What we propose
Newcastle city council would like to hear your views on our proposal to work with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). The proposal is to commission a children's occupational therapy (OT) service. The occupational therapy service would join together the community OT team and the OT adaptations team.
Newcastle city council would like to hear your views on our proposal to work with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). The proposal is to commission a children's occupational therapy (OT) service. The occupational therapy service would join together the community OT team and the OT adaptations team.
The statutory (legal duty) responsibility for the service would remain with the council, because Newcastle city council is the 'welfare authority'. This would mean that the council would delegate the budget and the following responsibilities to the ICB:
- Responsibility for completing occupational therapy assessments if a child needs specialist equipment at home or needs an adaptation to their home.
- Responsibility for letting health or housing know when their services might be needed after an occupational therapy assessment.
The agreement would allow the council and the ICB to put their budgets together and this would mean that we would be able to jointly commission (buy) a joint occupational therapy service. The ICB would be the lead commissioner.
Why we are proposing it
We think that this would benefit children, young people, and families. It would mean a more consistent approach and would also give a better understanding of the needs of children and young people. It would reduce the number of services a child would need to use for OT and should also reduce waiting times.
We think that this would benefit children, young people, and families. It would mean a more consistent approach and would also give a better understanding of the needs of children and young people. It would reduce the number of services a child would need to use for OT and should also reduce waiting times.
The purpose of this consultation is to:
- Understand what this could mean for young people with specialist adaptation needs and their families.
- Know what this could mean for providers and services in both occupational therapy adaptations and community occupational therapy pathways.
- Have we looked at all the important issues?
- Or are there more things we should consider?
You can read more details about what we propose here: 2025 05 Children's Occupational Therapy Consultation Information.docx (Word format)
If you have any questions about the consultation or would like the document in a different format such as large print please email: linzi.mcmeekin@newcastle.gov.uk, or call on: 0191 278 78 78.
Alternatively, you can write to: Linzi McMeekin, Commissioning Programme Lead (Education and Early Help), Newcastle City Council, 4th Floor, Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH
Legal details
The council and the ICB have an agreement in place under section 75 of the NHS (National Health Service) Act 2006 which allows the joint commissioning of speech and language services within Newcastle. The agreement was designed so that it could be varied to include other therapies at a later date. The proposal we are consulting on now is to include occupational therapies in the existing section 75 agreement (this variation is permitted within the terms of the current agreement). This would be done under regulation 8 of the NHS act 2006.
Legal details
The council and the ICB have an agreement in place under section 75 of the NHS (National Health Service) Act 2006 which allows the joint commissioning of speech and language services within Newcastle. The agreement was designed so that it could be varied to include other therapies at a later date. The proposal we are consulting on now is to include occupational therapies in the existing section 75 agreement (this variation is permitted within the terms of the current agreement). This would be done under regulation 8 of the NHS act 2006.
