Your views needed – Derbyshire Integrated Sexual Health Service consultation.

Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Community Health Service NHS FT  are seeking to consult on the Derbyshire Integrated Sexual Health Service moving to be under a section 75 commissioning model.

We are mandated to conduct consultation prior to commencing with a section 75 model.

Thus the online consultation is open 1 June 2021 to close 12 July 2021. (paper copies are also available on request).

Background in brief:

Derbyshire County Council as the Commissioner of the Derbyshire Integrated Sexual Health Service, and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, as the lead provider of this service are jointly seeking to move from the current commissioning model to a Section 75 partnership agreement. This intention to explore a move to a Section 75 partnership agreement was approved by Council Cabinet 14 January 2021.

A Section 75 agreement is a legal agreement between a local authority and an NHS body under Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 (updated under the Health and Social Care Act 2012).

Advantages of this partnership agreement enable parties to:

• work more collaboratively with innovation to meet health need
• mitigate risks to local service instability through action such as opportunities for collaborative commissioning and pooled budgets
• have greater transparency in activity and outcomes against investment, creating further flexibility and responsiveness to health need

Locally we have a very successful sexual health service but reflective of the national landscape, it is within a system of multiple commissioning and provider organisations and this can cause a level of challenge at times with real risk of instability when a service comes to re-procurement.

The Section 75 agreement will enable the Council, DCHS NHSFT and partners to work together more cohesively to manage future turbulence within the sexual health system, enact service improvements at a faster pace, and ultimately to sustain the provision of high quality, accessible care for patients.

It is envisaged post-consultation that the local Section 75 agreement will not affect how the service is currently provided but as stated above allow for greater opportunities for innovative developments across the broader sexual health system.

find the survey link here

For further information contact Mary Hague, Public Health Lead.  mary.hague@derbyshire.gov.uk)