Minutes for Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) meeting, Apr 7 2009, 6.30PM official page

Apologies were received from Ian Ross and Anne Brisbrown-Lee, Sefton Local Involvement Network (LINk).

(Including Party Whip Declarations)

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 declarations of interest were received:-

Member

Item

Reason

Action

Councillor Hill

No. 73

Personal – Wife is employed by Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

Took part in consideration of the item and voted thereon.

Councillor Cummins

No. 72

Personal – Non-Executive Director, NHS Sefton

Took part in consideration of  the item and voted thereon.

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2009

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 March 2009, be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Chief Executive.

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Executive, NHS Sefton (the PCT) detailing the current issues impacting on healthcare provision in Sefton.

Leigh Griffin, the Chief Executive of NHS Sefton verbally updated the Committee on the following issues:

(A) Update from NHS Sefton Board

Members of the NHS Sefton Board had been presented with a number of key documents, reports and updates on their performance in a number of core areas, such A&E waiting times and immunisation rates.

Formal thanks had been paid to their retiring Non Executive Director, Rob Gray. The successful candidate, who would also chair the Audit Committee, would be a qualified accountant and join the six other Non Executive Directors on the Board.

All Board papers were available to download from the NHS Sefton website.

(B) More choice as two GP services open

Two new primary care services opened to patients in April 2009, the Trinity Practice, based at Southport Centre for Health and Wellbeing and a new GP led health centre in Litherland Town Hall Health Centre. Both services had extended opening hours and were designed to support and work alongside existing primary care services in the area, while giving people more opportunities to get help and treatment at times and locations that are easier for them.

(C) New number for SUPPORT

Smokers in Sefton could now call a new telephone number on 0300 100 1000 and be directly connected to SUPPORT, Sefton’s stop smoking service. This replaced the Merseyside wide Roy Castle FagEnds line, which needed callers to be transferred to a local team before they could arrange to attend local stop smoking sessions.

(D) Improvements to out of hours services

In March 2009, the PCT relocated the overnight shift of their District Nursing Out of Hours (OOH) Service to the Formby Clinic.  The District Nurse Team joined the overnight clinical team from Integrated Care Sefton (ICS), the PCT’s GP OOH service. This move would help both teams respond more effectively to the current low level of demand for these services during the early hours.

The PCT hoped to further develop a multidisciplinary approach so that patients could be assured of receiving an even higher quality of service and care when they needed it. The PCT would continue to closely monitor the changes to ensure they improved further in the future.

(E) ISIS sees increase in Chlamydia screening rates

ISIS, a confidential and accessible sexual health service with 10 new sexual health clinics across Sefton and available to young men and women. The number of people screened for Chlamydia had significantly increased since ISIS took over the management of the programme.

There was still more to do in order to improve screening rates further in line with national targets and ISIS was putting an action plan together for next year. 

(F) Standards for Better Health

The PCT had submitted their Standards for Better Health declaration to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for formal consideration and comment. The declaration was their annual self-assessment, which looked at how well they complied with core standards to ensure quality in the healthcare they had delivered. The results would count towards the PCT’s overall annual health check rating carried out by the Healthcare Commission.

From April 2009, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would oversee the role previously undertaken by the healthcare Commission. This new independent regulatory body was also taking over the work of the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Mental Health Act Commission.

(G) Staff survey results

The views gained as part of the survey would help the PCT to make improvements to the working lives of all their staff. The PCT would be working with staff side representatives to develop an action plan, focusing on any areas highlighted for development in the full report.  The findings of the staff survey counted towards their Annual Health Check results.

The full results were available to download from the Healthcare Commission’s website.

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, be monitored as appropriate.

Report of the Chief Executive

RESOLVED:- That

(1)   due to lack of representation from Mersey Care NHS Trust, the report be withdrawn from the agenda until such a time when a representative is able to attend; and

(2)   The Overview and Scrutiny Officer write, on behalf of the Committee, to the Chief Executive, expressing the Committees disappointment at their lack of attendance.

Report of the ‘Supported Housing Needs’ Working Group

The Committee considered the report of the Supported Housing Needs Working Group, which set out to scrutinise the provision of supported housing services and all care provision, and whether those were sufficient for the needs of vulnerable adults in Sefton.

Councillor Cummins, lead Member of the Working Group introduced the report and thanked Councillors C Mainey and S Mainey for all their hard work and commitment to the review. Councillor Cummins also extended his appreciation to Janet Borgerson, the Overview and Scrutiny Officer for co-ordinating the Working Group and writing the report.

Councillors from the Committee commended the report and thanked all Members for the work done in protecting vulnerable people in Sefton’s community.

RESOLVED:- That the report, with the following recommendations, be referred to the Cabinet for approval:

(1)   Elected Members need to have more engagement on issues related to the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults, through gaining knowledge of Supported Housing in their wards, and the needs of vulnerable groups;

(2)   A mechanism needs to be introduced to implement and sustain the engagement of Elected Members in issues related to the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults;

(3)   An Elected Member should have the role of Champion for the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults. The Champion should have clear objectives and be regularly briefed by people who deal with these issues. Thereby, the Elected Member Champion will always be informed and up-to-date;

(4)   The appropriate Overview & Scrutiny Committees should receive regular updates on issues related to the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults, including monitoring reports on the Supporting People action plan;

(5)   Appropriate training should be given to all dealing with supported housing needs for vulnerable adults, to ensure they are informed and up-to-date. This would include compulsory mental health training for housing workers;

(6)   Providers of Services should be regularly informed of issues relating to the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults, to ensure they are informed and up-to-date;

(7)   Ward Councillors should be regularly informed of issues relating to the supported housing needs of vulnerable adults, to ensure they are informed and up-to-date;

(8)   An annual Working Group should be established in the Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme, to ensure updates and new issues/schemes regarding supported housing are dealt with accordingly;

(9)   There should be a separate section within the integrated Housing Strategy for vulnerable adults, matching needs analyses with a programme of development to meet those needs;

(10)    All members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) receive training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and mental health issues;

(11)    The Working Group on Access to Social Care should consider the routes into supported housing.

Report of the ‘Core Standards NHS Declarations’ Working Group

The Committee considered the annual report of the Core Standards NHS Declarations Working Group, which set out to formally comment on Healthcare Declarations made by local NHS Trusts. Members agreed with the report and that it be referred to the Cabinet and individual NHS trusts.

Members acknowledged the difficulty with tight deadlines and lack of time given to comment on trust’s healthcare declarations.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee agrees the report with comments and refers it to the Cabinet and individual NHS trusts.

Report of the Legal Director

The Committee considered the report of the Legal Director attaching the latest Key Decision Forward Plan, which contained all the Key Decisions that the Executive anticipated to take during 1 April and 31 July 2009. The Committee was advised of its right to pre-scrutinise any Key Decisions that fell under its remit.

The report also provided updates on recent activities of the current working groups.

RESOLVED That:-

(1)   the contents of the Forward Plan, together with the report, be noted;

(2)   progress in relation to the Committee’s Work Programme and Working Groups be recognised and supported; and

(3)   reports be considered for submission to future meeting of this Committee in relation to:

(a)  Alder Hey Children’s Hospital;

(b)  Litherland Town Hall Health Centre; and

(c)   Update on the joint review of the Royal Liverpool Hospital.