Joint strategic needs assessments and strategies
Section 192 – Joint strategic needs assessments
1173.This section amends section 116 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (the 2007 Act), so that a local authority, and CCGs that have a boundary within or overlapping or coinciding with that local authority, have a duty to prepare a joint strategic needs assessment or assessment of relevant needs. A joint strategic needs assessment is essentially a process to identify the current and future health and social care needs of a population in a local authority area.
1174.Subsection (2) amends subsection (4) of section 116 of the 2007 Act so that the duty to prepare the assessment of relevant needs is transferred from each partner PCT to each partner CCG of the local authority.
1175.Subsection (3) amends subsection (6) of section 116 of the 2007 Act which sets out when there is a relevant need for the purposes of section 116. The amendments replace references to a partner PCT with references to partner CCGs. They also widen the scope of a “relevant need” so that it covers both the current and future needs of the local population, and not just current needs.
1176.Subsection (4) amends subsection (7) of section 116 of the 2007 Act to replace references to “the partner PCT” with references to “the partner clinical commissioning group or the National Health Service Commissioning Board”.
1177.Subsection (5) amends subsection (8) of section 116 of the 2007 Act so that the duty to co-operate transfers from each partner PCT to each partner CCG of the local authority.
1178.Subsection (5) also imposes an additional duty on CCGs and local authorities to involve the Local Healthwatch organisation and the people who live or work in the local authority’s area when preparing their joint strategic needs assessment. This subsection also replaces the duty to consult each relevant district council when preparing the assessment with a duty to involve each such council.
1179.Subsection (6) inserts a new subsection (8A) into section 116 of the 2007 Act to enable the local authority or partner CCG to consult any person it thinks appropriate when preparing the joint strategic needs assessment.
1180.Subsection (7) substitutes the definition of “partner PCT” with a definition of “partner clinical commissioning group” and makes consequential amendments to the definition of “relevant district council”.
Section 193 – Joint health and wellbeing strategies
1181.This section inserts new sections 116A and 116B into the 2007 Act. New section 116A imposes a duty on local authorities and CCGs to produce “a joint health and wellbeing strategy” for meeting the needs identified in the joint strategic needs assessment.
1182.New section 116B imposes a duty on partner CCGs, the local authority and the NHS Commissioning Board (in relation to its local commissioning responsibilities) to have regard to the joint strategic needs assessment and joint health and wellbeing strategy when carrying out their functions.
1183.Section 116A does not specify the form the joint health and wellbeing strategy should take. It requires a strategy for meeting the needs identified in the joint strategic needs assessment to be prepared, and requires the local authority and partner CCGs to have regard to the Secretary of State’s mandate under section 13A of the NHS Act and any guidance issued by the Secretary of State when preparing the strategy. For example, subject to guidance, the strategy could be high level and strategic, focusing on the interface between the NHS, social care and public health commissioning, rather than being a detailed study of all the commissioning across health and social care in the local authority area.
1184.Subsections (1) and (2) of new section 116A have the effect that where an assessment of relevant needs is prepared under section 116, the local authority and each partner CCG must prepare a strategy for meeting those needs.
1185.Subsection (3) requires the local authority and its partner CCGs to consider how the needs in the joint strategic needs assessment could more effectively be met through the use of flexibilities available under section 75 of the NHS Act, such as pooled budgets, when preparing the joint health and wellbeing strategy.
1186.Subsection (4) requires the local authority and its partner CCGs to have regard to the Secretary of State’s mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board when preparing the joint health and wellbeing strategy. It also requires them to have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State in preparing the strategy. This duty mirrors the duty of a local authority and partner CCGs to have regard to guidance on the preparation of the joint strategic needs assessments under section 116 of the 2007 Act.
1187.Subsection (5) imposes an additional duty on CCGs and local authorities to involve the Local Healthwatch organisation and the people who live or work in the local authority’s area when preparing the joint health and wellbeing strategy. This is similar to the duty imposed by section 192(5) in relation to the joint strategic needs assessment.
1188.Subsection (6) requires the local authority to publish the joint health and wellbeing strategy.
1189.Subsection (7) enables the local authority and partner CCGs to include in the strategy their views on how arrangements for the provision of health-related services could be more closely integrated with arrangements for the provision of health services and social care services in the area.
1190.Subsection (1) of section 116B places a duty on a local authority, and each partner CCG in exercising functions to have regard to any joint strategic needs assessment and joint health and wellbeing strategy which is relevant to the exercise of those functions. Subsection (2) places a duty on the NHS Commissioning Board to have regard to any joint strategic needs assessment and joint health and wellbeing strategy which is relevant to its local commissioning functions when discharging those functions.
