NHS reforms

Fragmented services could disrupt child healthcare

There is ‘deep unease’ about the way vulnerable children will be protected under the restructured NHS, the NHS Confederation suggests, as it co-hosts an event on health and care of children in the new system.

The Confederation believes that fragmented commissioning and the failure of organisations to work together could put children’s safety in jeopardy. Additionally there is a lack of clarity concerning who will take over some of these responsibilities and the Confederation is calling for an overarching policy to coordinate the different organisations.

Safeguarding is currently commissioned and provided by local councils and PCTs, but under the reforms this will be divided up amongst four different organisations; Public Health England, NHS Commissioning Board, Clinical Commissioning Groups and local authorities.

Speaking ahead of the event, NHS Confederation deputy policy director Jo Webber said:

“There is deep unease in the NHS that, in reorganising the system, we are resetting to a model that is potentially riskier and certainly more fragmented.

“The Government is right to try and devolve power to the lowest level possible. But outcomes for protecting children should not vary. The safety and health of some of the most vulnerable people in our society can not be subject to local discretion.

“Vulnerable children with complex needs will now find the responsibility for their care and their safety spread out between a range of organisations - and on the NHS side, all of them will be completely new.

“With nothing making these organisations work together in the way they should, we have to be honest that the risk of us failing is more likely.”

Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]