- Conference
- 2005 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 20 December 2004
- Decision
- Carried
This Conference recognises that some time was needed before we could judge how the new commissioning arrangements were working following Shifting the Balance of Power.
It has become increasingly obvious, however, that the commissioning process for mental health services is cumbersome, time consuming, adversarial and iniquitous.
Many decisions are left until well over the commissioning deadline which means uncertainty and confusion for mental health Trusts.
This conference therefore instructs the Health Group to enter into discussions with the Department of Health with a view to moving the responsibility for commissioning mental health services back into the mental Trusts themselves – something that PCTs already do for their own community services.
We recognise that there would need to be robust service user, carer and local community involvement in the commissioning process but we are convinced that this is the only sensible way forward for the planning and provision of mental health services.