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SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
MEETING ON 16 JUNE 2000 AT ST HELENS
REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR
PROGRESSING THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA), THE NHS EXECUTIVE NORTH WEST AND THE DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH SOCIAL CARE GROUP (NORTH)
1. Matter for Consideration
To review the manner in which Social Services North West (NWASSA) can best relate to its important regional colleagues
in the Department of Health; notably the NHS Executive North West and the Social Care Group North Region of the
Social Services Inspectorate.
2. Introduction
At its meeting in Rochdale on 17 March 2000, Social Services North West (previously better known as the North
West Association of Social Services Authorities - NWASSA) received a paper on its Future Direction from its new
Co-ordinator Peter Hewitt. The paper reviewed the past history of the organisation and proposed a period of widespread
consultation on what issues Social Services North West should address in the future, and how it should progress
its relationships with partner organisations with whom it has interests in common. Arising from that paper, discussions
have taken place between the Co-ordinator, the Director of Primary and Community Care and Human Resources at the
North West office of the NHS Executive and the Assistant Chief Inspector, Social Care Group (North) in the Social
Services Inspectorate. This paper reviews the perspective of these organisations on the issues of mutual liaison,
and proposes a way forward for the future.
3. Information
3.1 NWASSA was formed in the early 1980's as the successor to the statutory North West Children's Regional
Planning Committee, which was abolished by the Conservative Government. Members and officers with social services
responsibilities had experienced the value of co-operation on issues of regional significance, and decided to continue
working together through NWASSA. The agenda was broadened to include the whole range of social services responsibilities,
and down the years NWASSA has made a major impact in many areas, including the development of a regional strategy
for secure accommodation for children, the social services role in major incidents, a directory of children's residential
facilities, and a range of issues around fostering.
3.2 From its formation, NWASSA worked closely with the North Western and Mersey Regional Health Authorities, and
this has continued with their various successor bodies. The Model District Service document agreed with NWRHA led
to a ten year strategy (1988-98) for the resettlement of over 2000 people from long stay hospitals for people with
a learning disability to ordinary homes right across the region. NWASSA played a crucial role in sustaining this
process through many difficulties, with the result that by the end of the strategy, not only were all the hospitals
closed, but some £80 million had been transferred and reinvested in high-quality community facilities in
Greater Manchester and Lancashire. A parallel process had led to closure of the hospitals in the former Mersey
region. Similar liaison has taken place with the NHS over Mental Health matters, the necessary joint working following
the implementation of the Community Care reforms in 1993, coping with winter pressures, and a variety of other
issues.
3.3 Now that Social Services North West has invested in increased operational capacity, it was necessary to consider
how that increased capacity is best used to further the aims and objectives of the organisation. The March 2000
report on the organisation's Future Direction launched a three-month consultation period amongst the members of
Social Services North West and the officers who support them. The results of this consultation is being presented
for the consideration of members at their June 2000 meeting, as the basis of the organisation's work programme
for the forthcoming year.
3.4 The June 2000 meeting will also be invited to restate the aims and objectives of the organisation in terms
which are relevant to the current context. They were last revised some 12 years ago, but with little alteration
in meaning might usefully be restated in terms such as those set out in the Appendix.
3.5 Members are also seeking a raised public profile for the organisation, in which it will become an effective
voice for raising standards of social services provision in the region and 'telling it how it is' in terms of the
realities of delivering effective services in the face of increasing expectations and tight constraints. Means
of achieving a higher profile will include a newsletter for member authorities, a conference programme, a website
and a media strategy, so that the voice of those engaged in delivering personal social services across the North
West is effectively heard by local and regional media.
3.6 Priority is to be given to enhanced liaison with other regional and national bodies so that the potential of
Social Services North West to represent its members, and develop collaborative links on their behalf, is fully
realised. An appropriate continuation of liaison with the NHS Executive North West and the Social Services Inspectorate
is a key objective, as are closer links with the Local Government Association (LGA), to support and inform their
representation of social services issues nationally.
3.7 From its early days in the 1980's, NWASSA held regular meetings with members and officers of the North Western
Regional Health Authority, at which health authorities and trusts were also represented. These continued in a modified
form under the merged North West Region between 1994 and 1996. Since that time, periodic meetings have been held
between the Chair and Vice Chair of NWASSA and the Regional Chair and officers of the NHSE NW. Equally, NWASSA
has always invited the appropriate Assistant Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate to attend its
meetings, but pressure of other business has not always enabled the SSI to be represented.
3.8 Department of Health colleagues have clarified that DH has two regional arms serving the North West: one dealing
with the NHS and the other with social care. There is a North West Regional Office of the NHS Executive (NWRO)
and a (Social Services Inspectorate) Social Care Region (SCR(N)) which covers the North of England and is coterminous
with NWRO and the Northern and Yorkshire RO. The regional offices work very closely together, especially on issues
at the interface between health and social services.
3.9 Occasional meetings have been held in the past between members and officers of NWASSA and the Regional Chair
and officers of the NWRO and its predecessor bodies, the regional health authorities. Until about a year ago there
were regular meetings, twice or three times a year, between NWRO, SCR(N) and representatives of Health Authority
Chief Executives and Directors of Social Services. NWASSA regularly invited the Assistant Chief Inspector, SCR(N)
to its meetings, and SCR(N) holds twice yearly meetings with Directors of Social Services in the North West.
3.10 DH colleagues identify a considerable agenda of joint business at the interface of health and social care
services. Much of this also involves the DH in regular joint activity with Government Office North West, and has
corporate implications for wider Council business. Current priority issues include:
Primary Care Groups/Trusts
Health Improvement Programmes
Winter Planning
Joint Investment Planning
National Service Frameworks (Mental Health and Older People)
Quality Protects (and Sure Start, ConneXions)
Long Term and Intermediate Care
Learning Disability Strategy
3.11 DH would welcome some review of the active operational agenda on which partnership issues are progressed through
the established meetings outlined above. Equally, the Department recognises the important political and policy
agendas at the health and social care interface, on which continuing occasional exchange at political level would
be useful.
3.12 From the Social Services North West perspective, the consultation with members about the annual work programme
has identified the interface with the NHS as a key issue for most member authorities, who are anxious to maintain
and further develop the close interaction at operational level between the health and social care systems. This
is challenging enough in a period of stability, but is even more demanding given the high profile and demands for
health services and the new expectations placed upon the NHS by the Prime Minister. These factors prompt the key
question of what priority the health and social care interface will receive when the additional resources to the
NHS are invested. Sir Alan Langlands told the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee recently that "the
provision and pattern of services for older people is the key issue in the health service - the major policy issue".
Social Services North West will be keen to know how the NHSE NW intends to address this key issue when allocating
the new resources. Of similar concern is the rapid pace of organisational change in the NHS, particularly in relation
to primary care and mental health. It would be helpful to know how it is intended to manage the key health/social
care interface issues into the new structures. There is particular concern about how much priority community learning
disability services will receive within the new pattern of primary care. These strategic issues are among those
which SSNW would wish to pursue with NHS colleagues.
3.13 In relation to the SSI Social Care Group, SSNW members particularly have in mind the responsibilities of local
authority elected members as corporate parents, as expressed in the Quality Protects initiative. The Department's
developing arrangements for assessing the performance of both health and social care services locally, and their
interaction with the corporate local authority Best Value approach, is another issue where clarification and dialogue
is seen as important.
3.14 To take these issues forward, the Regional Chair of the NHS, Professor Joan Higgins, has agreed to meet the
Chair and Deputy Chair of SSNW at an early date, supported by officials from both regional arms of the Department
of Health and by officers of SSNW and its member authorities.
4 Recommendation
That Social Services North West accept the invitation from the Regional Chair of the NHS in the North West
to a meeting to consider the issues of mutual interest identified in this report, and to identify the best means
of addressing joint concerns in the future.
APPENDIX
SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
PROPOSED STATEMENT OF AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Social Services North West (NWASSA*) is the member-level body which represents the local authorities in the
North West of England which have responsibility for the personal social services.
Social Services North West works with its members and others to promote high quality local authority services in
the North West of England by
-considering issues relating to the personal social services which are of regional or sub-regional significance,
and making recommendations to member authorities.
-promoting good practice in the personal social services amongst member authorities.
-making representations to Government on behalf of member authorities on the implications for the North West of
Government policies for the personal social services and related matters.
-working with other regional and national bodies on behalf of member authorities to promote high quality public
services.
Social Services North West (NWASSA) is governed by quarterly meetings attended by the Chairs and Directors of each
member authority, or their representatives. There is a small staff team based at Preston.
* NWASSA stands for the North West Association of Social Services Authorities.
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