Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the transfer of responsibilities for commissioning the Healthy Child Programme for 0-5 year olds from NHS England to the Council.

The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) is the government’s prevention and early intervention evidence-based public health programme for children, young people and families. It aims to support parents, promote child development, improve child health outcomes and ensure that families at risk are identified at the earliest opportunity. It focuses on providing families with a programme of screening, immunisation, health and development reviews, supplemented by advice around health, wellbeing and parenting. 

It was explained that whilst a range of public health responsibilities had transferred from the NHS to the Council on 1 April 2013, the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) for 0-5 year olds had remained with NHS England (NHSE) to enable the expansion of health visitor numbers and places on the Family Nurse Partnerships to be completed by April 2015. The transfer of responsibility for commissioning the HCP 0-5 year olds would occur on 1 October 2015 and Department of Health guidance on the scope of the transfer was set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

Members were advised that the Council had been preparing for the transition of these functions through a project steering group, with representation from the Director of Public Health, NHSE Director of Nursing and Contract Leads within MCH. Public Health had also attended performance management meetings and were working with NHSE on the development of the 2015/2016 service specification. 

Reasons:

To comply with legislative requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and subordinate legislation issued under that Act.