Authority to care for babies and children

Calderdale Council Cabinet supported the recommendation to transfer health commissioning for 0-5-year-olds to the authority in October 2015.

This month, the authority took joint responsibility for health commissioning. Calderdale Council and NHS England will jointly manage the contract from April 1 whilst meetings with the two bodies are conducted.

Services including the Healthy Child Programme including health visits, Family Nurse Partnership, antenatal health visits, new baby review and six-eight week, one year and two-two-and-a-half year assessments will be transferred to Calderdale Council.

The local authority will receive funding from the Department of Health to commission services.

It is estimated that the revised Calderdale 0-5 Children’s Services annual 2015-16 contract value will be £4,251,500.

Cabinet’s conclusion states: “There is no longer an anticipated shortfall in funding and may even be an excess between allocation and contract value.

“Risk to the Council financially and contractually is now deemed lower than was the situation at the last briefing but there are still some matters to be resolved.”