Health and Social Care will build on existing approach in Calderdale says consultants

Senior health consultant Rachel Bevan said Calderdale Cares had been established since 2018 offering an integrated approach with the aim of creating a seamless service for those who need help.

The Health and Care Bill will see components of health care throughout the country, such as clinical commissioning groups, be replaced by an Integrated Care Board overseeing integrated care providers.

These will provide care with a place-based approach along similar lines to Calderdale Cares, and health partners had worked even more closely together during the pandemic.

“So this is really not the beginning of working together in Calderdale, it is a continuation of that, it is nothing substantially different,” she told members of Calderdale’s Health and Wellbeing Board.

Once the new boards were established they will take on the functions of organisations like Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group, but it was likely these would be delegated back to the new Calderdale Cares Partnership Board.

Coun Ashley Evans (Lib Dem, Warley) said he was concerned would be how to ensure providers worked together at an operational level.

In general terms, Calderdale Council’s Chief Executive, Robin Tuddenham, who is also the accountable officer for Calderdale CCG, said: “For most of the time both health and care provision happens in place, where you live, in your street, in your household, friends and family.

“We shouldn’t worry too much about this but recognise the model is changing.”

Helen Hunter of Healthwatch said partners needed to identify the ambitions they had and keep these proposals at the heart of the new system, its governance should reflect that and people should be able to see systems adapting and changing, making the health service better for them.

Next steps are that by the end of October ICS designate chair and chief executive appointments should be confirmed and governance arrangements be confirmed with the new ICS “shadowing” existing partners, with further appointments to be made in December, with due diligence to be completed by March, allowing staff and property to transfer.

By March the ICB’s constitution should be submitted for approval and a “Memorandum of Understanding” agreed with NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Then from April 1 next year the new board should be in place.

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