Funding for innovative scrutiny

We recognise that good scrutiny needs to be effectively resourced and we invite bids from OSCs for funding for innovative approaches to scrutiny of health, care and well-being issues. We have already funded 26 innovative scrutiny reviews (the learning from some of them can be found on our publications pages). 

The bidding guidance for this financial year was launched at the Healthy Accountability Forum on July 13th 2009 on the theme of community cohesion and reducing social isolation. 

The theme was inspired by the publication ‘Better Together’, a collaboration between the Institute for Community Cohesion and the NHS. Written by Andrew Lawrence the CfPS Health Scrutiny Advocate for the South West, Community Cohesion threads through all aspects of public sector service delivery, and encompasses age, status and disability as well as ethnicity.

At the end of September the reviewing panel unanimously awarded funding to Kirklees Council's proposed study ‘Independence without Isolation’,  as an exemplary bid fulfilling all the criteria set out in this year’s guidance. 

The Kirklees Joint Strategic Needs Assessment highlighted the growing number of learning disabled people living in the community, and the health inequalities they face. Social isolation was recognized as a contributory factor to the many poor health outcomes experienced by this group, and, as learning disabled people are given more independence and choice over their lives, they experience significant difficulties in integrating with the community.

The aim of the review is to understand the causes and the impact of social isolation and poor integration on people with learning disabilities, and how this is being addressed by commissioners, service providers and other stakeholders.
Specialists from United Response and Mencap will advise and facilitate appropriate ways of engaging learning disabled people with the review.

The findings will be shared with the particpants and their families and an easy to understand version of the report with images and simple text will be produced.  A key learning summary brochure will be shared with the Yorkshire and Humber Health Scrutiny Regional Network. To progress the findings an action learning group will be established including commissioners and service providers (including cabinet members) to meet at regular intervals to review the findings, and monitor implementation of the recommendations.

The review will begin in October and the final report will be published in January.

Information and guidance on the bidding process for 2009-10 

Four authorities successfully bid for funding in 2008 for innovative scrutiny reviews broadly based on partnerships tackling health inequalities and wellbeing.  The CfPS were assisted in the judging of the bids by the IDeA's Healthy Communities Team. The reviews took place between January and June 2009 and are expected to be available in the Reviews Library. The topics are:
 

We hope to work closely with these authorities in the upcoming year to share learning on these reviews.

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