Blackburn with Darwen was one of the first in the country to set up the new Health and Wellbeing Boards as part of government changes to the NHS.
The board, run by Blackburn with Darwen Council, will lead on improving the strategic co-ordination of planning and buying local health services, social care for both children and adults and public health services to promote more local control over those services.
All organisations working in those areas will, through the board, develop a shared understanding of local need and agree the best strategy to meet that with the funding and resources available.
It builds on already strong and effective partnership working between the NHS, the Council and other public sector partners to improve local people’s health and wellbeing. The new board replaces the Local Strategic Partnership’s health and well being partnership board and will operate in shadow form alongside the Care Trust Plus board from January until the Care Trust ceases to exist in April 2013.
As one of the ‘early adopters’, Blackburn with Darwen will also share its experience of setting up and running the board with other local authorities across the country, before Health and Wellbeing boards are established across England by April 2012. During 2012/13 health and well-being boards in all areas will work with primary care trusts and councils to produce joint health and well being strategies as the basis for GP consortia and council commissioning.
The Health and Wellbeing Board has five key functions:
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To provide a governance structure for local planning and accountability of health and wellbeing related services.
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To asses the needs of the local population and lead the statutory integrated strategic needs assessment (JSNA).
- To promote integration and partnership across areas through promoting joined–up commissioning plans across the NHS, social care and public health.
- To support joint commissioning and pooled budget arrangements, where all parties agree this makes sense.
- To review major service redesigns of health and wellbeing related services provided by the NHS and Local Government.
It will also work on:
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Setting a new direction for health and well being while maintaining current programmes through transition
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Building strong partnership working between GP consortia and local public sector organisations
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Improving the transparency and accountability to local people of services and organisations
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Preparing the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
For more information or to get involved contact the children's trust officer on (01254) 666481.
