Transferring Community Services

 

The proposals come as a result of the Department of Health informing Primary Care Trusts and Care Trusts that community services must be split from the commissioning organisation by April 2011.
 

Solihull NHS Care Trust has been working with staff, GPs, councillors, the voluntary sector and providers to decide the best fit for our services now and in the future. The result of months of engagement with stakeholders was a recommendation for the transfer of community services, which was submitted to NHS West Midlands. This was approved towards the end of 2010.
 

The transfer of services means only a change in the way services a managed. In the first instance patients, service users and clients are unlikely to notice any difference to the treatment, care or support they receive. The change is aimed at improving services in the longer term.
 

The transfer of Adult Social Care back to Solihull Council sees the dissolution of the legal partnership between it and the Care Trust. For more information about the dissolution of the partnership, click here.

View a list of the services transfering.
 

Claire Molloy, Chief Executive of Solihull NHS Care Trust, said: “We are required by government to separate our provider and commissioning functions and this is a tremendous opportunity to develop community health and adult social services on which Solihull people rely.
 

“We are already ahead in our journey of developing integrated community services across health and social care. The prize for us now is to develop more seamless services with hospital care. The proposal for a new partnership with Heart of England, the Council and local GPs offers an exciting opportunity to redesign the way services are provided, bringing Solihull Hospital into the community and shared local management.”
 

She added: “We have worked closely with our staff over the past few months and taken their views carefully into account when looking at the most appropriate organisations for managing community services.
 

“It is unlikely that people who receive a service will notice any difference on April 1 beyond a changed name badge. However, the aim of all organisations involved will be to develop services that better meet the needs of residents and give them more choice and greater control of their personal care.”

From 15 April 2011, the Trust will be called Solihull Primary Care Trust and will be responsible for commissioning care for people in Solihull. From now until 2013, we will start to hand over the commissioning of this care to Solihull's GP consortia. To learn more about these changes, which are part of the Government's NHS reforms, click here.