Examination of Witnesses (Questions 40-42)
17 SEPTEMBER 2003
JOHN ARCHER,
CHRIS APPLEBY
AND GAIL
RICHARDS
Q40 Dr Pugh: But that is not a project,
is it? That is an ongoing commitment.
Mr Appleby: No, but it is why
I would in principle support Gail's proposal.
Q41 Dr Pugh: You seem quite relaxed
about the additionality that some of these projects are supposed
to offer and mainstream funding and the merging of the two. Is
that a fair reading of how you feel about things? You are not
too bothered if projects merge with mainstream funding and vice
versa?
Mr Appleby: No. I think it is
important. I think that is how they get integrated. Keeping things
as projects for too long means that they never get integrated
into your mainstream business. It seems to me that the purpose
of all of this is to alter the way in which we provide or deliver
mainstream business and the purpose of these projects is to affect
that, and therefore if there is a merger then I think that is
got to be the right way. We are looking for permanent sustainable
change in my view.
Mr Archer: I would like to see
a continued growth in what we have done around something called
tier two. Tier two schemes were, very crudely, just to shift services
out from the hospital into the community and make them much more
accessible. Our tier two scheme on mental health in Oldham is
about giving a single point of access. We can promote that, we
can advertise that, we can give information about that, we can
provide good quality assessment to all areas with increased investment
on that side.
Q42 Chairman: And you are evaluating
that so that you can see that it is working?
Mr Appleby: Very much so, yes.
Chairman: On that note can I thank you
very much for your evidence.
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