Download Health and Social Care Standing Scrutiny Panel

HEALTH STANDING
SCRUTINY PANEL
ANNUAL REPORT 2004/2005
Panel Membership:
Councillor Simon Woodroofe (Chair)
Councillor Mrs Susan Emment (Vice-Chair)
Councillor Brian Castle
Councillor Kate Crawford
Councillor Kamaljit Dhindsa
Councillor Sophie Hosking
Councillor Harvey Rose
Councillor Virendra Sharma
Councillor Paul Woodgate
Co-opted Members:
Dilmohan Singh Bhasin
Frances English
Adrian March
Pat Seers
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HEALTH STANDING
SCRUTINY PANEL
ANNUAL REPORT 2004/2005
1 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF WORK DURING THE MUNICIPAL
YEAR 2004/2005
1.1 Membership
The Panel membership comprised of nine councillors and four non-voting
advisory members. Reflecting the political balance of Ealing Council, six of the
councillors were Labour, two were Conservatives and one a Liberal Democrat.
Of the four non-voting advisory members appointed by the Panel, one was
nominated by each of the following bodies: Ealing Community Network, the
Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum for Ealing Hospital and the PPI
Forum West London Mental HealthTrust. The fourth non-voting advisory
member had previously been a member on the former Community Scrutiny
Committee.
1.2 Meetings
By the end of May, the Health Panel will have met eight times during the year:
 Six meetings dealt with a range of business matters but were mostly
based on themes such as mental health, primary care, social services
and hospital services
 One meeting was specially arranged so that the Panel could respond to
consultation by an NHS body on a proposed substantial development/
variation in service.
 One meeting was specially arranged to focus on the prevention,
management and treatment of diabetes
Four of the Panel’s meetings were held in the Town Hall, two in the Board
Room at St Bernard’s Hospital, one in the Board Room at Ealing Hospital and
one at the Dominion Arts and Education Centre in Southall.
1.3 Powers and Responsibilities
The Health Panel has the following powers and responsibilities:
a) To review and scrutinise the provision, planning, management and
performance of social services, healthcare services, health education,
and good health promotion
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b) To promote and participate in joint working with, and the holding to
account of, health authorities and other organisations working within
the fields of social services and health
c) To work with and respond to consultations from, NHS and other
external bodies working in the field of substantial development or
variation in NHS services
d) To be responsible for the scrutiny of local health services, to exercise
the powers given to local authorities in the Health and Social Care Act
2001
1.4 Aims
At its outset, the Health Panel also agreed the following aims:
a) To make recommendations to the Council, Cabinet and individual
Portfolio Holders (as appropriate) on ways in which:
i.
social services provided by the Council can be improved and
developed
ii.
the Council can further contribute to the health and well-being of
local people
b) To make recommendations to local NHS bodies on ways in which
healthcare services, and the health and well-being of local people, can
be improved and developed
c) To comment on proposals from NHS bodies to make substantial
developments/ variations in health services provided to local people
d) To act as community leaders
1.5 Work Programme
An annual work programme was agreed at the first meeting of the Panel in
June 2004 following consultation with the health scrutiny leads in the three
local NHS bodies. This programme was amended during the year to take
account of changing circumstances and new priorities.
The work programme for the year (including provisional items for the May
meeting) has included:
TYPE OF SCRUTINY
Holding the Executive to
account
Policy
review/development
TOPIC/ACTIVITY

Day Care services - proposed charges to service
users

Social Services grants commissioning process in
2003.
Homelessness – approval of scrutiny task group
final report and submission to Cabinet

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Performance management
Performance management
and external scrutiny


Social Services Integrated Commissioning
Strategy
Social Services Assessments - implementation of
agreed action plan following a scrutiny task group
report

Adults Social Services - Consolidated Action Plan

Commission for Social Care Inspection and the
Social Services Performance Improvement Plan

Adult and Children’s Services Performance
Information

Social Work services provided by Ealing Council
at Broadmoor Hospital – implementation of agreed
action plan following SSI report

Delayed Transfers of Care

Report on Inquiry into NJ (mental health)

Teenage Pregnancy – implementation of agreed
action plan following a scrutiny task group report
Smoking Cessation – implementation of agreed
action plan following a scrutiny task group report

External scrutiny

Proposed Adolescent Forensic Unit at St
Bernard's Hospital – formal consultation and
update

Ealing Hospital NHS Trust Improvement Plan

Standards of cleanliness & hygiene (including
MRSA) at Ealing Hospital

Funding of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) –
development of primary care premises and
services

Access to family health services

Diabetes – prevention, management and services

PCT Local Delivery Plan for 2005/06

Development of new mental health services in
response to the National Service Framework for
mental health

Environmental and Services issues in the John
Connolly Wing, St Bernard’s Hospital - follow up
on progress on the CHI Action Plan

Development of Learning Disabilities Services

Development of a primary care walk-in centre on
Southall Broadway
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Other activities
Special events

Co-ordination of a health promotion/awareness
event on diabetes in partnership with Ealing
Primary Care Trust and Diabetes UK
Visits made by some Panel members

Visit to proposed location of the Adolescent
Forensic Unit at St Bernard’s Hospital (West
London Mental Health NHS Trust)

Tour of selected parts of Ealing Hospital
Information items received at Panel meetings

Ealing Hospital - Strategic Direction

Development of Patient & Public Involvement
Forums in Ealing

Data on patient queries, concerns and complaints
from local Patients Advice and Liaison Services

Update on the development of the planned
Women’s Enhanced Medium Secure Service and
the Adolescent Forensic Unit at St Bernard’s
Hospital (West London Mental Health NHS Trust)
National Service Framework for Mental Health –
position in Ealing
Children’s Services provided by Ealing Social
Services


Agenda items on structures, processes and relationships

Panel terms of reference

Development of a health scrutiny protocol

Appointment of non-voting advisory members

Strategy for increasing external involvement in
scrutiny
Written Briefings
 Star ratings and performance reports produced by
the Commission for Health Improvement for local
NHS Trusts/PCT
 Patients’ survey results for local NHS Trusts/PCT
 Financial position of local NHS Trusts/PCT
 Development of Ealing Primary Care Trust’s Local
Delivery Plan 2005/8
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2. OUTCOMES AND RECOMMENDATIONS (TO APRIL 2005)
Panel decisions, comments and recommendations recorded in the minutes
(excluding requests for further information and reports) were:
 Support for the development of an Adolescent Forensic Unit at St
Bernard’s Hospital with a recommendation that the West London
Mental Health NHS Trust also consult with Ealing Community Network
and local councillors.
 Support for the learning acquired on, and the proposed future
improvements to be made to, Social Services’ grants commissioning
arrangements.
 Approval of the Homelessness Task Group report and
recommendations for submission to Cabinet along with a
recommendation that Housing should be considered as a specialist
part of Response should be emphasised in any future development.
 Support for the open approach to reporting on MRSA levels that has
been adopted by Ealing Hospital.
 Referral of the concerns of Ealing Hospital about delayed discharges
and the need for 24 hour social care provision to the Portfolio Holder
for Individual Living.
 Support for exploration by the Council as to if and how it might assist
Ealing Hospital to encourage more patients to complete and return
patient survey forms issued on behalf of the Commission for
Healthcare Inspection.
 Referral of a range of issues raised by the Ealing, Hammersmith and
Hounslow Gay Men’s Project about funding levels and mechanisms for
HIV prevention to Ealing Primary Care Trust.
 Congratulations for the staff involved in reducing the number of delayed
discharges of Ealing residents with a request that they continue to seek
improvements.
 Support for the recommendations contained in the action plan following
the NJ (mental health) enquiry.
 Concern regarding the absence of a structured Court Diversion
Scheme with the Mental Health Trust being urged to find funding for
this.
 Discussions be held with Ealing Primary Care Trust on arrangements
for future NHS consultations with the public and the Panel arising from
the Local Improvement Finance Trust plans for improved primary care
premises and services.
 Cabinet was asked to ratify a formal Smoking Policy for the Council
 The principle of adopting a three-borough (Ealing, Hammersmith &
Fulham and Hounslow) definition of what constitutes a substantial
development/variation in NHS services be agreed, along with an
interim definition for Ealing and support was given to a three-borough
workshop with the relevant NHS bodies to progress this work further.
 Support for
 Recommendations on preventing the incidence of diabetes and
improving local services are in preparation (as at April 2005).
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It is difficult to identify specific improvements to services and decisionmaking that occurred solely because of the work of the Panel. However, the
following are of significance:
 Closer working relationships were developed between the Panel and
Ealing Primary Care Trust , Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, West London
Mental Health NHS Trust. It seems likely that this has supported and
encouraged more partnership working between Ealing Council and the
NHS.
 The proposed introduction of charges for users of day care services
was withdrawn by the Portfolio Holder for Independent Living at Full
Council the day before this matter was due to be considered at the
Health Panel, thanks to a referral by two local voluntary organisations.
 The number of delayed discharges at Ealing Hospital has been on a
consistent downward trend since the concerns of Ealing Hospital were
communicated to the Portfolio Holder for Independent Living in
September 2004
 Some 325 people came to the special event in February to seek
information about the prevention, management and treatment of
diabetes. This must surely have had a direct impact on the health and
well-being of some of those who attended.
3. KEY LEARNING POINTS
Based upon discussion at the Panel meeting on 22nd March, the following
learning points have been identified:
Effectiveness
 The Panel has received and assimilated a large amount of information
and a lot of good work has been done
 But the Panel needs to be more effective in drawing out conclusions
and, where appropriate, making recommendations on each issue that it
considers
 It is helpful to identify possible outcomes for each potential item before
it is put on the agenda (unless an information/briefing item).
 A large amount of the Panel’s remit is about the work of outside
organisations – the Panel has less control over these areas of work
Publicity and public involvement
 It has been useful to meet at venues other than the Town Hall
 The diabetes event was useful – something like this should be held
again in the future
 Scrutiny’s profile is not high enough – more use needs to made of the
media
 More work is needed to enable interested members of the public to (a)
help determine what issues get prioritised for consideration and (b)
contribute information and views on items scrutinised
 The Panel needs to know about the views of interested people
(patients, users, carers, local residents, area committees, patients
forums) before it responds to any NHS consultations
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Agenda items and reports
 The Panel should not go over the same material more than once and
updates should be kept brief
 Some reports are still too complex and heavy-duty – reports need to be
in plain English and concise
 There has been some improvement in the scheduling of agenda items,
reducing the amount of waiting time faced by officers attending
 Some meetings have had too many items on the agenda – it is
desirable to have no more than 4 or 5 substantive items on each
agenda
Joint working
 The Panel’s work has demonstrated and encouraged joint working
between Council departments and external organisations, principally
the NHS
4. ATTENDANCE (EXCLUDING 12 MAY 2005)
Maximum
possible
Actual
attendance
Apologies
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
6
4
2
0
0
1
4
2
8
8
8
8
5
8
4
5
2
0
3
3
6
6
6
6
5
4
4
5
0
0
0
0
Elected members
Simon Woodroofe (Chair)
Mrs Susan Emment (Vice-Chair)
Brian Castle
Kate Crawford
Kamaljit Dhindsa
Substituted by Mohammed
Aslam on 8/12/04
Sophie Hosking
Harvey Rose
Virendra Sharma
Paul Woodgate
Non-voting advisory members
Dilmohan Singh Bhasin
Frances English
Adrian Marsh
Pat Seers
The Portfolio Holder for Independent Living attended all 4 Panel meetings,
including all at which adult social services issues were considered. The
Portfolio Holder for Developing Young People attended the one Panel
meeting at which children’s social services issues were considered.
Panel meetings were attended by a total of 58 members of the public, ranging
from a minimum attendance of 3 to a largest attendance of 23 at the special
meeting on diabetes.
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5. CHAIR’S CONCLUDING COMMENTS
Councillor Simon Woodroofe
Chair of Health Standing Scrutiny Panel
This year has seen a considerable development in the activity of the Health
Standing Scrutiny Panel. There was innovation in the design of the event on
diabetes, which was judged a considerable success, while the report on
smoking cessation was well-received both by Cabinet and the Primary Care
Trust. Several meetings were held at venues away from the Town Hall, such
as in Ealing Hospital, St Bernard’s Hospital and at the Dominion Centre in
Southall. Some new co-opted representatives joined the panel and have
settled in well, making some useful contributions. There are still a number of
challenges to help in the improvement of health services in Ealing, such as in
the problems publicised in Ealing Hospital, but plans are being made to meet
them. I want to thank all the members of the panel who aided its success as
well as the help of the scrutiny unit and the co-operation of the Hospital, the
Primary Care Trust and the West London Mental Health Trust.
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