Decision Maker: Director for Safer and Stronger Communities, GM Deputy Mayor, Group Chief Finance Officer
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Public health expertise has been crucial to
the development of the GM
Violence Reduction Unit and the programme has greatly benefited
from this
since its inception in 2019. Until October 2022, input has been
through a
succession of Public Health Registrar appointments as part of the
national
registrar training programme. However, between January 2021 and
May
2021 there was no Public Health Registrar available which
highlighted the
potential risk of solely relying on registrar support.
Therefore, to ensure a strong public health approach is adopted
across Greater Manchester for Violence Prevention, it is critical
to incorporate senior public health expertise and knowledge. It was
established that the individual must be an expert in the field of
Public Health, (registered in GMC/UKPHR/GDC), with particular
specialist knowledge in Violence Prevention, so that the public
health principles could be embedded into a system wide approach. It
was established that they must also be a senior and system leader
with extensive knowledge and expertise of public sector, in
particular NHS and local government, so that cultures and
organisational boundaries are understood, yet can be
challenged.
Since Helen Lowey Consultancy Ltd was appointed in October 2022,
the VRU has reaped multiple benefits, including:
• Provision of sufficient senior expertise to influence and
negotiate with
District Directors of Public Health and Strategic Health Leads
across
a range of organisations and settings
• Representing GM wide public health agenda in relation to
Police, Fire
and Crime to support integration within the developing locality
boards
and development of an Integrated Care System
• Advising the Mayor and Deputy Mayor regarding opportunities
and
approaches to support reducing Youth Violence and Gender
Based
Violence
• Representing the Public Health agenda at the GM Violence
Reduction
Governance Board and provide credible leadership and guidance
at
a senior level to support systemwide change and improvement.
• Providing oversight of all relevant data and ways to
strengthen and
improve the VRU understanding of all factors relating to
violence.
• The consultant has overseen the production of two Serious
Violence Strategic Needs Assessments during her time with the
VRU
The appointment of Helen Lowey Consultancy Ltd has brought added
value to the VRU via unpaid Public Health Registrar placements.
Whilst the VRU has been in receipt of one placement since Aug 2023
(due to end May 31st 2024) the qualifications held by Helen Lowey
Consultancy Ltd allows the VRU to receive two unpaid Public Health
Registrar placements at the same time from August 2024.
This extension is proposed to take the contract through to 31st
March 2025, at which point the VRU will review its needs in
relation to public health, by which time it will have benefited
from almost 3 years of expertise to develop its public health
approach to reducing serious violence.
The VRU wishes to vary its existing contract
with Helen Lowey Consultancy Ltd by adding a value of £34,800
to extend the current contract beyond its current end date of
October 2024 to 31st March 2025. The current value of the contact
is £174,000 and the total new value of the varied contract
will be £208,800.
Publication date: 08/07/2024
Date of decision: 13/06/2024