Minutes for Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) meeting, Sep 8 2009, 6.30PM official page

Apologies for absence were received from the following:-

Councillor D. Hardy and his Substitute Councillor Cluskey;

Councillor Pearson and his Substitute Councillor Bigley;

Councillor Platt and his Substitute Councillor T. Jones;

Ian Ross, Sefton Local Involvement Network (LINk); and

Sheila Finnegan, Director of Strategy, Commerce and Communications, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

The following declaration of interest was received:

Member

Item

Reason

Action

Councillor Hill

No. 36

Personal – his wife is employed by Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

Took part in consideration of the item and voted thereon.

Minutes of the meeting held on 4 August 2009.

That, subject to the inclusion of Madeline Harding, Director of Social Modernisation, North West Ambulance Service, in the attendance list, the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 August be approved.

The Chair confirmed that Janet Borgerson, the regular Overview and Scrutiny Officer for this Committee, had given birth to a baby boy on 18 August 2009.

RESOLVED:

That the best wishes of the Committee be accorded to Janet on the birth of her son.

Presentation by Mersey Care NHS Trust.

A presentation on the above had been made to this Committee at its meeting on 4 August 2009.

With the agreement of the Committee, Councillor Byrom a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Trust, addressed the Committee and explained that the Trust was undergoing a period of consultation on the Foundation Trust Equivalent status and that feedback would be provided once the consultation had concluded.

Councillor McGuire suggested utilising social websites on the Internet in order to engage younger people in the consultation. Kim Crowe, the Executive Director of Service Development and Delivery, Mersey Care NHS Trust, reported that whilst the Trust would prefer face-to face engagement with the local community, this would be considered.

RESOLVED:

That the matter, together with the Trust’s intention to report back to this Committee on the outcome of consultations on the application for Foundation Trust Equivalent status, be noted.

Report of the Chief Executive of NHS Sefton.

A.            Transforming Community Services

Commissioning Strategy for Community Healthcare

A draft commissioning strategy was currently being developed to assist in transforming community health services within Sefton. The strategy would set out how community based initiatives would be developed, the aim being to ensure that all existing and future community-based services were as efficient and effective as possible in meeting the goal of improving local health and health care and reducing inequalities.

The Southport and Ormskirk Health “Economy”

The commissioning strategy would enable all organisations across the local health economy to identify options for the future delivery of services, whether in hospital or in community settings.

New Name for Provider Service

Provider Services had been re-named as “NHS Sefton Community Health Services” (CHS), at no additional cost, and would assist in reflecting a separate identity from the commissioning function. It would also allow CHS to be viewed as an identifiable and equal partner in the care marketplace.

B.            Relocation of NHS Sefton Headquarters

NHS Sefton would move offices from Waterloo and Southport to a single site at Merton House, Bootle between 11 and 25 September 2009. The new site would enable more efficient working and more effective joined-up working with partners from the Children’s Trust and Sefton Council’s Social Care Directorate.

C.            Initiative 10 – Programme for Better Ways of Working

The current economic climate would provide increased financial challenges for the NHS as a whole in the foreseeable future. “Initiative 10” was a new programme established to identify more efficient and effective ways of working within health services. This in turn would enable freed up resources to be invested back into other health services and treatments.

D.            Tackling Healthcare Associated Infections

Regional and national experts had visited Sefton at the end of August 2009 to investigate how healthcare associated infections were being dealt with. The feedback had been very positive and would be utilised to reduce further any occurrences of MRSA and C-difficile.

E.        One Call for a Healthy Sefton

Telephone calls could now be made to Healthy Sefton in order to obtain free information on improving lifestyle. Callers could obtain information on smoking cessation, weight management, becoming more active and dealing with stress / anxiety. Calls could be made to 0300 100 1000.

F.            Guiding People to Local Health Services

Copies of the annual guide to local health services, containing useful contacts, along with information regarding NHS Sefton, were currently being distributed to all homes within the Borough. Further copies were available on request or could be obtained from GP practices and health centres. Alternatively, the guide could be downloaded from the NHS Sefton website.

The Chair suggested the inclusion of the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

G.            Progress on Children’s Walk-In Centre

Options for an all ages walk-in centre at the Southport Hospital site were currently being compared to an alternative scheme for children only at the Southport Centre for Health and Well-being. Interested parties had been consulted and developments would be reported back to this Committee in the coming weeks.

H.            Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting for Sefton NHS would take place on Thursday, 24 September 2009, at the Gild Hall, Formby, commencing at 5.30 p.m. Copies of the NHS Sefton Annual Report would be made available at the meeting.

I.            Volunteer Scheme Short-listed for Top National Award

NHS Sefton and its partners in the Sefton Equalities Partnership had been short-listed for a national award for work in setting up a volunteer scheme to support transgender people in gaining access and support to the working environment. The project had reached the final round of the “Reducing Health Inequalities Category” of the Health Service Journal Awards and the winner would be announced later this year.

J.         Burns Update

Following a reconfiguration of the burns network a national review of services provided for the treatment of burns was now underway. Whiston Hospital was the current centre of excellence accessed by Sefton residents, although services could possibly be re-located to Manchester. Alison Shaw, Chief Operational Officer, Community Health Services, NHS Trust, reported verbally that the Trust would receive a briefing from the Burns Network on 14 September 2009 and a fuller briefing would be provided to this Committee on this matter at a future meeting.

K.        The Lighthouse Project

The Strategic Director, Health and Social Care reported verbally on the above not-for-profit organisation which provided services for drug and alcohol dependent users across Merseyside, and which the Council had commissioned to provide services. Local newspapers had reported that the organisation was currently £9m in debt and was facing on-going investigations into the mismanagement of funds. Some 5,000 service users across Merseyside would be affected. The Strategic Director also reported that attempts to provide an emergency service for users remained on going.

RESOLVED: That

(1)       NHS Sefton be thanked for the report;

(2)       the report be noted; and

(3)       NHS Sefton’s actions against recommendations and proposals contained in the report, and reported verbally at the meeting, be monitored as appropriate.

Report of the Legal Director.

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director presenting the report of the “Analysis and Evaluation of Early Mechanisms in Health & Social Care Systems” Working Group. The Working Group had made a number of recommendations that required consideration and approval.

Councillor McGuire, the Lead Member of the Working Group, addressed the Committee on the outcomes of the Working Group.

RESOLVED:            That

(1)       the report of the “Analysis and Evaluation of Early Mechanisms in Health & Social Care Systems” Working Group be noted;

(2)               the recommendations contained within the Working Group report be supported and forwarded to the Cabinet and NHS partners for approval;

(3)       a progress report be submitted to this Committee in twelve months time; and

(4)       the thanks of the Committee be extended towards the Working Group Members and Janet Borgerson, Overview and Scrutiny Officer, for their hard work towards producing the Working Group report.

Report of the Chief Executive

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive updating Members of potential areas of concern in relation to this Committee, as identified by the Audit Commission in the Comprehensive Area Assessment, and including details of Sefton's response on the matter.

The table attached at Annex 1 to the report identified the priority areas for Health and Social Care which were:-

• Breast-feeding; and
• Health Inequalities.

The Strategic Director, Health and Social Care considered that work remained on going to improve health inequalities across the Borough as a whole, although it was difficult to narrow the gap between areas of deprivation and areas that were considered to be more advantaged.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted and further reports be received as this matter develops.

Report of the Legal Director.

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director attaching the latest Key Decision Forward Plan that contained all the Key Decisions that the Executive was anticipated to take during the above period. The Committee was advised of its right to pre-scrutinise any Key Decision which fell under its remit.

The report also outlined the site visits that were planned in the near future, as follows:-

Organisation

Date of Visit

Hesketh Centre, Southport

7 October 2009;

Ashworth Hospital

15 October 2009, in the morning

- Visit limited to Chair, Vice-Chair and Spokespersons, due to high security;

Liverpool Women’s Hospital

Date to be determined.

In addition, a site visit to Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust had been set for 2 November 2009.

Further to Minute No. 72 of 7 April 2009 and to Minute No. 114 of the meeting of the Cabinet of 3 September 2009, the Acting Head of Overview and Scrutiny reported that the final report of the “Supported Housing Needs” Working Group, on its inquiry into the provision of supported housing services in Sefton for vulnerable adults, had now been considered by the Cabinet and that the recommendations, as set out in the report, had been approved.

With regard to the Working Group established on dementia by this Committee, membership was currently comprised of Councillor McGuire (Liberal Democrat) and Councillor Pearson (Conservative). A Labour Member was required before the inaugural meeting could be held. The Chair suggested that Sefton LINks could be approached to contribute towards this Working Group.

RESOLVED:            That

(1)       the Key Decision Forward Plan be noted;

(2)               the site visits organised be supported; and

(3)            Councillor Webster be included in the membership of the Working Group established to consider dementia.