Agenda and minutes

An apology was received from the Vice Chair Councillor Julie Cooper (represented by Councillor Hutton) and from Councillor Gardner.

To consider the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 4 March, 2019.

Agreed:         That the minutes of the last meeting held on 4 March 2019 be agreed as a correct record.

Councillor Northcott declared an interest as the Vice Chair of the Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee.

Proposals to create one strategic commissioning organisation across Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent are being put to the public.  The CCGs are inviting views on a proposal to work as a single organisation to commission health and care services for the County.

Dr Alison Bradley, Chair of North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Anna Collins, Associate Director of Communication and Engagement presented to the Committee on proposals to become a single strategic commissioning organisation.  They explained how this change would enable the new structure to deliver improved health and care services for the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent area. Whether as six CCGs or as a single CCG the organisation would work towards delivering the Together We’re Better partnerships vision: “Working with you to make Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent the healthiest places to live and work”.

The potential benefits of collaboration were outlined and the alternative proposals set out:

Option1         Keep the current arrangement of six separate CCGs under a single leadership team

Option 2        Develop a new, single CCG

Feedback on the consultations would be reported to the CCGs with a decision expected by the membership of GPs in September 2019.

Members of the Committee engaged in discussions and the CCG responded. The CCG confirmed that consultations had been held with neighbouring areas including Cheshire and Derbyshire in respect to the number of cross border GP practices.  A number of CCGs had already merged, including Derbyshire and Birmingham and Solihull and their experience had been valuable.  Additional funding which had been given to certain areas following needs assessment would not be used to prop up a deficit in another area – the funding formula would be protected.

Members felt uncertain that the requirement for services in respect to elderly people was adequately met whilst the CCG stated that services were tailored and responsive to the growing complex needs of older people. 

Specific questions from members included the safeguarding of services and managed care pathways; the consolidation of maternity services and concerns around the loss of jobs on combining sites; availability of appointments to patients locally.  The CCG stressed the strength of the divisional committee which worked to shape services.  There were currently 85 GP vacancies in Staffordshire and the intention was to recruit and retain the workforce, with collaboration this action could be more effective.

Continuing, members asked for assurance on the co-existence of urban and rural models and whether the savings made would be used to purchase extra integrated care packages.  The CCG confirmed that truly integrated care was one of the key priorities and that any savings would go back into patient care.  The divisional structure would determine how services were delivered in urban/rural areas.

Members asked about the organisational/geographical barriers to change and the alternative views.  In response it was explained that the six Governing Bodies had sought assurance on the following key areas:

Clinical leadership -  Remain clinically led and break down barriers in the interests of patients

Local control – Retain strong, local clinical and patient voices

Local needs – Respect that different areas of the county may have particular healthcare needs different to others and we need to consider these needs

Money - Ensure that no CCG would lose out financially as a result  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

This item provides an opportunity for the Portfolio Holder to update members of the Scrutiny Committee on the response of the Cabinet to the suggestions made by the Committee at their last meeting.

Councillor Holland, on behalf of the Cabinet, provided an update report in response to the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Committee on 4 March 2019.  This included action to write to the Home Office seeking consideration of reclassification of Monkey Dust and further information on the Active Lives Children’s Survey. To date there had not been a response from the Home Office to the correspondence concerning Monkey Dust.

Agreed:         That the report be noted.

To receive feedback from members of this committee who attended the meetings of the Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee

Agreed:         That the minutes of the Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee held on 19 March 2019 be noted.

This item is presented for members information.

Agreed:         That the report of the Chairman of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel held on Monday 29 April 2019 be noted.

The Partnerships Manager submitted a report which updated the Scrutiny Committee on the progress on the delivery of the Boroughs Safeguarding Workplan 2017 -20.

The Councils Safeguarding Policy was reviewed and approved in January 2018 and sets out the Councils approach to safeguarding and other types of abuse and vulnerabilities such as domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, forced marriage, genital mutilation and honour based violence, modern slavery and human trafficking, hate crime and preventing exploitation for the purposes of extremism and terrorism.

An internal Audit had recently been undertaken of the Policy, and although it concluded that safeguarding work in the Council was “Adequately Controlled”, the Audit made a number of recommendations.  The Scrutiny Committee considered each of these recommendations together with the actions taken.

Members asked if the safeguarding training could be rolled out to include members of Community Hall management and also Parish Councils.

Members noted the work undertaken and thanked the officer for the continued work and attention.

Agreed:         That the report be noted.

The Chief Executive submitted a report on Work Programme Planning and invited members of the Committee to submit items for consideration.  In response members submitted the following items:

·        Review of the SPACE scheme and the relationship with a reduction in anti-social behaviour.

·        An examination of the incidence of domestic violence and the impact of local initiatives.

·        Emergency planning specifically in relation to climate change and the impact of flooding

·        Examination of ways to encourage greater use of the parks and green spaces to benefit health and mental wellbeing

·        Examination of the progress on the dementia friendly strategy

·        To receive a report on air quality

·        To scrutinise the operation and marketing of Jubilee 2

·        Plans for the delivery of medicines in the event of a no deal Brexit

Agreed          That a work programme be compiled for submission to the Committee.

Any member of the public wishing to submit a question must serve two clear days’ notice, in writing, of any such question to the Borough Council.

There were no members of the public present at the meeting.

There were no items of urgent business