OIC and NHS Orkney reform: two new officers to assist with talks
‘Focus remains on improving outcomes for local people’ say leaders amid Scottish Government regionalisation plans
Two project officers are to arrive in Orkney next month as part of national plans to downsize the number of councils and health boards in Scotland.
But Scottish Government proposals to regionalise these areas of governance do not have to “dilute local influence,” NHS Orkney’s chief executive told colleagues last
week.
This assurance from Dave Harris comes after a year of joint discussion between the health authority, Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and the Orkney Integration Joint Board (IJB) on public service reform.
The focus of this work nationally became clearer in September, when the Scottish Government set out long-term ambitions to reduce the number of territorial health boards from 14 to two and the number of local authorities from 32 to between six and ten.
This would be supported by 120 to 160 community-level authorities with greater local decision-making powers.
A joint statement was released on “continuing discussions” by NHS Orkney, OIC and the IJB on Thursday, October 29, following a meeting of the health board.
It was announced that, as discussions continue, they will be assisted — for the purpose of engagement with local and national partners — by two project officers, funded by the Scottish Government.
At the NHS Orkney board meeting, members were told by chief executive Mr Harris that they would be given a more substantial update after the steering group next meets on November 16, and that their input will also be sought at this point.
“The public service reform steering group is developing an implementation plan intended to translate the routemap into clear actions, ownership, timescales and measurable outcomes,” Mr Harris told the meeting, held at the Milestone Kirk in Dounby in a break from the traditional venue of The Balfour.
“Initial areas of practical joint working include fleet, estates and property maintenance, healthcare workforce and internal audit, providing early opportunities to test where greater collaboration can reduce duplication, strengthen resilience and improve outcomes.
“Our focus is increasingly on demonstrating not simply what we are planning, but what reform can deliver for our communities.”
He added: “We want to actively shape reform and identify the opportunities it creates to improve services, while ensuring that changes strengthen rather than dilute local influence, clinical leadership, NHS identity and sustainable access to care in an island setting.
“Our working principle remains that form should follow function.
“This means being clearer about what should be planned and delivered locally in Orkney, where regional collaboration provides greater resilience or specialist capability, and what can most effectively be undertaken once for Scotland.”
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, NHS Orkney chairman Davie Campbell, IJB chairwoman Joanna Kenney and OIC deputy leader Councillor Sandy Cowie said: “The Scottish Government’s proposals have understandably generated considerable interest locally, particularly given the scale of the changes being discussed for local government and healthcare.
“For more than a year, public sector partners in Orkney have already been exploring how closer collaboration could help us respond to shared challenges around workforce, service delivery and long-term sustainability.
“We welcome the Scottish Government’s recognition that island communities require bespoke solutions. We believe Orkney is well placed to help shape what those solutions could look like and ensure they reflect the needs and circumstances of our communities.
“Our focus remains on improving outcomes for local people and ensuring public services remain strong and sustainable for the future.”
Ivan McKee, cabinet secretary for public service reform in the Scottish Government, said: “The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the local governance work being undertaken in Orkney, led by Orkney Islands Council, NHS Orkney and the Integration Joint Board.
“We are pleased our support has given partners in Orkney the confidence to play a key role in shaping and delivering this vital set of reforms, ensuring our islands’ priorities and circumstances are fully reflected in our reform programmes.”
The next meeting of the NHS Orkney board, scheduled for December 10, will consider a formal report setting out Orkney’s latest position on public sector reform.