Decision details

Review of Mental Health Services

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Report to Cabinet on the findings of the Mental Health review and options in relation to service change

Decisions:

Councillor C Jones left the meeting during consideration of this item.

 

The Leader of the Council invited Alan Small of UNITE to address the Cabinet. He stated that contrary to what was indicated in the report he had not received the report until it was made publically available in the week prior to the meeting. A number of his members had applied for voluntary redundancy in 2013 but this had been put on hold whilst the review was ongoing but he felt that the enhanced severance rate should be offered to this group of staff. Changes had been agreed to terms and conditions in 2013 but this was on the understanding of no further changes before 1 April 2016. He also stated that any transfers to the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust should be based on TUPE.

 

The Director of Adult Social Services in response stated that the union had raised the issue of differentials between the NHS and local authority staff terms and conditions. He acknowledged that it was not desirable to have staff ‘at risk’ for 12 months. The review was needed to understand where savings could be made and in this high risk service area operational requirements had to come first.

 

The Director introduced his report which provided context in relation to the review of Wirral Council’s Community Mental Health Services commissioned and provided by Wirral Council in conjunction with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as the lead statutory Health Provider organisation.

 

The review was instigated by the Director of Adult Social Services, supported by CWP and had focussed upon those areas of service involving local authority resource deployments. Inevitably the review was placed within the wider system of mental health determinants and Cost Improvement Programmes (CSIP) and transformation programmes adopted by CWP.

 

The report sought agreement from Cabinet to consult upon plans to fully integrate DASS Mental Health service provision with CWP in order to provide an all age mental health service model across the borough which provided 24/7 response through an out of hours pathway service. 

 

A full consultation with staff and Trade Unions from WMBC and CWP would be required should members agree to the recommendations in the report. This would run from 27 January to 14 March 2014. In addition consultation with Senior Managers, the Executive and Board of CWP would be undertaken. Discussions with staff had been ongoing and the Director of Adult Social Services had met with a variety of staff and mental health professionals. These meetings had explored the variety of options available in relation to fuller integration. It was proposed that a period of 12 weeks consultation would be held with people directly impacted by any proposed changes, specifically in relation to proposals to incorporate the functions of Beaconsfield Centre, subject to Cabinet agreement.  This would run from 27 January to 18 April 2014. 

 

The Leader of the Council commented that he was reassured that no decisions had been made to change terms and conditions. The Council would do its best to make sure that those people who had volunteered to leave would do so on the best terms available. The Director commented that there were time pressures and they were working closely with staff, unions and HR as those who would want to take voluntary redundancy would need to do so by 31 March, 2014.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

Recognising the challenges, that Cabinet agree to officers consulting with staff, TU’s and people directly impacted by the proposed changes and plans to achieving full integration on the following proposals:

 

(i).  that the current staffing structure is reconfigured in order to realign into a more cohesive format that will provide an easier transition into a fully integrated service. This will include a review of terms and conditions to consider alignment and equity with CWP staff;

 

(ii).  that the council adopt a stepped process to firstly enhance the current co-location of local authority staff leading to a formal secondment agreement to be completed by May 2014.

 

(iii).  It is proposed that staff within the Neighbourhoods Older Peoples Mental Health Teams are re-located and placed within the CMHTs in order to provide an all age Mental Health Service.

 

(iv).  It is proposed that the functions of Beaconsfield Day Centre be subsumed into the Community Mental Health Teams in order to provide a more cohesive outreach service and to consolidate current support for people within community settings.

Report author: Director of Adult Social Services

Publication date: 21/01/2014

Date of decision: 16/01/2014

Decided at meeting: 16/01/2014 - Cabinet

Effective from: 29/01/2014

Accompanying Documents: