Rural Inverness Ward Forum to discuss planning for integration
Planning for the integration of care, health and education and children’s and adult services will be the main topic of discussions at the next Highland Council Rural Inverness Ward Forum on Tuesday 7 June.
The Highland Council and NHS Highland are planning the integration of health, care and education services for children and adults and wish to consult with the community.
The Rural Inverness Ward Forum on Tuesday 7 June at 7:30pm will take place at the community room in Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit.
Having developed closer joint working over recent years, both The Highland Council and NHS Highland believe that it is possible to achieve even greater integration. They believe that this will further improve front line services, achieving better outcomes for the users of services, and they want to consult with community groups about these plans.
The organisations believe that the proposals for integration will:
• reduce bureaucracy;
• ensure front-line services are efficient and cost effective by removing duplication and gaps;
• make sense to the public and to service users, by having a single, lead organisation responsible for the management and organisation of services; and
• provide a clear framework for improved leadership and enhanced public accountability.
The proposed changes are significant because they:
• involve far reaching changes in organisational and management arrangements for the two largest employers in the Highland area;
• provide a means of achieving what politicians, professionals, clinicians and the public have been seeking for many years, in both children’s and adult services – reduced bureaucracy and a real joined up approach to service delivery;
• represent the most advanced plans in Scotland to achieve these aims;
• demonstrate the significant trust and effective working relationships that have been developed by care and health professionals across The Highland Council and NHS Highland; and
• will deliver real improvements in services and outcomes for the users of health and social care services in the Highlands.
Garry Coutts, Chairman of NHS Highland, said: “NHS Highland and The Highland Council appreciate that people want health and social care delivered in a straightforward way, with minimal bureaucracy. They want the services they need, delivered quickly and efficiently, and as local to where they live as possible. That is what we are seeking to do, through the integration of children’s and adult services, and we are keen to talk through the detail with local communities.”
Provost of Inverness, Highland Councillor Jimmy Gray said: “When constituents want to raise an issue about health and social care, it does not really matter to them who funds that service, they just want it sorted. We are looking at new ways of delivering services, and as part of that, we want to ensure improved local accountability. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss and consider how that is best achieved.”
The meeting will be held in public and there will be a 20 minute session at the close of the meeting for the public to ask questions. People with specific needs who wish to attend the Ward Forum should contact Charles Stephen, Ward Manager on tel: 01463 724246 in advance to advise of any requirements. Further information on the forthcoming ward forum can also be found on The Highland Council website http://www.www.highland.gov.uk/ from the home page via ‘your Council Ward’.