Children's trusts set to manage health

By Sarah Cooper Wednesday, 28 May 2008

Children's trusts should commission child health services jointly in the north west of England, according to a report by the region's strategic health authority.

In its plan for the next decade, NHS North West recommended that children's trusts should take over commissioning services for young people to ensure continuity and that health, social care and voluntary services are linked.

A group set up to devise the strategy, which is part of the wider reforms across the NHS led by health minister Lord Darzi, recognised there were variations in how GPs manage their patients.

In the plan, Healthier Horizons for the North West, the health authority's children's clinical pathway group said: "The group's view is that joint commissioning would generate significant synergy and benefits in terms of outcomes."

Eustace De Sousa, assistant director for child and maternal health at NHS North West, said: "We have to take a more aggressive approach around promoting good health and preventing ill health. The group felt the most effective way would be through the collaborative arrangements of children's trusts."

The report said there needs to be a stronger understanding of the contribution NHS services make to the health and wellbeing of young people and children's trusts are best placed to do this.

NHS North West called on partners in children's trusts to set timescales for developing the joint commissioning arrangements and for good practice models to be developed.

The strategic health authority is one of three that released their plans for the next 10 years, last week.

NHS North East's Our vision, Our Future plan proposed the creation of a north-east child health network to agree regionally co-ordinated ways of caring for sick or injured children and the establishment of more community-based healthcare for children to support early discharge from hospital and reduce admissions.

Meanwhile, NHS South Central's proposals, Towards a Healthier Future, said primary care trusts (PCTs) in the region should set up community paediatric nursing teams working 12 to 14 hours a day.

- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.