Two new care trusts go live

Two new mental health care trusts went live this week, increasing
the number of care trusts to seven.

The Sheffield Care Trust will deliver mental health services
currently run by the Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust and
Sheffield Council. It will include a full range of specialist adult
and older people’s services as well as specialist learning
disability mental health services.

The Sandwell Mental Health and Social Care Trust will pool
£23.6m of budgets from Sandwell Council and the Black Country
Mental Health Trust to tackle mental health problems across all
ages. It will also serve people with learning difficulties.
Managers believe the care trust will improve access to services,
streamline assessments, and create multi-disciplinary teams.

Meanwhile, Bexley Council, south east London, is consulting on its
plans to develop a care trust, which, if given the go-ahead by
councillors would see it go live in October. But South East
Hertfordshire Council has decided to scrap plans to go for care
trust status.