Agenda item

Members of the Committee to receive a report providing an update on the recommissioning of Healthy Together (0-19 Health Child Programme) and the ongoing Public Consultation together with recommendations arising from the consultation outcomes.

Members of the Committee received a report providing an update on the recommissioning of the Healthy Together (0-19 Health Child Programme) service and the ongoing public consultation.

Clare Mills, Public Health Lead Commissioner and Colin Cross, Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT) introduced the report providing insight to the range of services in the Healthy Together package and the proposed changes to the service specification that would help improve and streamline the service.

Members noted the need to save money and how the £200,000 budget cut would be managed as well as changes at a national level to High Impact Areas. Members also noted that an engagement exercise had been carried out over 18 months listening to the views of young people and parents to help shape the proposed changes. The key changes proposed were currently out to public consultation until 9^th April 2023 and a number of events were taking place to encourage wider feedback.

Members were advised of the process undertaken to help determine the best and most cost effective provider for services, which included competitive tender and the proposal to recommission via section 75 (NHS Act 2006), noting that work done to explore the viability of this option included a marketing event (2019) followed by an exercise inviting expressions of interest from potential providers. The public consultation would help inform decision making as to whether to use a Section 75 or not.

In terms of the consultation taking place, this was exploring both the use of a Section 75 as a recommissioning tool and the proposed changes to service provision. The consultation had been divided into two parts, one for people aged 18+, and the other was aimed at capturing the young person’s voice and had been simplified and carefully worded for younger people to understand. This focused specifically on the proposed changes to the Digital Health Contact which could directly impact young people. So far there was not a high response from younger people and there had been further talk with the Youth Advisory Board on the approach to take and the team would be looking to young people groups directly to get their feedback and continue working hard to give young people a voice in the consultation.

As regards the provision of mental health support it was informed that school nurses offered low level support which was more around emotional support and through the LPT young people could have access to other services that support mental health, and this was very much integrated into the offer.

In terms of the budget reduction of £200k, it was acknowledged there was always a risk when taking money out of a budget and this was a significant reduction however the service specification had been thoroughly reviewed and considered to ensure that essential and equitable services could be safely provided.

In relation to s75 NHS Act 2006, it was explained that this allowed flexibilities to enable NHS organisations and local authorities to use partnership agreements so they can respond more effectively to improve services. In terms of how such a partnership would operate between LCC and LPT,  it would bring about flexibility to take action quicker, enable the service to be more responsive to situations and changes and to have the ability to adapt services e.g. if there was an issue around school readiness then the service would be able to put something in place quickly to address that; or if there was an underspend then it could be re-allocated instead of being lost.

The Chair thanked officers for the report and requested an update on the outcome of the consultation in due course.

AGREED:

1.    That the contents of the report and the recommendations regarding the service specifications and public consultation be noted.

2.    That an update report on the outcome of the consultation be provided to a meeting of this commission in due course.