Issue - items at meetings - Short Term Services

Verbal update on re-commissioning of Short Term Services from Geraldine Hoban, Chief Operating Officer, Brighton & Hove Emerging Clinical Commissioning Group.

63.1    This item was introduced by Geraldine Hoban, Chief Operating Officer, Brighton & Hove Transitional Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

63.2    Ms Hoban told the committee that it was important to improve short terms services (STS) in the city, making best use of the capacity available and moving away from the traditional bed-based service to a more flexible system better able to respond appropriately to demand. It had been decided not to go out to tender for STS at this time, but instead to encourage more integrated and effective workers from the current providers. This would include creating a single integrated management team from 2012/13.

63.3    Asked by the Chair why this policy was being adopted, Ms Hoban told members that there were currently too many providers in the city using too many different models of care. The new arrangements would not necessarily reduce the number of providers, but they would ensure that provision was effectively integrated. If for some reason this did not occur, the option to go to tender for a new provider remained.

63.4    In response to a question from Mr Brown regarding the repatriation of community beds, Ms Hoban told members that the aim was to provide as many services as possible within the city. However, going forward these would not necessarily be bed-based services – the intention was to improve community based services so as to be able to reduce the number of beds in the future – by 12 beds or so.

63.5    The Chair thanked Ms Hoban for her update.