Published at 11:08, Thursday, 22 March 2012

A NEW board that will improve the working relationship between the NHS and Cumbria County Council is to be formed.

The new shadow health and well-being board builds on existing partnership arrangements and will bring together elected members and representatives from the NHS, social care, public health, community and volunteer sector and Healthwatch to work together to improve the services.

Health and well-being boards are part of planned changes that have been set out in the Health and Social Care Bill.

If the bill receives Royal Assent, the county council will be required to establish a permanent Health and Well-being Board by April 2013.

Cumbria County Council is one of 134 local authorities that signed up to be early implementers for health and well-being boards.

James Airey, responsible for adult social care, said: “This new shadow board will allow us to build on a strong relationship with our partners in health.

“We are already working on a range of joint initiatives.”

Prof John Ashton, Cumbria’s director of public health, said: “Here in Cumbria we already have a close working relationship between the county council and NHS in a variety of different areas.

“The creation of a shadow health and well-being board will help to cement that relationship and take that work forward in the future.

“In particular, it should enable us to tackle the key challenges, such as an ageing population and the need to make sure our young people enjoy the highest possible levels of health.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk