Last week, the Government announced the abolition of NHS England within the next 2 years: At the same time, new NHS Guidance was developed around Neighbourhood Health. Whilst both changes could be seismic, it will undoubtedly create a complex and confusing picture for many.
NHS England will be absorbed into the Department of Health and Social Care over the next 24 months. The main driver behind this is to reduce duplication between the two, and to deal with the increasing levels of bureaucracy which has plagued NHS England since its inception. Whilst this may mean that local ICB and NHS Leaders may have more autonomy, the extent of decentralisation is far from clear. It is reported that any financial savings made because of this change will be redirected to front- line services.
There will be an element of reduction with this: The NHS inherited a 6.6b financial gap and must make significant savings. ICB’s and the NHS must reduce their workforce by 50%. This equates to 12,500 job losses and a saving of 400M annually. The Government insists that these job losses will focus on administration rather than in front line delivery, but clearly its an uncertain time for those who work within the NHS.
The Government has an aspiration to devolve more power to local NHS Leaders. ICB’s will have a more autonomous role apparently, but the extent of this autonomy is uncertain.
So, with all this, what are the implications for the VCSE?
- For those VCSE organisations that rely on Health-related income streams the future will be uncertain.
- These changes could mean a loss of engagement, or at the very least new NHS Leaders to engage with (if for example the Northamptonshire ICB merges with others).
- Conversely, it could mean increased engagement if the prevention agenda continues to gain momentum and ICB’s must find new ways of providing commissioned services.
At the same time last week, new NHS guidelines were introduced regarding the concept of Neighbourhood Health. The guidelines reiterate the following themes which have been present within their Long-Term Plan: These are:
- Hospital to Community.
- Reaction to Prevention.
- Analogue to digitisation.
These guidelines were discussed briefly at the West Northamptonshire Health and Wellbeing Board, with most NHS Leaders commenting that it was a productive move and something that ICB’s could get behind. The truth is though that ICBs do not generally operate on a Neighbourhood Footprint, and General Practice won’t recognise the concept of Neighbourhoods as the Local Authorities envision it. We will have to see how this plays out, but West Northamptonshire are keen to keep the current Local Area Partnerships and introduce some Neighbourhoods as a tier above them.
So, what will this mean for the VCSE?
- It could be beneficial, as the VCSE more than any other sector understand the concept of Neighbourhood as a Place where they live, work, and invest.
- As Local Authority Teams follow this footprint, closer cultural working between all sectors will be required, and that will necessitate a more granular understanding of who does what and where.
- New types of engagement will need to be found that work effectively at a level which touches local communities, and more than ever communities will need a say in the healthcare they receive.
As the debate continues, VIN will be providing more updates: Simply visit: News | Voluntary Impact Northampton or subscribe to our Friday Bulletin by contacting Sophie.negus@voluntaryimpact.org.uk
