Better ways of delivering public services are being looked at in Neath Port Talbot.
20.07.2007
As part of the Neath Port Talbot Community Plan Partnership, the Council has been chosen by the Welsh Assembly to lead a development project on health and social care in line with the Assembly's Making the Connections - Delivering Beyond Boundaries.
Last year's Beecham's review of local services delivery paved the way for fundamental changes to the way public services are delivered. More emphasis is being put on delivering integrated services to suit the needs of the public and for services to be lined up within unitary authority boundaries.
Neath Port Talbot put in a successful bid to the Welsh Assembly following a request for local strategic partnerships to test development projects in the run up to bringing in local service boards across Wales.
The aim is to join together public services across Wales in a new way of working which puts people first and looks at improving public services from a citizen's point of view.
A wide range of partners in the county borough are backing the project and will be sitting on the board. They are Neath Port Talbot Council, Neath Port Talbot Local Health Board, Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust, Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service and the National Pubic Health Service.
Others who will be involved in the local service boards include South Wales Police, the Fire Authority, the Environment Agency, Job Centre Plus and a senior representative from the Welsh Assembly Government.
In Neath Port Talbot the board meets for the first time early August.
Around 15 people, representing the main public agencies, will sit on the board. Although in its early stages, it is likely that the chief executives of all the agencies will be members.
Strong evidence shows that Neath Port Talbot has high levels of ill health such as low birth weight, coronary heart disease, respiratory illness and limiting long term illness.
Likely causes include child poverty, lack of physical exercise, poor nutrition and unemployment.
The board will look at the health and social care plans in the community plan and see what the barriers are preventing them being successful.
Their specific aim will be to achieve integrated front line services through a joined up approach. Residents need to access the full range of public services from all agencies in the easiest and least bureaucratic way possible.
They will also look at health improvement plans for the county borough. How agencies can work together and be more coordinated in areas like nutrition, tobacco/smoking, physical activity, older people and the reduction of infection.
By linking together now, preventative measures can be put into place that could relieve the burden on the public purse in years to come.
"The development project focuses on a holistic, people centred, approach to the improvement of health and well being in Neath Port Talbot," says Council Leader Derek Vaughan, "the challenge is for partners to collaborate to provide better integrated services focussing on treatment, prevention, education and people involvement."
NOTE TO EDITORS
There are six development projects across Wales.
Cardiff (access to services, health and social care)
Caerphilly (basic skills, education, lifelong learning and training)
Carmarthenshire (health and social care)
Neath Port Talbot (health and social care)
Wrexham (how to bring about more effective partnership working)
Gwynedd (access to services, climate change, skills, health and social care)