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ITEM EX12 - ANNEX 1

EXECUTIVE – 28 OCTOBER 2003

INTEGRATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: OUTCOME OF CONSULTATIONS

Staff Consultation

Introduction

 

1. The Project Initiation Document for Improving Mental Health Services through Integration and Partnership sets out the key tasks that have to be achieved in relation to workforce issues.

 

2. A HR sub group was established reporting to the overall Project Board, to undertake these tasks. The membership of this group includes representatives from Social & Health Care, OMHT, SWPCT and Unison, from both County Council and Health branches.

 

3. The total number of staff who will be seconded into the Partnership is 64 comprising qualified social workers, support workers, managers and administrative support working in Teams providing services to adults of working age and adults with addiction problems. These groups of staff already work in close partnership with OMHT, in fact almost all are currently working in an agreed single management structure; a minority are not yet included in a single structure. The proposed secondment is in line with Central Government and County Council objectives.

 

4. The proposal is to create a single management structure for Health and Social & Health Care operational staff. This will end current duplication of line management and is expected to increase efficiency and improve the quality of care to the public.

 

5. In addition it is proposed that four part time Service Development Workers are seconded into a partnership with the SWPCT as part of a partnership to deliver integrated commissioning of mental health services.

 

6. The Approved Social Work service is the one area that the Local Authority will continue to directly manage. This area of Mental Health Act work cannot be delegated within current legislation.

 

7. We have outlined to staff the key principles of the proposed change:

 

• security of pay and conditions in terms of employment;

 

• secondment not transfer;

 

• single line management ;

 

• pooled budgets;

 

• integration of operational systems and policies.

The Consultation Process

 

8. A consultation process was agreed with the Trade Union and commenced in May 2003 with a letter to all staff to explain the consultation process and timetable. All staff were invited to attend at least one of four meetings at different venues in the County to discuss the proposals and to provide them with the opportunity to raise pertinent issues and make suggestions. A total of 39 staff attended at least one meeting. In addition we ran separate meetings open to Managers in the Mental Health Trust. We also provided a pro forma for those staff who wised to communicate in writing.

 

9. The proposal in relation to the Service Development Workers was discussed with them separately. They have also received copies of the proposal and the Secondment Agreement.

• No redundancies - Response: staff have been assured that there will be no redundancies arising from this process
• The need for integrated policies - Response: work is on-going to unify and simplify HR policies as long as these remain consistent with County Council and OMHT requirements
• The need for clarity about the management of budgets - Response: the Finance Sub-Group are preparing the detailed work on this
• The need to retain and promote the social care agenda and maintain links with the County Council - Response: the secondment agreement makes clear the need to have identified professional reference points for each worker and the post of Head of Social Care will provide a lead in the partnership organisation on social care issues
• The need for integrated systems for records and case recording -Response: the Integrated Mental Health Electronic Records Group is working towards an integrated IT system and a separate working group is piloting a joint paper records system.
• The need to ensure consistency with other proposals for the Addiction Services - Response: this is important but needs to wait for the publication of the Drug & Alcohol Action Team Review of the specialist addiction services
• Contingency plans if it doesn't work and what happens after two years? - Response: The Project Board will be responsible for overseeing the working of the secondment agreement. The Head of Adult Care will be a member of the Trust Executive and the Operational Board. If there are insurmountable problems the provision of social care in mental health services could revert to Local Authority management.
• Will a common salary structure emerge? - Response: we recognise the difficulty if people in comparable jobs are paid differently and it may be possible over time to address this within a pooled budget.
• How much will roles change and will change erode professional skills? - Response: there is no intention to de-skill staff but it is clear that there is considerable overlap between workers with different professional training and we will want to be clear about the similarities and the differences.
• What Governance systems will be in place to ensure high standards of practice and budget management? - Response: we will have joint arrangements for governance of practice/clinical issues. The finance group will establish robust financial governance systems
• How will we preserve good working relationships with other services in Social and Health Care? - Response: The ASW service will remain independent and responsible to the County Council and we will all have to work hard to retain links with services for Older People, Children and people with disabilities.
• Is anyone going to remain outside the proposed secondment arrangements? - Response: all operational staff will be included though for some we recognise there will be more change e.g. for the small number who not currently inside a joint structure (5 people).
• Will I get a new contract? - Response: no current contracts of employment remain in place but all staff will be subject to a Secondment Agreement and required to sign an Undertaking.

Policies and Procedures

10. There has been overwhelming support to integrate operational policies and practices. Wherever possible, provided that employees’ terms and conditions and service are not affected.

 

11. We anticipate having simplified integrated policies and practices in place by November 2003 in the following areas:

• Annual leave recording
• Emergency/special leave recording
• Sickness monitoring & recording
• Supervision documentation
• Appraisal documentation
• Accident Reporting

Future Development & Monitoring of HR issues

12. Regular contact between Social & Health Care and OMHT has been agreed, to be in place following the secondment. This will achieve two things, the further integration of policies and procedures and the creation of a joint forum to resolve future HR issues after the secondment. This group will prepare reports to inform the reviews on the working of the Secondment.

Training

13. There is agreement to develop a joint training strategy for mental health workers, and the early stages of this work has commenced. Induction sessions are planned in early November for seconded staff and managers affected by the Secondment.

Unison

14. UNISON, Oxfordshire County Council branch has been fully involved in this process, through membership of the HR working group and by attendance at the Staff Consultation meetings. It has been agreed that the branch will become a member of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee in which OMHT formally negotiates with staff representatives. This will ensure that all the views of seconded OCC employees can be represented by the recognised Trade Union.

Secondment Agreement

15. The HR working group has developed a secondment agreement. It spells out the agreement between OCC, OMHT and each seconded individual employee. A variation of this standard document has been prepared in relation to the Service Development Workers and the South West Oxon PCT.
    
    
16. OCC solicitors have confirmed that the Secondment Agreement meets the legal requirements of the Council.

Recommendation

17. Staff have entered into this process fully and have appropriately raised issues in a constructive way in order to ensure that the proposed change which they support works well.
    
    
18. The recommendation of this working group, in the light of the consultation described above is to proceed with the proposed secondment of staff to the Oxfordshire Mental Health Care Trust and the South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust with effect from 3 November 2003.