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PRESS RELEASE
From
Social Services North West
5 July 2000
NORTH WEST CARE CHIEFS URGE A WISER WAY FORWARD FOR OLDER PEOPLE
Senior social services councillors across the North West are astounded at the latest "bright idea"
from the NHS Confederation, the organisation for NHS chiefs. If Government bought the idea, responsibility for
arranging care services for older people would pass from local councils to the NHS. Instead, the way forward, says
Social Services North West, is to build on the close partnerships between health and social services which are
already developing across the region.
Councillor Cliff Morris (Bolton), Chair of Social Services North West, said, "We work very hard to make sure
that our services (home care, residential care and other support) mesh in with our health service colleagues. As
part of local councils, we can make the links into other vital community services such as housing. A takeover by
the NHS would make things worse, not better."
Social Services North West speaks for the local authorities in the North West of England which have responsibility
for personal social services for older people, disabled people and children, and works to promote high quality
services in the North West.
"We understand the Government's concern to improve the NHS and conquer problems such as bed blocking",
Councillor Morris went on. "At a local level, we work very closely with NHS colleagues. Our joint efforts
to ensure continuity of health and social care services through the long millenium holiday were praised by Government
and held up as the model for the future - health and social care services working together to provide a seamless
service to those in need."
Up and down the North West there are many examples of improving co-operation in care of older people. The Milestone
project in Kearsley, Bolton, for example, provides residential assessment and rehabilitation for older people who
may not need to stay in hospital, but cannot manage independently at home. Health and social services staff work
together to help people get better and avoid long-term residential care.
Councillor Morris has told Health Secretary Alan Milburn: "The last thing which older people need is for this
process of continuous improvement to be disrupted by organisational change which will take the focus away from
those we are here to serve. If social care commissioning is taken from the local authorities and given to the NHS,
that might appear to remove some barriers but would certainly create others." He has also written to the 62
MPs whose constituencies are within the areas of Social services North West's 19 member authorities, and many have
already replied in support.
Councillor Morris will tell the Regional Chair of the NHS in the North West, Professor Joan Higgins, in a high-level
meeting next Monday (10 July) that organisational tinkering with the NHS and local authorities is not the way forward.
The new Health Act already gives all the statutory powers necessary for creative joint working between services
to develop and flourish in response to local need.
"What we need," Councillor Morris concluded, "is the chance to continue the improvements we have
made in the quality of our services and our co-operation with health service colleagues. I hope Professor Higgins
will encourage all her NHS colleagues to join us in working for an even better deal for our older people in the
future."
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