Primary care trusts: What now?

Mental Health Nursing,  Jun 2001  by Brown, Barrie

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Barrie Brown, MSF lead officer, primary care, outlines the key issues that PCTs present for CPNs

The impact of PCTs cannot be underestimated since, by 2004, they will have responsibility for at least 75 per cent of the NHS budget in England. The impact will be first felt by staff in community trusts in England, but those in acute and mental health trusts will also be influenced.

Community trust staff will receive full protection of terms and conditions under the normal TUPE arrangements. Each PCT must fulfil the national requirements for the human resource agenda and objectives set for the NHS.

The `must do's' agreed between the national joint union PCT project group and the NHS Executive are:

Put in place appropriate policies and procedures on all areas of employment

Open and transparent recruitment and selection

A personal development planning system

Access to suitable training

An emphasis on social partnership

Each PCT must have a strategic plan to deliver the `working together' strategic aims and targets. There must be local joint consultative arrangements to ensure that all staff interests are included in the development of the PCT's strategy for achieving Health Improvement Programmes.

The 164 PCTs established in England are essential to the government's modernisation programme, which includes Agenda for Change due to be implemented from April next year. There are important implications for PCTs.

They may be receiving transferred staff from more than one trust and health authority. So terms and conditions of service may vary within each PCT.

The unions, supported by the NHSE, believe that there should be no move to harmonisation given the advent of the Agenda for Change. Where local MSF/CPNA representatives are in discussion within PCTs this principle should be followed, although new oi improving policies on, say, equal opportunities and family friendly issues should continue.

The clear recommendation is for new staff to be taken on with Whitley Council terms and conditions of service.

CPNs should ensure that the professional executive committees of PCTs are not dominated by GPs. The original model put forward by John Denham provided for the professional executive committees to have up to five GPs balanced by five health professionals, at least two of whom must be nursing professionals.

The process of appointing nurses and other professions to the committee has to be owned by nursing and other professional groups. Those who are selected on the basis of those competencies should then be part of an election process to the seats on the committee.

As members move from other trusts that we must ensure we have full representation in each PCT.

Where all local reps are moving into one of the replacement PCTs there may be one or two other PCTs where no reps are transferring.Where this happens it will be vital to establish local accredited representatives for each new PCT

For more information contact your local MSF full time officer, professional officer Brian Rogers or Colin Edkins, policy and research at Bermondsey Street, tel 020 7939 7000.

Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Jun 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved