By Richard Johnstone | 2 June 2011
Health partnerships in Scotland that aimed to provide more community-based services have not added value for patients in the past decade and must be improved, auditors said today.
The 36 Scottish Community Health Partnerships control an estimated £3.2bn of the £13bn spent on health and social services. As committees of NHS boards, they aim to co-ordinate the provision of a wide range of primary and community health services in their area, including GP services, community health services and community-based integrated teams.But an Audit Scotland examination of CHPs and the earlier Local Health Care Co-operatives has found that few have the authority to influence how resources are used in their area.
A stronger shared approach – involving the Scottish Government, NHS and councils – is needed to make the partnerships effective in the ‘challenging and important role’ of tackling the country’s long-standing health issues.
Despite the establishment of CHPs in 2004 and their predecessors in 1999, some national health trends are worsening. Greater numbers of older people, and those with long-term health problems are being admitted to hospital as emergencies
Auditor general for Scotland Bob Black said: ‘This report highlights that tackling Scotland’s health problems is complex and is not something single bodies can achieve by themselves. Stronger shared leadership is needed from all partners, with good engagement from GPs and other care professionals, to ensure services meet the needs of local people and are efficiently delivered.’
