Social Care Providers on the Starting Grid?
Social Care Providers on the Starting Grid? Mark Johnson
attended the annual Innovation Exchange hosted by specialist contractors Castleoak
Care Partnerships on Wednesday in Oxfordshire. The theme of the event was opportunities
for Social Care providers to become more involved in delivering "out-of-hospital"
services. Castleoak chose a fascinating venue in the Williams Formula 1 team HQ
and assembled an impressive list of speakers.
We heard from Andrew Webster of the King's Fund on the future direction of commissioning
in health and social care. He identified 3 key drivers which will influence future
services- an ageing population, funding under pressure and an increasingly demanding
"customer". He foresaw an increasing move towards co-production of services, where
the service user is more directly involved in designing their own care package,
with the state even paying relatives to provide some of their care. Local commissioners
will need to move away from being providers and show leadership in specifying local
priorities and identifying the right incentives for providers.
William Greenwood from Hope Street Centre spoke on the systemic changes that will
be needed in NHS services to respond to the new pressures. He foresaw a move towards
more outcomes-based contracts, a bigger role for GP commissioners following the
demise of SHAs, and a greater focus on preventative services. He called for a more
innovative and less risk-averse approach from commissioners and advised providers
to find out what local commissioners priorities are and package their services accordingly.
Deborah Sturdy, Nursing Advisor at the DH, examined the implications for nursing
staff in this new environment, she called for a more flexible portfolio career structure
for nursing teams working from chambers premises.
Delegates then split into workshops to consider some key challenges. We were asked
to consider what were the top 6 barriers to joint working between the NHS and social
care sectors? Key issues identified were cultural differences (such as the tendency
to "medicalise" services), statutory ring-fencing of budgets, historic political
interference and micro-management. Asked to recommend changes the new Government could make, delegates recommended a complete split of commissioner- provider functions,
opening up markets to be truly contestable on a level playing field, more integrated/flexible
funding streams, improved commercial procurement skills in the public sector and
the ability for primary care practitioners to issue prescriptions for social care
services.
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The overriding stark message from the event was that the budget crisis will force
a drastic rethink about how services are provided and funded. We can expect cuts
of at least 20% in the current public spending budget in the period to 2014. Providers
and commissioners must adapt now to prosper in this new landscape. For those who
can offer cost-effective and timely solutions, this could be a time of opportunity.
Those who blindly carry on as before will encounter big problems.
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For More Information Contact:
Mark Johnson
TPP Law Limited
53 Great Suffolk Street
London SE1 ODB
t 020 7620 0888
f 020 7620 0778
e info@tpplaw.co.uk
Email: Mark
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