PCD 1762 Shared Service Amendments - GLA Group Public Health Unit

Executive Summary:  

The establishment of a shared-service arrangement between the Greater London Authority (GLA) and four of the five functional bodies: the London Fire Commissioner (LFC), the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and Transport for London (TfL) to provide independent health advice and support services through a shared GLA Group Public Health Function, hosted by the GLA, was approved by the Mayor in March 2022 (MD2940). 

This decision seeks DMPC approval for MOPAC and VRU to agree to both the GLA Group Public Health Unit Shared Services Agreement and also an amendment to the original Shared Services Agreement. The purpose of the amendment is to clarify the principle that annual increases are included within the SSA budget arrangements and is included at Appendix 1. 

Recommendation:  

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:   

1. Approve MOPAC and VRU’s participation in the GLA Group Public Health Unit Shared Services arrangement   

2. Approve the amendment to the Shared Services Agreement 

PART I - NON-CONFIDENTIAL FACTS AND ADVICE TO THE DMPC 

1. Introduction and background  

Background 

1. The GLA Act 1999 (as amended) sets out the Mayor’s role in developing a health inequalities strategy for London, supported by a designated Statutory Health Adviser and a Deputy Statutory Health Adviser (Statutory Health Advisers). These positions were established under sections 309A and 309C of the GLA Act to provide the Mayor, the London Assembly and its committees, London Assembly members, and the five GLA functional bodies with independent advice in relation to: anything appearing to them to be a major health issue; and the performance of the respective functions of those persons and those bodies, so far as they relate to health and the implementation of the Mayor’s statutory health inequalities strategy. The Statutory Health Advisers are required by the GLA Act 1999 to be (respectively) the current Regional Director of Public Health for London and the Deputy Regional Director of Public Health for London, or any successor posts with equivalent duties as designated by the Secretary of State, being in the employ of either the Civil Service or the NHS. They are therefore independent from the GLA in employment terms and cannot be GLA employees. 

2. All the GLA Group organisations contain teams that contribute to the health and wellbeing of Londoners – either directly, or through shaping the social, economic and environmental conditions in which they live. 

3. In late 2020 a Public Health Collaboration Project was established under the oversight of the GLA Group Collaboration Board, to scope and make recommendations on the effective deployment of specialist public health expertise within the GLA Group. 

4. On 10 December 2021 the GLA Group Collaboration Board endorsed proposals for a new GLA Group Public Health Function as a shared service hosted by the GLA on behalf of the GLA Group.  

5. The GLA Group Public Health Function sits within the GLA’s Communities and Skills Directorate. The Function is led by a GLA Group Director of Public Health and is managerially accountable to the Executive Director for Communities and Skills in the GLA, and professionally accountable to the Regional Director of Public Health for London, i.e., to the Statutory Health Adviser. The GLA Group Public Health Function is separate from but complementary to the Health and Wellbeing team within the same directorate. 

6. The GLA Group Public Health Function is overseen by a GLA Group Public Health Forum with representation from across the GLA Group; the MOPAC representatives are the Director of Commissioning and Partnerships and the Director of Strategy and the representatives from VRU are the Director of VRU and the VRU Director of Strategy and Operations. The Chair of the Assembly Health Committee is an observer to this Forum. The Forum’s role is to oversee the priority-setting of the Function; and to advise on the work programme, and associated budget and workforce requirements. It is advisory, which means that its recommendations or actions are subject to GLA Group members’ own internal governance and approval mechanisms. 

Decision-making 

7. Shared-services arrangements under section 401A of the GLA Act 1999 must be approved by the Mayor following consultation with the London Assembly. The Mayor approved the creation of this shared service in March 2022 (MD2940).  

8. Any changes to shared-services arrangements between the GLA and the OPDC, MOPAC, TfL and the LFC will also be approved via the functional bodies’ own decision-making procedures. 

SSA Amendment 

9. The purpose of the amendment is to clarify the principle that annual increases are included within the SSA budget arrangements and the amendment is included at Appendix 1. 

2. Objective and expected outcomes 

1. London has the potential to become the world’s healthiest global city, where all Londoners have the best opportunities to live a long life in good health and no one’s health suffers because of who they are or where they live. The GLA Group Public Health Function will support the GLA Group to play its part in this ambition in full, through public health leadership, functions and networks. 

2. The Function will ensure that the GLA Group effectively protects and improves the health and wellbeing of Londoners by keeping people safe, preventing poor health and levelling up the health gap. 

3. The shared GLA Group Public Health Function will deliver a more efficient, effective and resilient public health function, which serves the GLA Group as a whole, delivering better value for money, consistency of approach and best practice through enhanced joint working. 

3. Equality Comments  

1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 

2. There are no equality or diversity implications arising from this report. 

4. Financial comments 

1. The contributions were agreed in principle at the GLA Group Collaboration Board on 10 December 2021. MD2940 noted that MOPAC have formally ratified their contribution. The Agreement between GLA and MOPAC dated 07/07/2022 set out the agreed budget for MOPAC and VRU as £74,400 for years 1 and 2, £26,725 of which was attributed to VRU. 

2. The SSA amendment will see costs increase from £74,400 to £140,700 by 2027/28 to reflect the costs of the Target Operating Model. The required budget growth has been included in the 2025/26 draft budget. The proposed budgets are as follows: 

5. GDPR and Data Privacy  

1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.  

6. Background/supporting papers 

Appendix 1 - MEMORANDUM OF VARIATION