Agenda Item
No.
HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
EFFICIENCIES AND I.T. PANEL
MONDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2005 AT 9.30 A.M.
3
HERTS INTEGRATED TRANSPORT PARTNERSHIP (HITP) - Progress
Report
Report of the Director of Environment
Author: John Sykes/Toby Parsons
Purpose of paper
Tel: 01992 556118
To provide more detailed information on the progress of HITP project since
July 2004.
To identify the priorities for the next stage of the project.
1. The aims of Hertfordshire Integrated Transport Partnership (HITP)
1.1
To promote travel independence, inclusion and accessibility;
1.2
To provide the right transport for the right people;
1.3
To produce efficiencies in service delivery (£1m by September 2006).
From the transport users’ perspective, HITP is working towards making it easy for users to find out about any kind of public and specialist transport and to book specialist transport through one point of contact, such as transport to leisure, day care or health appointments.
From the stakeholders’ perspective, HITP is working towards being clear about who can access what kind of transport service, either free or through making a financial contribution, and how to organise the transport efficiently and effectively.
2. What has HITP achieved since July 2004?
In addition to various internal communication improvements, we have made the following changes from which Hertfordshire residents will directly benefit.
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2.1 Aim 1:
To promote travel independence, inclusion and accessibility
2.1.1
2.1.2
Achievements
Travellink now has its own corporate identity. Access to information on all transport options is now available to all residents by using the web www.hertslink.org/travellink and/or the Customer Services Centre helpline on 01438 737250. This will be supported as part of the
Environment Department’s PTU link to the Centre.
A rural transport project was successfully launched in April 2005, to provide door-to-door transport services into the Lister Hospital from the surrounding areas in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth and Baldock. In order to help satisfy the increasing demand for the service, work is now being undertaken with the East and North Herts Acute Trust to extend the service to the QE11 and Hertford County hospitals.
The project is also supporting the development of a transport strategy for the whole of the Acute Trust in order to identify how this could be mainstreamed as part of their future transport needs.
2.2 Aim 2:
To provide the right transport for the right people.
Achievements
2.2.1
A
“call-off” taxi contract has been set up for all ad hoc journeys procured by ACS or CSF in North Herts and Stevenage, offering the following benefits:

A saving of administrative time in the quadrant;

A reduction in the per journey taxi costs;

Clear quality and performance expectations of contractors.
The outcome of the work will then be disseminated across other quadrant areas.
2.2.2
Eligibility screening for all non emergency patient journeys within the
NHS East and North Herts Acute Trust has now been centralised through a pilot programme, using the Customer Services Centre. This will not only enable the right people to access free non-emergency transport, but also identify how similar centralised eligibility screening techniques could be used across other HCC service areas. A business case is now being developed for consideration by the Acute Trust to enable the service to be permanently funded.
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2.3 Aim 3:
To produce efficiencies in service delivery (£1m by September 2006).
Achievements
2.3.1
An on-going saving of
£450,000 has already being identified through project work relating to looked-after children transport costs in 2004/5.
2.3.2
A further “one off” underspend budget saving of £472,000 was also identified on the home to school transport budget in 2004/5.
2.3.3 Further budget allocations have also been negotiated from key stakeholders to help develop current programme including:
- £15k from North Herts/Stevenage PCT to develop the eligibility screening programme
-
£6k from remaining 3 East/North Herts PCTs to support the screening project
- £36k from the ENH Acute Trust to extend the customer service centre (CSC) eligibility pilot programme to cover acute care patients
- £15k from ENH Acute Trust to develop the Lister Rural
Transport project to serve QE11 hospital
- £150k from HCC to develop appropriate routing and booking software linked to the CSC project
2.3 4 A considerable amount of work has been undertaken in reviewing a range of CSF and ACS transport strategies and policies. In particular those which could yield significant efficiencies have been highlighted in the attached action plan (Appendix B) with corresponding key deadlines, targets and lead officers from CSF and ACS.
3.0 Future Deliverables
The remaining work projected into the next 18 months is illustrated in
Appendix A of this report. Each aspect of the programme has been allocated a short, medium and longer term “stakeholder” lead organisation. This not only helps to identify the scope and targets for the HITP programme but also highlights the exit strategy that needs to be achieved beyond March 2007 when the project funding ceases.
4.0 Conclusion
The project has made considerable progress since April 2004 and has identified a project plan for the remaining 18 months. Changes to the project manager’s role, his interface with the new Herts Integrated Transport Services
Manager and the proposed change of HCC project lead officer within the
Environment Department, should serve to strengthen the programme and help deliver all of the project strands by March 2007.
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Policy
Development
Strategic
Accessibility
Planning
Appendix A
HITP Work Programme
Outstanding
Project Work
Strands
Commissioning
Home to School
Transport
Action
Monitoring and reviewing the non emergency SLA on quarterly basis
Possible market testing of SLA
Develop further opportunistic taxi contracts for other areas of
Hertfordshire
Support the further work identified in the
HCC action plan highlighted under
Appendix B below
Work with broader stakeholder groups - particularly CVS/ACS groups
Short Term
Lead
3- 6months
HITP
HITP/NHS
CSF
As per action plan
HITP
Commission leads facilitate groups
Continue to support
InYH transport strategy and further community hospital plans.
HITP/
HITS
CSF
Medium Term
Lead
6-12months
HITP/BHAPS/
NHS
HITP/NHS
Long Term
Lead
12-18 months
BHAPS/NHS
NHS
CSF
Jointly monitored through
CSF/ACS/PTU
HITP/CVS/
ACS
Environment
Dept
Jointly monitored through
CSF/ACS/PTU
CVS/ACS
Environment
Dept
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Lister Hospital
Project
Single Point of
Access
HITP
HITP/ENH
Acute
Trust/BHAP
HITP/CSC
HITP/West
Herts Acute
Trust/CSC
HITP/HCC/
NHS/
Stakeholder
Groups
HITP/HCC
NHS
Stakeholder groups
HITP and
Project
Steering
Group
HITP and
Project
Steering
Group
HITP
HITP and
Project
Steering
Group
Develop a transport strategy for the ENH
Acute Trust
Monitor and review
Lister project
Develop extension of pilot across to QE11 and Hertford County
Hospital
Work with district councils to pump prime project at
QE11 and Hertford
Look to mainstream project with stakeholders support
Continue to develop the CSC pilot with
Acute Trust
Agree long term strategy with new
CSC provider
Dovetail West Herts
Trust application into
CSC
Develop routing and planning software application into CSC programme
Continue to develop broader application of eligibility screening programme with other stakeholders
ENH Acute
Trust
HITP/Steering
Group
HITP/Steering
Group
HITP/PTU
Project
Steering
Group
ENH Acute
Trust
HITP/Acute
Trust
HITP/ Acute
Trust /CSC
HITP/ West
Herts Acute
Trust/CSC
HITP/HCC/
NHS/
Stakeholder
Groups
HITP/HCC
NHS
Stakeholder groups
Groups
Acute Trust
Acute
Trust/CSC
West Herts
Acute
Trust/CSC
HCC/ NHS
Stakeholder
Groups
HCC/NHS
Stakeholder
ENH Acute
Trust
ENH Acute
Trust
PTU/Acute
Trust
Key stakeholders
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Communication
Strategy
National/Regional
Benchmarking
Budget Monitor
Provide further training support to
CSC
Agree/circulate
“newsletter”
Coordinate members scrutiny programme
Continue to seek opportunities with
PR/Marketing team for further Travellink publicity
Continue to share good practice and identify opportunities to create additional funding
Manage monthly monitor of HITP budget
Key BHAPS
CVS
CSC
CSF
ACS
HITS
PCT
Monitor/review HITP/HCC
Stakeholder
HITP/CSC
HITP/ HCC
Marketing
HITS/
HITP/CSF
HITP/HCC
Marketing
HITP
HITP/North
Herts PCT
Beds and Herts Paramedic and Ambulance
Community Volunteer Services
Customer Service Centre
Adult Care Services
Herts Integrated Transport Services
Primary Care Trust
HITP/HCC
Key
Stakeholder
HITP/CSC
HITP/ HCC
Marketing
HITS/
HITP/CSF
HITP/HCC
Marketing
HITP
HITP/North
Herts PCT
Services
HCC/Key
Stakeholders
CSC
HITP/HCC
Marketing
HITP/HCC
Marketing
HITP
HITP/North
Herts PCT
Children, Schools and Families
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No. Project strand Actions
1 SEN Transport
Policy
To produce the final transport policy.
2. ACS Transport
Policy / Strategy
Development
To identify what transport options will / will not be provided to support the assessment outcomes for all client groups in
ACS.
3. Development of new models of transport for ACS clients.
4. Provision of
Transport to
Faith Schools.
To develop a new model of transport to meet the needs of developing day services in line with ‘Valuing
People’.
To produce a project plan to take forward this work.
Who
Debbie
Orton(CSF)
Sue
Darker(ACS)
Draft strategy to be presented to ACS
Transport Strategy
Group on 9 th September
Final date for completion is 30 th
September
Gill Borg(ACS) Models currently being costed.
These will be included in paper to ACSMB by
30 th September.
Sarah
Vize(CSF)
By When
1 st November
Draft project plan to be developed. Awaiting legal advice prior to further action
5. Delegation of home to school transport to individual schools.
6. Consortia Travel schools or groups of
No action. This work will be picked up as a part of a wider exercise on delegation of other budgets to schools. i) To produce unit cost data and analyse qualitative issues. ii) Plan and deliver a stakeholder workshop in
September-
November
Mike Griffin, supported by
Tim
Parlow(CSF) i) Deadline 30 th
September 2005 and discussion held with quadrant managers. ii) Series of stakeholder workshops planned to identify range of possible options to deliver service
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7.
Opportunistic
Taxi Contract
8.
9.
10.
Service level
Agreements
ACS Budget
Management
CSF Budget
Management
Ensure the contract starts. i) Monitor the effectiveness of the contract. ii) Assess the feasibility of rolling out the contract process to other areas.
Sign off both CSF and ACS SLAs.
Mike Benaim supported by
Tim Parlow and
Gill Borg
(CSF/ACS)
Contract started on 7 th
July. Ongoing monitoring, with three month assessment on
1 st October
Produce ACS unit costs by care group on a budgeted or average basis.
Produce a monthly budget monitor for all transport expenditure for
CSF.
David Ayres for
CSF and Gill
Borg for ACS
David Leigh with Gill Borg
(ACS)
Dean
Langsdon(CSF)
CSF SLA agreed and signed.
ACS SLA waiting signature at next quarterly meeting in
August
Preliminary work on unit costs for 03 - 05 complete. Waiting for
05/06 figures.
Delayed until end of
September
First monitor produced on 31 st July.
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