Radical reform of public services in Wales is imminent

A Commission set up to examine public services in Wales has published a report outlining fundamental changes to structures, roles and programmes across the public sector. The Williams Commission’s report has proposed four options for future local authority reorganisation reducing the number of local authorities across the country from 22 to as low as 10. The Welsh Government, local authorities and key stakeholders must agree the arrangements for mergers by Easter 2014 at the latest.

Urgent action is needed to a tackle unsustainable costs, reduce the complexity of service planning and delivery and address risks such as low capacity. The changes will enable public services to respond more quickly to the needs of a rising ageing population and provide higher quality health and social care services at value for money. The report states that new models of delivery are needed which “focus on prevention, early intervention and demand management through co-production and citizen engagement.”

Ruth Crowder, The College of Occupational Therapists’ Policy Officer in Wales said:“The Williams Commission report sets out some reasonable proposals for making better use of scarce public resources to provide a more efficient service for people in Wales. In many cases combining occupational therapy teams will benefit both staff and service users, pooling resources to enhance service quality and development, whilst reducing bureaucratic functions. “

Dominic MacAskill, UNISON Cymru/Wales head of local government, said:”UNISON has already commenced a study of the William’s Commission’s recommendations and the possible impacts they will have on public sector workers throughout Wales.

“Local government workers across Wales are obviously going to be heavily affected by the outcomes of this report and it is essential that UNISON and the other trade unions are involved in any discussions and negotiations that affect the workforce, that is why UNISON is calling for the Welsh government to establish a staff commission with significant trade union involvement to oversee this reorganisation process.”