involved and that changes in line with JSNA are implemented.

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4. Dementia strategy consultation 2008 and ongoing

The consultation on this is due to close on 11th September but implementation will have a major impact. As the population in Bromley is higher than London average population of older people and this trend is predicted to increase this will have a considerable impact as other social care and health changes are made.

Read more on the consultation at the Department of Health website.

Recently published strategies also of relevance are the Carers’ strategy and the End of life care strategy.

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5. LAA baseline / measurement

There will be ongoing work to achieve the targets especially NI6.

LAA Building a Better Bromley [104 KB]

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Page updated: 15 August 2008