Glasgow’s health scheme on brink of collapse
Glasgow’s pioneering model of merging social work and frontline healthcare to save hundreds of millions of pounds is on the verge of collapse, The Herald can reveal.
The future of the groundbreaking community health care partnership (CHCP) system, often cited as a model for the rest of Scotland, has been thrown into doubt after the reluctance of the city council to commit to £400 million up front despite an agreement from last year.
The council wants its contribution, which would be added to a £490m share from the health service, paid in stages and will agree to this approach at its executive committee tomorrow.
However, the authority has been told by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that this could make the CHCP plans “unworkable”.
A senior CHCP source said: “I believe there’s now a serious threat that the whole thing could break down and be disbanded.”
The Herald also understands the involvement of individual NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde managers within the CHCP is a factor in the council’s reluctance to fully devolve the £400m from its social work budget. The move was due to take place on April 1 and would have seen hundreds of staff transfer from the council.
The threat to the CHCPs comes on the back of several years of cultural clashes between the health board and council and is the culmination of 18 months of wrangling between both agencies.
A council spokesman said: “We believe a step-by-step approach is the best way forward for the council and the partnership board.”
An NHS GGC spokesman said: “The council’s report recommends a different way forward for CHCPs, developed independently by the council, which the NHS Board has not yet formally considered.
“The recommendation does not reflect the agreement reached in November 2009.”
Glasgow’s CHCPs were cited in the recent report by Sir John Arbuthnott on how the public purse could save millions of pounds by closer working, with councils in the west of Scotland looking to adopt the model to ease future budgetary pressures.
Pioneering care model
- CHCPs were established in April 2006 to deliver community-based health and social care services on behalf of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow City Council.
- Areas of work include services provided by health visitors, district nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and dieticians. They are also responsible for local learning disability, mental health and addiction services.
- There are five CHCPs in Glasgow City. Each is chaired by a Glasgow Labour councillor.
- All five are expected to have strong links with GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians and work closely with housing, leisure and education services and organisations responsible for regeneration and employment. They are also expected to reduce bureaucracy and duplication and operate within “shared governance and accountability arrangements”.
