LGA - Councils respond to King's Fund report on STPs

15 Nov 2016 09:36 AM

Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, responds to a new report by the King's Fund on sustainability and transformation plans (STPs).

"Councils see STPs as an important vehicle for driving the redesign of local health and care services to improve health and wellbeing, keep people out of hospital and improve the quality of care.

"But we have warned that for STPs to be effective, councillors and communities need to be at the heart of the planning process, not consulted afterwards on pre-determined solutions.

"We have said there needs to be an open and honest conversation with the public and greater involvement with communities on the challenges facing the NHS and social care.

"The LGA has been pushing really hard for the implementation of STPs to be underpinned by local political leadership and with the full engagement of local communities.

"Health and wellbeing boards, as the only place where local political, clinical and professional leaders come together, can be pivotal in driving these forward if they are fully involved in the work of STPs.

"The plans also need to recognise the huge financial pressures facing social care. We have long argued that pumping money into the NHS while councils have to make cuts to social care services is a false economy and that adequately funded social care is essential to alleviating the pressure on the NHS."

View Kings Fund Report: Controversial plans right way forward for the NHS