Agenda item

A proposal to reduce mainly Health Visiting and School Nursing services for the borough, following Public Health budget reductions, will be considered. A Trigger Template is enclosed.

The following will attend to present and take questions:

Barbara Hills,

General Manager, Community

Children’s Services,

Evelina London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Foundation Trust

Southwark Council and NHS Southwark Clinical

Commissioners:

Dick Frak

Interim Director of Commissioning

Children’s and Adults’ Services

Southwark Council

Commissioning lead for Southwark Council (lead funder).

Dr Kirsten Watters

Consultant in Public Health,

Lambeth and Southwark Public Health Team

Caroline Gilmartin

Director of Integrated Commissioning

NHS Southwark CCG (Lead commissioner in partnership commissioning

Arrangements through Section 75 Agreement).

The chair invited  Dick Frak, Interim Director of Commissioning Children’s and Adults’ Services, Southwark Council; Caroline Gilmartin Director of Integrated Commissioning NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG); Dr Kirsten Watters, Consultant in Public Health, Lambeth and Southwark Public Health Team and Barbara Hills, General Manager, Community Children’s Services, Evelina London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Foundation Trust to present.

Dick Frak spoke about the reduction in Public Health grant from central government, and the consequent proposal from the council and CCG to cut school nursing and health visiting. Last year the Public Health grant was cut by 1.6 %, this year there is a 2.4% cut. The grant is about £22 million a year. Other cuts are being made to sexual health and troubled families.

Guys and St Thomas were inspected last year and the service was found to be good. This is not about the quality; solely about less money. Dick Frak and Barbara Hills explained that currently there are 77 posts, and the service is looking at a reduction to about 57 or 58. School nurses would lose of about 5 posts .The reduction will take us back to the numbers we had around 2015 &15 as there was an increase in funding during a "call to action” for Health Visiting . The service reduction will not affect existing families and children, but will impact on early risk identification, which we have tried to mitigate. 

RESOLVED

Caroline Gilmartin spoke about 5 million GSTT programme working with children. A briefing paper will be requested requesting more details on this, particularly on the overall spend.

A number of members asked for clarification on why there is a planned 6% cut, but a quarter of staff are predicted to go. Officers will come back with more figures.  

The chair noted the equality impact assessments circulated today by email and tabled, and requested any additional information like this.