Radical new plans for Council and NHS services

Plans for a radical new way of delivering Council and NHS services have been announced in Blackburn with Darwen aimed at protecting frontline services and improving local health.

The proposal is to merge senior management of the Council and Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus, starting with the creation of a single integrated management team (SIMT) led by one chief executive for both organisations.

The new model, which is recommended for approval when it goes to the Council's executive board and the Care Trust Plus board on July 8, will achieve £2m of savings across both organisations that will be redeployed to front line services.

It has been developed following consultation with board members of both organisations and GPs.

The SIMT will be the first of its kind in the country and will enable Blackburn with Darwen to respond to the challenging economic climate, protect local commissioning of services and improve health and well being through innovative shared working.

It has been described as the 'obvious next step' following the merger of health, well being and social care commissioning through the creation of the Care Trust Plus earlier this year.

Sir Bill Taylor, chair of the Care Trust Plus Board, said: "When we transformed our former PCT into a Care Trust Plus we promised to make our health, well being and social care more citizen and patient focussed. We all want more money spending on actual services and less on administration.

"So, just as merging health, well being and social care made sense, the obvious next step is the integration of management. The collaboration will bring about real and immediate savings and patient benefits."

The leader of the Council, Councillor Michael Lee, said: "Our partnership with the NHS in Blackburn with Darwen has a long and successful history and while we have to recognise the current economic situation we all face, this about far more than just making savings. It is a chance to reshape service delivery in the interest of the local community and protect services."

Dr Malcolm Ridgway, Medical Director, said: "The development of a closer partnership of the Care Trust Plus and the Council will facilitate integration and streamlining of services, empowering clinicians and staff, working with local citizens, to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities in the borough"

Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health, said: "Without a more integrated public sector delivery system for services that improve health and well being, we will never get the health status of Blackburn with Darwen up to England and Wales averages.

"Our common goal is to improve the health and well being of local people and we will do this through greater shared working to understand local issues and better target resources."