Agenda item - Formal Public Involvement

This is the part of the meeting when members of the public can formally ask questions of the Board or present a petition.  These need to be notified to the Board in advance of the meeting.  Ring the Secretary to the Board, Caroline DeMarco on 01273 291063 or send an email to caroline.demarco@brighton-hove.gcsx.gov.uk

(a) Petition

Petition from the users of the Community Centre currently administered by Southdown and located in Buckingham Road.

32.1    Richard Barraball presented the following Petition which was signed by 19 people.

          “We the users of the Community Centre currently administered by Southdown and located in Buckingham Road do hereby petition Brighton & Hove Policy & Resources Committee to adequately fund day centres as part of the Care in the Community program of Social Inclusion.  We are of the opinion that this is Value for Money as it would be far more affordable to tax payers than admission to Mill View Hospital or into A&E.” 

32.2    Mr Barraball explained that Buckingham Road Community Centre was a well used resource with nice facilities. Mr Barraball stressed that it was important to have a safe environment where people could congregate and have a meal together.  It was helpful to be able to talk to other service users rather than only talking to professionals.  Mr Barraball stated that every organisation that tendered for services had to spend money on the tender process.  This money could be used for services.

32.3    The Chair responded as follows:

          “The Brighton and Hove CCG and Brighton and Hove City Council are committed to ensuring that day services support is available as part of the overall pathway of mental health care. We aim to ensure there is choice available for all service users including the provision of:

-        a day centre at the Preston Park which provides support 365 days a year

-        a new Recovery College starting this Autumn which offers over 20 courses across the city with Peer Support tutors co-delivering the courses

-        The CCG currently spends £900,000 per annum in the commissioning of mental health day services in Brighton and Hove. The development of the Recovery College provides more choice to service users and has been cost neutral from a financial perspective. It does not represent a funding cut.”

32.4    Geraldine Hoban explained that the proposed changes were part of a long term review of the whole model of care.  For example, some service users had said that they wanted to access courses.  Ms Hoban accepted that Day Centres fulfilled an important role.  The locations had been reduced from 3 to 1. The changes were about extending choice for people in the city.  It was not a funding cut.  It was simply funding a different range of options.  Ms Hoban asked people to contact her if the capacity in Preston Road was not sufficient.   

32.5    RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

(b) Written Question

32.6    Nick McMaster, UNISON Branch Communications Officer asked the following question:

Outcome from the Adult Drug and Alcohol Recovery Procurement Process

“It has been established that there were no legal requirements to put these services out to tender. It has been established that the new provider of the mental health and substance misuse pathway did not need to be an NHS health trust. Effectively privatising these services, decommissioning them from an established and confident local NHS provider appears a risky proposition with little impact assessment on the local health economy. With the public generally having an emotional and practical attachment to their local NHS services, why did you and your officers not consider trying to build on that local provision instead?”  

32.7   The Chair stated it had been advised that the service needed to be tendered.  It had been an exemplary process. He read the following statement. 

“With regard to working with local NHS services to the exclusion of any other discussions on provision.  It is clear that within the NHS and voluntary sector there are providers who sometimes are better placed to deliver better patient and public services.  The key role of health commissioners is to deliver the best quality patient and public services possible. The re-commissioning of this service will mean a major shift in the delivery of this service, moving from a harm-reduction to a recovery model. The selection of the preferred bidder, which was made with considerable input from service users, will facilitate that service shift.”

32.8    Mr McMaster asked the following supplementary question:

“It is extraordinary that the local NHS provider was not included in the tender process.  Why has the service shifted to small third sector organisations?’

32.9    The Chair replied that the proposals would retain an NHS provider and local not for profit organisations.  Meanwhile Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust had won work elsewhere.

32.10  RESOLVED- That the written question be noted.