Chance for child health to come of age
Ravi Chandiramani
Monday, July 19, 2010
Last week's health white paper outlined radical reforms to the NHS. So will it improve children's health and partnership working? There are grounds for anxiety and for hope.
First, the anxiety. The policy's centrepiece sees GPs gain responsibility for budgets from primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, which will be phased out by 2013. Local consortia of GPs will commission services. PCTs, which cater for the health needs of the entire population in their area, have had a mixed record in giving proper attention to children's health. But GPs do not, as a rule, subscribe to the multi-professional "team around the child" approach and are certainly not perceived to by other professionals. GPs are in effect independent businesses. If collaboration doesn't prevail over competition, some highly specialised services - for children and adults - could remain uncatered for.
But there are also real grounds for hope. The demise of PCTs and SHAs will see local authorities take statutory responsibility for integrating health services locally between the NHS, education and children's social care. This will be through new "health and wellbeing boards" or existing arrangements such as children's trusts. A public health white paper this autumn will flesh out the detail. Just as councils' role co-ordinating education is under threat, their health responsibilities are bolstered. Let's hope it leads to better preventative services and fewer hospital admissions.
In the meantime, Sir Ian Kennedy's report on the cultural obstacles to improving children's health services is imminent. It is expected to cover child safeguarding, health visiting and community services and how the NHS responds to the needs of families as well as individuals. Like the professionals they affect, these elements of policy must all join up.
The birth of Social Work Now
This week sees the arrival of the latest addition to the CYP Now family. Social Work Now, a new monthly publication, joins sibling monthly title Youth Work Now.
While CYP Now continues to cover the issues facing the full spectrum of children and young people's services every week in print and every hour online, Social Work Now is dedicated to children's and families' social workers and all those for whom safeguarding is key to their role. It contains insight on best practice, career development, a news round-up and expert comment and advice. We hope you will find it useful and informative.
Ravi Chandiramani, editor, Children & Young People Now
