Lawyers at Browne Jacobson have been advising local health
organisations as part of major reforms that will see community
health service provision across Warwickshire and the West Midlands
transformed under the Government's Transforming Community Services
programme.
From April community health services currently delivered by
local Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in Sandwell, Solihull, Coventry
and Warwickshire will be managed differently.
Under the new arrangements responsibility for running many of
the community health services previously provided by Sandwell PCT
have transferred to Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS
Trust; Coventry PCT has transferred the delivery of its some of its
community health services to Coventry & Warwickshire
Partnership Trust and George Eliot NHS Trust and Warwickshire PCT
to George Eliot NHS Trust (amongst other providers).
Specialist healthcare law firm Browne Jacobson has been working
closely with Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust,
Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust and George Eliot NHS
Trust for a number of months in setting up the new arrangements.
This has included advising these organisations on the legal aspects
of the transactions, including advice on commercial, corporate
governance, real estate, employment and pensions matters. Browne
Jacobson continues to work closely with Coventry & Warwickshire
Partnership Trust to finalise the proposed transfer of certain
community health services from Solihull Care Trust.
In total Browne Jacobson has been advising on eleven such
projects across the East and West Midlands.
Transforming Community Services is an NHS programme designed to
raise the quality of care for patients by separating the
commissioning and provider roles currently undertaken by PCTs. The
premise of the initiative is that PCTs should be free to
concentrate on commissioning the best quality services for local
people, whilst the provider organisations can focus on providing
the services previously undertaken by PCTs. The aim behind the
separation of functions is to create greater choice for patients,
encourage competition in community services, develop, more cost
efficient services and support an improved emphasis on quality.
Oliver Pritchard, partner and head of the commercial health team
at Browne Jacobson, commented: "Our health team has been working
closely with our clients' project teams for several months in order
to support them in seeing these ground breaking projects through to
a successful conclusion within tight timescales. We are looking
forward to developing these relationships and supporting our
clients through the next reforms as the commissioning functions of
PCTs is transferred to the newly emerging GP Consortia."
Mike Sharon, Director of Strategy and Organisation Development
at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, added: "We have been
pleased to work with Browne Jacobson on the TCS project and have
developed an excellent relationship with them. The timescales were
challenging and Browne Jacobson helped us to achieve them with
intelligent advice and rapid service."
For more information about Browne Jacobson, please visit their
website here: www.brownejacobson.com