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On April 2008, the new statutory duty on local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) to work together with their local partners to produce a joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) came into effect. The purpose of these JSNAs is to identify the unmet health and well‐being needs and inequalities of the whole local population, and to provide a sufficiently broad joint evidence base for a locality. This enables increased joint working and co‐operation among all partners leading to improved outcomes for that population. For the first time, commissioners have the opportunity to create a ‘level playing field’ for identifying unmet mental and physical health needs within the same assessment process. This paper lays out why the structure and policy framework underpinning JSNA may offer a stronger prospect of successful implementation than its predecessors. It uses the findings of a quality assurance audit of JSNAs conducted in the east of England as a real‐world reference point.

This paper seeks to report the results of a national survey to explore preparations under way by local authorities and primary care trusts (PCT) for the duty to conduct a joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA), key barriers and enablers to this, and the implications for future policy. In particular, the study focuses on JSNA in the context of current and future health and social care partnerships.

Using Department of Health e‐mail circulation lists, the authors conducted a national survey of all PCT chief executives, directors of adult social services and public health in England (a total of 459 people). A qualitative survey was e‐mailed in February 2008 at the time when health and social care communities were preparing to implement the new duty. All completed surveys were analysed by both authors using thematic content analysis. A grounded approach was taken whereby the thematic framework emerged from initial familiarisation with the data, to which any further themes emerging during the coding process were incorporated.

Although respondents felt that it was very early days, they had a number of aspirations for JSNA and identified a number of potential impacts and implications. First and foremost, respondents felt that JSNA had scope to raise the profile of the importance of jointly agreed approaches to needs assessment and to partnership working more generally. However, as many respondents pointed out, the extent to which JSNA is able to realise this potential depends on it being seen as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.

Overall, the impression from this early survey was of a health and social care system taking the new duty seriously and with aspirations in some areas to make JSNA a future driving force for local service changes.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) are intended to help create evidence-based priorities for public health commissioning at local government level in the UK. They are supposed to consider the needs of people with protected characteristics, and this study aims to look at how the JSNAs for London are serving the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) population.

JSNAs are documentary data and are in the public domain. Each of the 31 JSNAs for London was individually assessed against a series of questions designed to test their inclusion of the local LGBTQ+ population.

Fewer than one in five of London’s JSNAs: had a dedicated LGBTQ+ section; cited bespoke research into, or engagement with, the local LGBTQ+ population; made recommendations for specialist services for people from this community; or considered intersectionality in the context of this population.

This study demonstrates that many of London’s JSNAs contain little information on the city’s local LGBTQ+ population and only minimal assessment of its health, care and wellbeing needs. Recommendations include conducting further research on this population at the local level, using available guidance and engaging best practice.

The purpose of this paper is to explore potential benefits in aligning Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) with implementation of the Equality Delivery System (EDS) to improve commissioning of healthcare for minority ethnic groups.

The paper draws on data gathered for a large research study carried out in England exploring the use of evidence in commissioning for multi‐ethnic populations, to present a reflective discussion on the potential synergies between JSNA and EDS processes. Qualitative data were collected from 62 interviews with stakeholders in Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford, who, as part of their normal role, had an active responsibility to contribute to decision making for commissioning healthcare. 19 individuals working in national roles with experience in evidence use, ethnicity and commissioning across NHS, local authorities and third sector were also interviewed. Observational data were collected through regular attendance at an NHS Equality Group, which had Equality Delivery System implementation within its remit, and from a regional workshop focussing on Joint Strategic Needs Assessment improvements. Observations also came via participation in local EDS implementation meetings across Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford. These data were supplemented by a review of local and national policy literature about implementing JSNA and EDS.

Formally strengthening the connection between JSNAs and the EDS has potential benefits for enhancing the evidence base about health and wellbeing needs of minority groups in general, and ethnic minorities in particular.

NHS and Local Authority organisations need to establish structural processes to formally connect these two workstreams and to ensure adequate resource is made available, with clear direction from senior management.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) are required for every local authority in England, and should contain information to allow for strategic health and wellbeing planning for the local population, including disabled people. A 2013 analysis of JSNAs showed that JSNAs were not routinely including information on the numbers and health needs of people with learning disabilities, particularly children. The purpose of this paper is to compare the information included in 2013 and 2014 JSNAs.

JSNAs for 141 local authorities in England were sought. Local authorities were contacted when JSNAs were not initially found online. All 137 JSNAs found were analysed for mentions and specific sections concerning people with learning disabilities, and content analysed concerning the specific information they contained.

In total, 72 per cent of JSNAs mentioned people with learning disabilities (vs 82 per cent in 2013); 24 per cent mentioned children (vs 39 per cent in 2013) and 72 per cent mentioned adults (vs 81 per cent in 2013). Overall, 13 per cent of JSNAs included a section on children with learning disabilities (vs 9 per cent in 2013), 65 per cent included a section on adults (vs 48 per cent in 2013) and 11 per cent included a section on older adults (vs 8 per cent in the 2013). More JSNAs contained information on current and projected future populations, health needs, social context and service usage concerning adults with learning disabilities compared to children. There was large regional variation in all these indicators.

Further work is needed for JSNAs to contain sufficient information on people with learning disabilities to allow for strategic planning, and for JSNAs to be accessible to the public.

This paper seeks to provide a critique on the overall readiness of joint strategic needs assessment (JSNA) to respond to the new roles and functions proposed by the Health and Social Care Bill 2011.

Commentary informed by a national survey of Directors of Public Health in early 2011, a 2010 regional survey of JSNA leads in the South East, and other thematic and case study research exercises commissioned by or associated with the 2009‐2011 DH JSNA Development Programme.

Despite significant progress in the quality of JSNA 2008‐2010, raised expectations pose a serious challenge. It is possible to identify a number of key issues that must be directly addressed if the process is to fulfil the new expectations. The paper concludes with a call to action for members of health and wellbeing boards to audit the quality of their existing JSNA around these main challenges.

A new perspective on JSNA in light of new policy changes, combining existing research, unpublished research (as of August 2011) and the authors' experience leading national JSNA policy and improvement at the Department of Health.

People who are homeless often have multiple, complex health needs. Health services need to be adapted to ensure that they receive appropriate care in a cost‐effective way, and that this is done in partnership with other agencies so that their needs are met in an holistic and productive manner. This can be achieved by modifying existing care pathways, by provision of specialist services or both. Any local solution will depend on the number of people who are homeless and their needs. The undertaking of joint strategic needs assessments offers an opportunity to influence commissioners to ensure that the needs of people who are homeless are included in future care and support developments.

Four routes or pathways have now been identified by which individuals may come within the scope of PSA 16 National Indicator 149, which is concerned with monitoring efforts to achieve settled accommodation for individuals with significant mental health problems. This article focuses on their needs and the identification of those with mental health needs as seen through these four principal routes. An understanding of these four possible pathways can help to identify areas for priority action, local delivery chains and partnerships, and also highlight some of the challenges and risks in and for delivery.

The new local government performance framework, in combination with the move towards greater personalisation in services, creates a radically new funding environment for housing with care and support. From the Public Service Agreement (PSA) on achieving settled accommodation for individuals at risk of exclusion, through to the impact of local joint strategic needs asessments and individual budgets, the principles and mechanisms of the new joint commissioning culture create more opportunities for providers to articulate the needs of the client group served, and to assert the case for more joined‐up and responsive services. This may require different skills and new styles of leadership at local level, and providers who have become adept at being competitors may need to re‐discover the skills of partnership. Meanwhile, new social exclusion policy frameworks are emerging for supported accommodation, which can support moves away from institutional care for those with mental health problems.

The purpose of this article is to explore findings from the children's services mapping (CSM) policy monitoring exercise on the implementation of Children's Trust arrangements in England in 2008 and 2009. It outlines progress made in implementation in the context of debates on Children's Trusts and partnership working, considering where progress was being made and where implementation was less well developed. The future of partnership working in children's services and the role of the data collection in public service policy monitoring are discussed.

Responses are from a sub‐set of 74 local authorities to a self‐completion questionnaire on Children's Trust implementation in 2008 and 2009 as part of the CSM annual policy monitoring exercise.

Findings, presented within the context of Government policy on children's services reform and literature on partnership working, indicate increases in the number of Children's Trusts implementing joint and strategic working. However, not all agencies under a statutory duty were represented on the Board and joint commissioning arrangements had declined.

The findings and discussion consider the limitations of the method of data collection.

This paper presents the most recent information on implementing Children's Trust arrangements, drawing on responses from 49 per cent of local authority areas. Data from two years of the CSM collection alongside earlier research findings indicate progress at the strategic level, but careful reading of the data and literature also suggests an increasingly challenging environment for establishing and maintaining partnership working within children's services.