Neath Port Talbot Council’s social services director has hailed a new beginning for the local authority and its health colleagues at the Swansea Bay University Health Board.
Social services director Andrew Jarrett said there was “lots to be excited about” due to the closer collaboration between the two organisations.
It comes after health bosses admitted during a full council meeting last year they needed to find “a different and better way” of working with the local authority, adding it had to ensure they were both collaborating rather than “competing or fighting”.
At the time councillors had criticised the health board for its “unilateral action” when it failed to consult the local authority at an early stage over their plans to close 20 beds at Neath Port Talbot Hospital.
Last week, on June 10, the health board’s chief executive Tracy Myhill and two senior directors attended the council’s social care, health and wellbeing scrutiny committee meeting to update councillors on its work and answer questions.
Mr Jarrett said: “I have been in the authority for about six years and I haven’t seen a chief executive of the health board come to a meeting like this or full council before that.
“There is something that’s different – there’s definitely more of a transparency and a will to work together.
“We are talking about a multi-faceted, complex organisation – you’re not going to be able to put everything right in a couple of months.”
He added: “Over the winter, health opened up their books to us saying ‘this is our financial position, and this is what we’re planning to do.’
“We did the same – that’s the first time that has happened.
“There are really positive green shoots, there’s lots to be excited about.”
Ms Myhill reiterated the importance of partnership between the two organisations.
She told councillors: “We have put a lot of effort into being supportive and helpful.
“We are a big, complex organisation to work with and I recognise it’s not always easy, as you tell us often, when you get six answers to one question, for example.”
