Secretary of State for Health encourages all NHS organisations to sign up to local Compacts

Submitted on 15th December 2011 at 17:36

National

Compact Voice recently wrote to the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to express concerns we had heard from some local groups, that changes to the health policy landscape weren’t recognising the role that the Compact – both nationally and locally – should have.

We received a supportive response outlining his and the Department of Health’s commitment to the Compact, in which the Minister stated:

“I am concerned to hear that some local groups have expressed concern that Compact relationships did not include local health partners. I would encourage all NHS organisations in England to have signed up to a local Compact and use this to guide local arrangements for partnership working.”

We stated that changes to the current policy landscape made it vital to ensure that his Department used the Compact as a key vehicle to work alongside the voluntary sector, especially when delivering new mechanisms and partnerships around health and social care.

The Minister’s response supported suggestions Compact Voice had made in our response to the NHS Listening Exercise, which offered some key steps take to help strengthen and embed the Compact both locally and nationally.

The Minister, who helped to establish the Compact Advocacy Programme, acknowledged our concerns and replied that the Department of Health remains committed to the principles of the Compact, and that the department “pursues a ‘Compact-compliant’ way of working in its business with voluntary sector organisations”.

The Minister reiterated that:

“The Department of Health recognises the need to continue to promote the Compact throughout the NHS, so that the people working within NHS organisations truly recognise and embrace the principles set out within it”.

Compact Voice and the Department of Health are planning future work to ensure that the Compact is embedded in their policies and practices, and that the role the Compact must play in delivering better communities through stronger relationships is at the forefront of new and emerging health policies.

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