A GROUND breaking initiative which will put the Isle of Wight at the forefront of caring for elderly and vulnerable people in the future has been agreed by the Council's Cabinet and the Island's NHS Primary Care Trust Board.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Primary Care Trust and the Council will see formal shared working arrangements, financing and delivery of services between the Council and the PCT.

The first part of the agreement shows both organisations being committed to working together to improve the health of the Island's population.

The move will see a wide ranging review of the property assets of both parties and an agreed plan for property disposal.

It will enable both organisations to use their budgets more efficiently so that they can provide better care for the Island's increasingly elderly population.

The Council and the PCT are the first in the country to make the step towards more formal joint working.

It will enable both organisations to reduce the cost of caring for residents and patients -- whilst at the same time initiating a shift from acute to community care across the Isle of Wight.

The Island is uniquely placed to bring together the resources of the two public sector organisations to provide the best possible services for the community.

Nationally, the Island's approach is being upheld as a good example of joint working and an opportunity to tackle some of the challenges which other areas are defeated by.

The Memorandum of Understanding will be officially launched at a White Paper Conference which is due to take place on the Island on April 19.

Sarah Mitchell, the Isle of Wight Council's Director of Adult and Community Services, said: "This is a ground breaking initiative. The Isle of Wight Council and the Island's Primary Care Trust are the first in the country to have made this step to formalise joint working.
The initiative tackles the need for the Primary Care Trust to break even and for the Council to make the best use of its property portfolio whilst at the same time ensuring that we have the funds in place to provide care for residents and patients in the future."

Ed Macalister-Smith, Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust, said "It was exciting to be able to report to the local population that the two key public services on the Island, and the two largest employers, were working together to improve health on the Island. Local people have a right to expect that we will act together like this".

Councillor Dawn Cousins, the Council's Cabinet member for Island Health and Community Well Being, added: "The driving force behind the Memorandum of Understanding is to achieve a better service for local people. We have to achieve a shift from acute to community care which will benefit both patients and clients alike.
Residents have consistently told us that they would prefer to be cared for at home rather than in a nursing home or hospital. This change will help us achieve this by freeing up valuable financial resources.”

Issue date: 7 February 2007

For fu rther information please contact either:

Viv Bennett, Communications Manager, Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust on 01983 534184 or email viv.bennett@iow.nhs.uk

or

David Newble at Isle of Wight Council media and communications office on 01983 821000 ext 5105 or email david.newble@iow.gov.uk