VOTE: North Lincolnshire Council to welcome GPs on to new health boards
NORTH Lincolnshire Council will welcome GPs on to newly-formed health boards as the region prepares for the closure of NHS North Lincolnshire.
Government plans that were announced earlier this month will see GPs take control of the majority of the region’s £230-million health budget, under national proposals to transform the NHS.
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CHANGES: The council will work alongside GPs in the commissioning of patient care.
A White Paper consultation document published last week revealed GPs will be required to sit on new local council ‘health and wellbeing’ boards, with local authorities also being given the power to challenge GP consortia commissioning strategies.
Stuart Wilson, lead member for health at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “There is no doubt this will see the council play a much greater role in the delivery of healthcare in the region.
“The Government White Paper states that local authorities will have to set up health and wellbeing boards, but we already have this in place in partnership with the PCT, so I don’t think it will dramatically change the way we work.
“However, it will give us the power to work alongside GPs in the commissioning of patient care, and we hope to maintain a pro-active approach with our new partners.”
Councillor Wilson believes changes were needed and remains cautiously optimistic that proposals laid out by health secretary Andrew Lansley will bring positive results.
He said: “These plans are at a very early stage so I believe it’s a case of wait and see, but it was encouraging to see public health budgets will be ringfenced. As a local authority we must evolve with these changes and help GP consortia wherever possible. GPs work very hard already and we must allow them to continue focusing on frontline patient care.
“I would expect to see some of the management currently involved with NHS North Lincolnshire to be employed by the GP consortia to ease that burden. You simply cannot run the NHS without management, and these people are still needed within the health service.”
GP consortia will work in partnership with local authorities to jointly plan and commission health and adult social care, public health and integrated care, with local authorities acting as the lead commissioner for certain services, such as older people’s care. And local authorities will be given the power to block GP commissioning strategies if they do not agree with a consortium’s plans, and refer disagreements to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “There would be a statutory obligation for the local authority and commissioners to participate as members of the board and act in partnership on these functions.
“The health and wellbeing board would give local authorities influence over NHS commissioning, and corresponding influence for NHS commissioners in relation to health improvement, reducing health inequalities and social care.”
9 Comments
by Silverback, Brigg
Friday, July 30 2010, 11:20PM
“I think it is a good idea that the GPs will be able to share their accountability with Councillors but lets also have other health providers, patients, and voluntary groups being involved in the difficult decisions that will need to be made in the future. As to re-employing the leaders and senior management of the PCT, why would you want to do this when they have been so poor in their jobs for the last three to five years. New blood, new ways of doing thing, greater accountability and transparency are needed.”
by Dan, Scunny
Wednesday, July 28 2010, 12:04AM
“Can we not just scrap elected representatives after all they just spend a fortune on consultants etc who tell them what they already know and they in turn take their own cut. Then when it goes belly up they hide behind the consultants. Why does the electorate not go straight to the horses mnouth and just employ GP's to make the choices and if they mess it up then sack them.”
by john, scunthorpe
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 5:42PM
“Dont mix up what GP,s do now and what the goivernment wants them to do they are as different as chalk and cheese.
Seems like the new set up will be same old managment under a new title and who will be paying them? and at what salaries?
As for the role of monitoring, the council already do this through the health scrutiny panal and have done for many years, this will just give them legal powers to monitor what the GP,s do and take them to an independant review if they disagree with the gp decisions.”
by Any Old Iron, North Linconshire
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 4:57PM
“"we can thank the new Tory government for this and many other needless and ridiculous cuts" - got to disagree - we can thank the previous government for the devastation they've left behind. I bet they're pleased to be in opposition if the truth be known - so that don't get the blame for the cuts!”
by Glad, Scunny
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 12:10PM
“Well, we can thank the new Tory government for this and many other needless and ridiculous cuts and policy changes we'll be seeing in thje coming weeks and months.”
by BJ, scunthorpe
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 11:38AM
“Doctor's should be left to get on witht eir job they know best who wants local upstartes pocking threr noises into who they should work. What we need is the doctors gettig back to being doctors and not just administrative bodies. We the great advancement in the world of medician we should have a better system not worst at the moment there has been far too much government interfrence. Let the doctors who know best in 99% of the cases do what they have been traibed for. The samed applies to the hospitals we need to get back to the caring side of the hospital side of the ward. Let them that know get on with it.”
by hazel, scunthorpe
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 11:05AM
“Why not let doctors get on with what they have been trained to do, they should not have to deal with the morons with have on the council.”
by Carry on, Doctor
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 10:05AM
“You just beat me to it and took the words right out of my mouth. It will be more than frightening if these GP consortia fail to bring real calibre, credibility and legitimacy to the table and partnership with the likes of NLC!!. They and the rest of us are going to need and be thankful for it.”
by Frankenstein, Operating Theatre
Tuesday, July 27 2010, 9:39AM
“"this will see the council play a much greater role in the delivery of healthcare in the region" - frightening!!
Can you imagine some of the local councillors make life or death health decisions?”