New joint posts announced

The government is to appoint new regional directors of health
and social care from April 2003 as part of its drive towards more
closely integrated services.

NHS chief executive Nigel Crisp said the new post-holders and
their staff would have responsibility for overseeing “the big
issues” in health and social care. The directors will come under
the Department of Health umbrella and will work with the 30
proposed new strategic health authorities. Though how they will
work with local authority social services departments remains
unclear.

Speaking at a conference of NHS managers in Manchester last
week, Crisp stressed the importance of devolving decision-making
and developing primary care trusts as “the building blocks for the
future.”

But later he ducked a question which seeked clarification on how
new care trusts will fit in with primary care trusts. “There is
still some policy work to be done around care trusts so I’d rather
not say anything about that at the moment,” he said.