Transcript SOLACE NI - BRANCH FORUM MEETING 5TH OCTOBER 2012

ICE REGIONAL
GOVERNANCE GROUP
19TH DECEMBER 2012
Environmental Health – Service Review
and Improvement Project
Barny Heywood. CEHOG Chair.
THE SRI PROCESS
1.
Getting Organised
2.
Current Position
3.
Assess Performance
4.
Identify Options for service
delivery
5.
Preferred options
6.
Implementation
7.
Review
STAGES 1 & 2. WHAT FUNCTIONS ARE “KEY”?
•
•Emergency
Planning
Food Control,
Health and Safety,
Consumer Protection,
•Sustainability
Pollution Control
•Dog
Control
•Animal
Welfare
Health &
Well-being
•Biodiversity
•Licensing
The sum of these functions provides high standards of
health protection, assists the community, supports
businesses and helps the economy.
STAGES 1 & 2. THE RAW DATA

How many staff currently?
 EH professional staff
 Other professional/technical staff
 Administrative staff
 TOTAL
0.18 EHO per 1,000 population
FTE
318
282

How much does it all cost?
Appr. £29.8m
£16 per head of population
Net expenditure across 26 Councils £559m

Appr. 5% of council expenditure.

128
729
EH Costs per head of population
25 Councils - excluding Belfast CC
140
120
100
80
cost per head
pop/1000
Linear (pop/1000)
60
R² = 0.155
40
20
CL
ABC
AND
CL
DS
MEA
MU
ABC
AND
FO
FO
E
S
E
E
W
N
N
S
E
W
W
22
13
5
6
14
DS
BB
W
N
MEA DNM
N
S
Moyle
17
Cookstown
Larne
25
Antrim
Omagh
16
Coleraine
Fermanagh
24
Newtownabbey
North Down
3
Dungannon
Armagh
20
Limavady
Magherafelt
4
Carrickfergus
Ballymena
26
Down
Strabane
19
Banbridge
Lisburn
2
Ballymoney
Ards
12
Derry
Craigavon
9
Newry & Mourne
Castlereagh
0
8
18
15
23
10
1
11
21
CC
MU
AN
CC
AN
MU
CC
W
S
N
N
N
N
N
ABC DNM MEA
S
E
N
5
250.00
EH Costs per Head of Population
10 Clusters - excluding Belfast CC
200.00
150.00
y = -4.5811x + 175.99
R² = 0.2691
cost per head
pop/1000
Linear (pop/1000)
100.00
50.00
0.00
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STAGE 2: ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND
CHARACTERISTICS?
Maintenance and improvement of health will broadly
require a continuation of current services
 Adapting to changing circumstances needs flexibility
 Service must balance responses to national & regional
policies whilst remaining locally accountable
 Observe “Better Regulation Principles”: Openness,
Consistency, Transparency, Proportionality, Targeting,
Competence

STAGE 2: ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND
CHARACTERISTICS? (CONT).
Working with Partners:
DHSSPS,
PHA,
HSCTs
DSD, DOE, DARD, DETI
OFMDFM
FSANI,
SafeFood,
HSENI
PSNI,
NIHE
BIS, DCLG, Cabinet Office
Council Departments
Other Councils
Community and Voluntary sector
STAGE 3. PERFORMANCE?
The record to date:




Regulatory functions are
delivered to higher standards
than in GB
Consistent high standards
recorded in DOE PIs for
service
Record in Health
Improvement attracts grants
benefiting the community
Performance aided by
regional commitments to
quality & consistency and
supported by common
policies.
THE VISION FOR THE EH SERVICE?
“The Environmental Health Service in Northern
Ireland will work with key partners to:

improve the health and well-being of local people,

increase the length of their lives and

increase the number of years they spend free from
disease, illness and disability.
This will lead to a happier, healthier, sustainable,
prosperous and inclusive society in Northern Ireland.”
(CEHOG Vision Statement 2009)
PFG 2011-15 Priority 1 – “A vibrant economy which can
transform our society while dealing with the deprivation and
poverty which has affected some of our communities for
generations”
THE VISION
STAGE 4: POSSIBLE OPTIONS FOR
SERVICE DELIVERY
 SRI
Team identified a total of 34 options
 Range: “No service at all” to
“Councils
take all”
 Not focussed on independence of EH.
 Rational and pragmatic view that combining
professional groups will be the norm
 Commitment to placing staff at levels where
the service is required.
STAGE 4: EXAMPLES OF OPTIONS

‘DO NOTHING’ OPTIONS



All services delivered entirely within councils. A
range of levels of service.
12
Shared functions between councils, or functions
being delivered on behalf of councils
EXTERNAL OPTIONS.


6
COLLABORATIVE OPTIONS


No EH service, or maintain status quo
INTERNAL OPTIONS

2
4
Outsourcing partially or completely, or handing
functions to central gov’t and agencies
HYBRID OPTIONS.

11 Councils plus supporting structures
10
13
STAGE 5. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF
OPTIONS
 Costs
 Quality
– Legal Compliance
 Quality – Service Delivery
 Quality – Outcomes
 Influence, Partnerships and added
value
 Local Accountability, Governance
 Flexibility
 Capability
STAGE 5. FIRST INDICATION OF
PREFERRED OPTIONS
 Collaborative
options favoured by SRI Team
 But, consultation to take place across CEHOG
and EH service
 Possible challenge process within CPOG? or
elsewhere
 Discussions with other professional groups,
SOLACE and back to RGG
STAGE 5. RISKS AND CONCERNS
 Reviews:
FSA review of official controls
Lofstedt review of HSW enforcement
Better Regulation/Deregulation.
 Potential for future resource impacts to
reduce the ability of the service to deliver on
health needs
 Post RPA arrangements for regional and subregional EH services
STAGE 5. WHAT WOULD HELP THE DELIVERY
OF EH SERVICES?

Strong Local Government

Quasi-coterminosity to assist partnerships
Coherent strategy for the provision of EH
functions at various levels

Informed consideration of the need for
regulation

Flexibility in development and deployment of
staff

STAGE 5: WHAT WOULD HELP EH
PERFORMANCE?







Broad commitments to partnership working
Shared posts, Collaboration
Community planning and powers of well-being
Common policies – efficiency and flexibility
Competence and skills – balance of
specialisation and generalism
Liaison and coordination driving consistency
and efficiency
Good performance indicators – outcome
indicators?
WE ARE SURE THERE IS REASON FOR
OPTIMISM
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SIGN ON AN OFFICE DOOR IN CASTLE
BUILDINGS
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