HV and midwifery services access now available through a charity - aibu to be uneasy?

[JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff]

I cannot put my finger on exactly why this is bugging me. Would anyone else feel the same, or does it not matter?

I just got the quarterly email newsletter through from my local children's centre, and I notice it is now XX Children's Centre, On Behalf of YY city council, provided by ZZ Charity.

The services include- MW appts, HV weighing and development checks, as well as a bf group and multiple mums that both used to operate a few years back as independent peer support groups. Obviously the HV and MW still work for NHS, but the way to contact them or book a slot is now seemingly through this charity which appears to have a contract to run all local children's centres for our area.

I am pretty sleep deprived but it seems a bit off to me that you have to go through a charity to get an NHS medical appt. Am I overthinking?! Not going to say/ do anything, just musing.....

In my experience, the Children's Centre is run by a charity organisation (Banardo's in our area) and NHS HV's and Midwives use it as a convenient location to hold their clinics. So the so the midwife/hv is still provided by the NHS. The children centre is used as a convenient location. Hope this makes sense.

I'd be musing too. What happens if they don't get enough donations, or funding is withdrawn? Who's liable for if the service is poor, or if they miss something essential to safeguarding?

I agree with you. Lots of NHS services are now run by other companies or charities. I don't thinkmit's right that the NHS passes on my details to them, or that they store information anout me.

Big farmer that's down to la contract management surely.

Is the charity actually providing the service or is it just providing the venue hosting the service? My midwife and HV sessions were always at the children’s centre but the service was provided by the NHS. The midwifes and HVs used their own records and booked their own appointments so no data sharing would have taken place. This sounds like the same arrangement and nothing to worry about.
Children’s centres are no longer publically funded in some places and I have no problem with charities running these venues.

Would you worry if you had a Macmillan cancer nurse? Because that would be practically any cancer nurse in the country now.

The NHS is being outsourced right left and centre. It's terrible, but that's what happens when the Tories get in. Personally I'd rather my local services were at least being run by charities that want to make a difference, rather than by companies who want to make a profit.

Its just to do with funding streams, I really wouldn't be concerned at all. Most HV and alot of OT's are now employed by councils, its purely where theres money to pay for people and services and charities often have access to alot more funding streams than statutory bodies - it could actually be of benefit to your area in this respect, or.you wont notice any difference at all from what you receive now.

The HVs will just be using the community centre hall or whatever room it is.

The NHS has service agreements with children's centres to provide services in partnership. It has been this way for many years across most children's centres for health visiting and midwifery. To try and cut down in workload it is not unusual to book through the children's centre office as that's the venue for the clinic the clinical staff are still employed by the NHS

The NHS, like the rest of the public sector, has to ensure that services are value for money and of sufficient quality. The charity will have been awarded the contract by demonstrating they were the bidder best able to achieve this, likely against private sector competition. The service will be fully funded by the local CCG and will not be reliant on charitable donations or fund raising. I would prefer to see the community and voluntary sector successfully winning contracts to deliver services with an ethos far more likely to align with high quality, caring, compassionate public services than some of the alternatives. This should not worry people.

The clinical staff are often still employed by the NHS. Not always these days.

And health visitors are funded by local authorities, as are all public health functions

Thanks for responses! Mixed bag.

Okay so here are a couple of points

What if I want to see my HV about sth sensitive like pnd or suspected abuse? Instead of ringing the HV office and speaking to a trained NHS receptionist I now ring the charity office. I guess their receptionists and volunteers are bound by the same confidentiality agreements and receive the same IG training as NHS staff.... right?

Also, recently I used the HV weigh in clinic to weigh my twins. I was going back off mat leave so ensured HV had my mobile as I wouldn't be just popping by to clinic anymore. Subsequently, a volunteer for ZZ charity has rung up a couple of times advertising other services or groups they offer. On the one hand they are being helpful and I was nice back. But on the other I am uncomfy with my personal details being shared with a 3rd party organisation to cross promote their services.

Again just musing here. Just doesn't sit quite right.

Sorry, make that most

I don't think you are being unreasonable, a big change is being forced on us by a slow, gradual process.

The health and social care act 2012. There's no doubt it was controversial.

You are not over thinking it is a bit of a mess how different health services are provided.

For example my community midwife and HVs use my GP surgery however they are not part of the same team/department. So the GP have to write in my paper notes at appointments as well as on their own IT systems, and vice versa for them to see what each other wrote. The receptionists will pass messages to each group but make it clear that appointments with the midwife and HVs have nothing to do with them, and so cannot be booked in through them. The GP practice gets additional money from the NHS for allowing the midwife and HV to use the rooms.

There is also family planning clinics run at my GP surgery. In this case the receptionists will make appointments. I know the money comes from a different pot but I'm not sure exactly how the notes are recorded. I do know that I have had to repeat issues I've had with various pills to GPs in the practice as they aren't on my main medical records.

Therefore it is likely that the charity gets money from the NHS to allow midwifery and HV services to be run from there but there will be things e.g. record keeping that won't be integrated.

I guess their receptionists and volunteers are bound by the same confidentiality agreements and receive the same IG training as NHS staff.... right?

Can't comment on any training they may or may not have had, but I work for a charity and had to sign a confidentiality agreement. GDPR will also, obviously, apply.

If they receive funding from the LA or NHS Trust it's possible their contract will require them to adhere to the same privacy/confidentiality requirements. You can always ask and also request a copy of their policies.

It's not new. In our area there've been antenatal and HV appointments held in the SureStart venue what's left of it now for a decade now. SureStart being run by Barnardos. It's the SureStart receptionist you ring for appointments.

I'm not sure it's an entirely cuts related thing either actually. Where I live, this came in before 2010, and was done deliberately to try and get women early so they'd be more likely to see the services available and engage with them. Or that's what they said anyway.

I've no experience of using antenatal or HV services before this model came in so can't say if it's improved or worsened things, but it did mean I knew what was on offer. I went to the baby group as I'd seen it was there and looked decent. And although I had zero interest in breastfeeding I had seen the support posters and would therefore have known it was there if required.

Unfortunately it's creeping in everywhere.

Our sexual health clinics and dermatology stuff is now provided by Virgin Care

Koneko

Thanks I am not going to request policies etc as I don't have anything sensitive to raise - I'm just asking as a general point. I am not really convinced tbh - NHS staff have to do regular IG training, I think annually in some areas, and discretion is drummed into them as gossping or sharing info is a sackable offence. I am not sure a part time volunteer for a charity signing a confidentiality agreement is the same.

I mean no offence - my DH is a manager in a charity and very aware of GDPR. But that's not the same as being trained to deal with sensitive health info.

Also, some big charities are decidedly dodgy.... Oxfam, anyone? Kids Company? Of course some NHS trusts are too but I feel like charities have a lower level of scrutiny than HCP.

We have a local community interest company which provides antenatal care - they provide it to the hospital entirely free of charge and fund it from their private classes, yoga lessons etc. Not sure how it works with mailing lists etc though!

I’m a nurse employed at a hospital that is owned by a charity. We are commissioned by the NHS and are part of a specific NHS care pathway. For the patients receiving care there is absolutely no difference noticed by them (I’m not sure they are actually all aware) - the only difference is that my pay is slightly higher than the NHS base rate but I don’t get shift enhancements or equivalent maternity pay/annual leave/sick pay etc.

Oh, and whilst we don’t have to jump through so many hoops or have as much red tape as in the NHS, we are absolutely under as much scrutiny and held to the same standards as the NHS. There are plenty of volunteers like you describe working for the NHS too.

Eventually it will probably be contracted out to Virgincare and you won't even be able to get through to the fuckers on the phone.