Draft Health and Social Services (Reform) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007

NICVA welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. We welcome many of the changes resulting from the Review of Public Administration.

However, we currently fear that many of the benefits of co-terminosity will be lost if it is decided in the near future that seven will not be the number of local councils. The structures proposed in the legislation, particularly those relating to commissioning, will only make sense if they are co-terminous with other statutory services. We note that the legislation makes provision that the number of Community Commissioning Groups may be varied in regulations. This provision should be used if the number of councils is to change.

NICVA has concerns about the proposed new commissioning model, which it has already communicated to the Department. While we welcome moves towards more devolved decision making, we wish to see genuine community involvement and participation in new bodies.

NICVA welcomes the new duty of public involvement and consultation. This must not become a tokenistic exercise, but should be developed, building on existing consultation good practice, into a genuine engagement between health and social care bodies and the public.

In terms of membership of the new bodies, NICVA would recommend that users are represented on the HSS Authority and on the Patient Client Council