Lancashire County Council could be forced to integrate into STP Private Partnership

Lancashire County council could be forced to join with private healthcare sector & thousands of lives put at risk if underfunding continues.

We're told that the voluntary or third sector play a large part in the STPs with many health and social care services relying on these.

But reading again through the Lancashire & South Cumbria (L&SC) STP I noticed another anomaly that really should ring alarm bells about just how Lancashire County Council will manage if they continue to be strangled by insufficient funding from central government. Here's a snippet from page 6 of the L&SC STP...

Impact - "However the picture and the outlook is not all rosy. Third sector funding investment is falling year on year however demand for service is increasing. As an example reablement and supported living funding has been dramatically reduced by Lancashire County Council as part of necessary cost savings however many organistions have chosen to continue providing the services transferring the cost onto their own resources. Essentially at a time were prevention is creeping up the [STP] agenda, the actual resources to achieve prevention (public health as an example) are being cut to the bone".

it continues.. "The Third sector has become the safety net (food banks and shelters are prime examples) and the economic impact of the lack of funding for those and other services will be further ill-health, increased long term conditions and the requirement for more acute services. The third sector is very aware that it plays a crucial role at both end[s] of [the] scale".

Here we are, at a time of high patient demand fighting for more acute services in Chorley and around the country yet the government won't give us back enough money to help us prevent ill-health. The revolution is coming.

In fact, the end result of a top-down NHS reorganisation coupled with further austerity cuts to local government will result in many local people being unable to prevent ill-health and symptoms worsening or even leading to death.

Yes, the situation is so dire, the STP is actually WARNING the reader that what's to come could result in many many people suffering.

Demand for community services has always been increasing but the reserves are decreasing leaving volunteers to fill the gap if possible. But the outlook is bleak for us denizens here in Lancashire if LCC revert to providing statutory service only, notably:

■ LCC called in Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) last year and a review into the authority's finances predicted its reserves will be gone by April 2019 with a deficit [debt] of almost £400m by 2021. [1]

■ ALL STP's are in time to become Accountable Care Organisations (ACOs).

These health management models of care are based around the U.S. model of accountable care organisations (ACO) that are infamous for 'managing demand' and further RATIONING treatments and services. Due to its projected deficits, LCC will have no opportunity but to opt into the ACO with other partners bringing about the Private Public Partnership (PPP), and the downfall of a single-tier NHS.

*When the LCC merge into the ACO, means-tested care plans (currently under LCCs social care banner) will merge into general health care provision resulting in co-payments and insurance plans as options for standard NHS patients.

We now have 'two' options, we can all start looking at where our nearest foodbank is, or we can start to fightback and let those crippling our services know we won't stand for it any longer.

The people of Lancashire can only take so much. There is now only one option...

FIGHTBACK

LINKS

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-37486724

By April 2018 the council will not have sufficient financial resources to meet its statutory obligations; even if we don't deliver any of the non-statutory services.

Download Lancashire & South Cumbria STP