UKACTIVE UPDATE VANGUARD
health club
Public Affairs Media Partner management
Health reforms – the full year report
Health and wellbeing boards: a critical part of the health
reforms, but how are they faring one year on? David Stalker reports
H
ealth and wellbeing boards (HWB) are approaching their fi rst anniversary following reforms
introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the biggest shake-up to the health system in decades. An abundance of new structures, tiers
and bodies were introduced at the same time as the scrapping of many others. Each top tier and unitary authority has its own board, with members collaborating to understand their local community’s needs, agreeing priorities and encouraging commissioners to work in a more joined-up way. Despite concerns about some of
the reforms, HWBs were seen as a positive addition – a means by which those working in health and social care can come together and provide united thought on how to improve local outcomes. Although they have faced criticism from some quarters, one year on it seems the general view is still a positive one, but HWBs need to live up to their potential and deliver eff ective change based on local needs.
Legitimacy and flexibility HWBs have a greater formal status than previous partnership boards and are designed to provide the fl exibility needed to create strong local partnerships. Most are chaired by a senior elected member, with many vice-chairs coming from Clinical Commissioning Groups. Directors of public health represent the public health needs of the local area, with Healthwatch also linking in to champion the views of the public. T is provides strong democratic
legitimacy and involvement between local authorities and the NHS, but also
A huge shiſt across society is needed to re-embed physical activity into people’s everyday lives
accumulates the signifi cant experience, skills and leadership of members to try and improve local health outcomes. T e platform has been set for broader
integration of physical activity services right along the care pathways, from public health to acute services. T ere are opportunities to be had and contracts to be won, and I urge all providers to speak to their local Healthwatch to see how they can fi t in with local health delivery.
‘Worthy but ineffectual’? Parts of the press have been quick to criticise HWBs as a ‘worthy cause but ineff ectual’, viewed as another layer of bureaucracy – talking shops with few notable outcomes. I’m at times inclined to agree with
this view: there are few signs that boards have begun to tackle the urgent problems facing their health and social care systems. However, changes will be slow as many HWBs are still delivering public health contracts inherited by the now defunct PCTs. HWBs need time to settle in to their role, ensure their structures and governance is eff ective, and get comfortable making the diffi cult choices they’ve been set up to make. T eir potential comes from bringing
together politicians with both clinical and public health commissioners, providing a powerful platform for local leadership.
26 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital T ey have strategic infl uence over
commissioning decisions, and for this reason they need to champion change, looking at diff erent solutions and diff erent means by which they can reduce health inequalities. Crucially for the activity sector, the integration between public health and clinical commissioning off ers the opportunity to embed physical activity across the care pathway, from rehabilitation to prevention.
Proof and evidence A year on, I strongly believe there’s never been a better time for the health and leisure sector to become a cornerstone of local health delivery, but there’s still some way to go to prove how our interventions can work in a real world setting. An industrial scale shiſt in society is
needed to re-embed physical activity into people’s lives. We must develop and put evidence on the desks of the HWBs of what works, and how. When we do this, I’m confi dent they’ll pay attention.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact Stephen Wilson, head of public aff airs and policy at ukactive –
stephenwilson@ukactive.org.uk
May 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM / ARTENS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92