Decision details

The Cabinet Member in his capacity as Deputy Leader of the Council approved the novation of a contract between NHS England and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust for the delivery of Health Visitors and Family Nurse Partnership to Peterborough City Council for the period 1 October 2015 until 31 March 2017, for the sum of £6,132,452 resulting from the statutory transfer of planning and commissioning of public health services for 0-5 years olds from NHS England to local authorities.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, many public health functions transferred from the NHS to local government on the 1 April 2013, since then local authorities have been making great strides to transform and embed public health within local authorities .Healthy Child Programme for 0-5 year olds, which is delivered by Health Visitors remained with NHS England to enable the expansion of Health Visitors and places on the Family Nurse Partnerships by April 2015. In January 2014 the government confirmed that the Healthy Child Programme for 0-5 year olds, which includes the commissioning of Health Visitors and the Family Nurse Partnership would transfer to local government on the 1 October 2015. Unlike the previous public health transfer it is only the commissioning that will transfer and not the workforce. Health Visitors and the Family Nurse Partnership will continue to be employed by their provider organisations. The transfer marks the final part of the overall public health transfer.

To do nothing is not an option as the transfer will happen under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and there is requirement to maintain the continuity of the services to deliver the Health Visiting and Family Nurse Partnership Services.

Commissioning the services separately is not viable in terms of time or money, the cost of re-procuring this service would be significant, more so if this was to be re-procured in a six month period. A partnership is in place whereby joint monitoring of the contract for Health Visitors and Family Nurse Partnership is undertaken. This ensures a good quality of service and continuity of care for service users.

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