MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

COMMUNITY, Environment and Housing

OVERVIEW AND SCRUNITY committee

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Report prepared by Sarah Shearsmith

Accessing Mental Health Services Before the Point of Crisis (Update)

1.1.      Issue for consideration

1.1.1   The Committee to consider an update on the recommendations of the Accessing Mental Health Services Before the Point of Crisis review attached at Appendix A.

1.2.      Recommendation

1.2.1   That the Committee notes the current position with regard to the recommendations of the Accessing Mental Health Services Before the Point of Crisis review.

1.3.      Reasons for Recommendation

1.3.1   Mental health needs of Maidstone residents has been the focus of scrutiny since 2012. A number of significant changes to the NHS took effect in April 2013 affecting how decisions about NHS services were made and how services were commissioned. Local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) were replaced by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) giving local authorities a more influential role in respect of mental health services. Local authorities were expected to work more closely with other health care providers to tackle the challenges.

1.3.2   The review report and recommendations were agreed at the Community, Leisure Services and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their meeting on 11 March 2014. Appendix A provides an update on the work completed so far and highlights areas where further work is required.

1.4        Alternative Action and Why Not Recommended

1.4.1   The Committee could decide not to consider the updates on the recommendations which could prevent further work from being completed to help bridge the gap in services available to Maidstone residents.

1.5        Impact on Corporate Objectives

1.5.1   There Council’s Strategic Plan 2011-2015 lists ‘For Maidstone to be a decent place to live’ as a key priority, under which sites the outcomes ‘Developing sustainable communities’ and ‘Increasing choice and improving the quality of life for vulnerable people’. The recommendations within the report are considers to contribute to the fulfillment of this outcomes.  

1.6        Relevant Documents

Appendix A – SCRAIP[1] Update (August 2014)

Appendix B – Original SCRAIP (March 2014)

1.7        Background Documents

Accessing Mental Health Services Before the Point of Crisis – Review Report (March 2014)