Primary care in the Eastern region

Kellie Norris, Primary Care Advisor for the Eastern RegionSharing news and views

Welcome to the Eastern region primary care and public health webpage. Many of the current health service reforms are focused on primary and community care. 

This page will keep you up to date with new developments in primary care in the Eastern region. The RCN needs your help to achieve this, so please send your news and comments on what is happening in your area to: kellie.norris@rcn.org.uk.

Separation of provider organisations from commissioning PCTs

The process of separating out PCTs into commissioning organisations and provider organisations which was started by the previous Labour administration under the transforming community services agenda is now complete in Eastern Region.

PCT provider organisations have developed in the following ways:

Social enterprises

  • Great Yarmouth and Waveney is now called East Coast Community Healthcare CIC and is a community interest company.
  • NE Essex Community Services in now called Anglia Community Services (ACE) and is a community interest company.
  • Mid Essex Community Services is now called Central Essex Community Services (CECS) and is a community interest company.
  • Please find further information on social enterprises.

Integration with foundation trusts

  • West Essex, South East Essex and Bedfordshire Community Services are now part of South Essex Partnership Trust.
  • South West Essex Community Services are being hosted by North East London Mental Health Trust for two years.

Aspirant community foundation trusts

Cambridgeshire Community Services is a standalone NHS organisation working towards becoming a community foundation trust and is in negotiations with Peterborough Community Services to integrate with them, Luton Community Services are now part of Cambridgeshire Community Services.

Suffolk Community Services

Have all been put out to tender, the organisation is split into five lots, bidders can apply for between  one to five lots.

  • Lot one: Adult universal services - East
  • Lot two: Adult universal services - West
  • Lot three: Community equipment - wheelchairs and assistive technology
  • Lot four: Specialist paediatric services
  • Lot five: All of the services above

The bidders have been shortlisted to nine. Read more information on the Suffolk divestment project and the bidders.

Commissioning organisations

To prepare for the future, PCTs are starting to work together in clusters. There will only be one executive team for each cluster, which will save management costs, although they will all remain as statutory bodies and keep their own boards.

There are also plans to transfer some PCT staff to the developing GP consortia. This will help the new organisations to develop their commissioning skills. The RCN has lobbied hard to ensure that there will be a nursing voice within the commissioning consortia. The commissioning clusters in EoE are:

  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
  • Suffolk - stand alone
  • Norfolk and Great Yarmouth & Waveney 
  • Bedfordshire and Luton
  • Hertfordshire - stand alone
  • West Essex, Mid Essex and NE Essex
  • SE Essex and SW Essex

Health and wellbeing boards

Health and wellbeing boards will sit within local government. Their remit will be to commission services which contribute to the health and wellbeing of the population they serve. According to the coalition government, the new system will join up health and social care while giving local communities a greater say over the provision of services in their area.

The boards will bring together those who buy services across the NHS, public health, social care and children's services, elected representatives and representatives from Health Watch to plan the right services for their area. There are 132 early implementer health and wellbeing boards in England. The early implementers in East of England are:

  • Bedford Borough Council
  • Cambridgeshire County Council
  • Essex County Council
  • Norfolk County Council
  • Suffolk County Council

It is anticipated that all local authorites will have shadow boards in place by April 2012. The health and wellbeing boards should be up and running in April 2013, at the same time as GP consortia take on responsiblity for the NHS budget.