Working with local authorities

The NHS Confederation welcomes the emphasis the Government has put on partnership working between the NHS and local authorities. It is only be linking all local services together that we will achieve seamless, fully-integrated health and social care for patients.

The local government white paper proposals published at the end of last year took the stress on partnerships even further putting a statutory duty on local authorities and NHS organisations to work together for instance in agreeing local area agreement targets. The streamlining of regulation systems and of systems for local involvement and accountability should also make it easier for local authorities and NHS bodies to work together to tackle health inequalities.

However, we are concerned that closer working relationships between local authorities and PCTs must include clinicians. For instance, there need to be processes in place that link practice-based commissioners into the joint commissioning process.

We also believe that health and local authority partnerships need to find new and cost-effective ways of working together and ways of jointly responding to the funding issues impacting on both health and social care.

We are publishing a report on our survey of PCT members on partnership working arrangements. We are working as part of the Adult Interagency Group to influence the delivery of 'Our health, our care, our say'. We have jointly published with the group three reports on partnership arrangements and given evidence to the Conservative party's social care policy review.

How we involve members

We hold specific seminars and meetings to inform our policy positions - invitations either appear in our email bulletin Interchange Alert or are sent out individually. We have regular meetings bringing together key stakeholders with NHS Confederation members.

NHS representation

Jo Webber from the NHS Confederation sits on the Adult Interagency Group, the Children's Interagency Group and the Commissioning Reference Group for the Joint Commissioning Framework.

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