A range of children’s health and wellbeing services in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are to be privatised.

The commissioners – NHS Kernow, Cornwall Council, NHS England and the Council of the Isles of Scilly - have decided to put the 23 services into a procurement process.

The services include school nursing; speech and language therapy; health visiting; family nurse partnership and child and adolescent specialist mental health services.

Commisioners say there has already been "an extensive engagement and consultation process to give children, young people and their families and those that work for the services a chance to have their say about how the services are provided".

Adding that those views, "together with the needs of the commissioners" – NHS Kernow, Cornwall Council, NHS England and the Council of the Isles of Scilly, and local and national strategies were used to help the commissioners to decide to put the services out to tender.

And that local clinicians, children, young people and their families will continue to be consulted during this process.

Sue Smith, NHS Kernow’s programme director for Delivery, said: “This decision will ensure we have a robust service in place for 1 April, 2016, that allows children, young people and their families to access services that improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing.

It is our vision to improve people’s experience of care and support and reduce the cost of care. This procurement will ensure we achieve this.”

The new contracts, which have a combined value of £22 million per year, must be in place for 1 April 2016.

- See more at: http://www.kernowccg.nhs.uk/news/2014/10/plans-to-change-children%E2%80%99s-health-and-wellbeing-services/#sthash.lftKrzOv.dpuf

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