Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as a correct record.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of party whip.

Ms Mabel Taylor attended the meeting to address the Committee regarding respite care. She suggested that there were 4,500 sufferers of dementia in the Borough however it had been reported that there was little take up of local authority respite care offers which meant the Council was proposing to close respite services such as Mountview in Congleton. She went on to suggest that as carers saved the Council money by providing care for their relatives that would otherwise be paid for by the Council there should be provision for respite care to provide carers with the opportunity for time out for themselves to recharge their batteries. She finished by suggesting that due to the closure of Bexton Court people needing care in the North West of the Borough needed to be transported to other centres in the East of the Borough which could not be ideal for those suffering dementia and their carers.

Ms Charlotte Peters Rock attended the meeting to address the Committee regarding dementia care and respite services. She referred to the Support for Older People and Dementia Task and Finish Report contained within the Agenda and suggested that the Committee should support the recommendations. She also referred to the North West Ambulance Service’s Communities Strategy and suggested that a carers needs must be taken into account in the transport of patients which was not currently the case. She suggested that since the closure of Bexton Court, Macclesfield Hospital was short of spaces for respite care which was pressuring family carers. She also referred to the consultation on proposals for the future use of Mountview Community Support Centre in Congleton and was against potential decision to close it.

To approve the Scrutiny Report for submission to Cabinet.

The Committee considered the Support for Older People and Dementia Task and Finish Report with a view to approving the recommendations and submitting the report to Cabinet for consideration. Councillor S Jones presented the report as the Chairman of the Task and Finish Group which had conducted the review and produced the report. Councillor S Jones gave an overview of the review process and some of the group’s findings. She directed the Committee to the recommendations and asked that they be endorsed.

Members welcomed the recommendations and agreed that tackling dementia was a key priority for the Council.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the report be received, and recommendations endorsed.

(b)  That it be recommended to Cabinet that the report and recommendations be referred to the Health and Adult Social Care Policy Development Group to consider the actions to be taken as a result of the recommendations.

To consider the health implications on the Safeguarding Peer Review.

The Committee considered the report of the Children Services Safeguarding Peer Review by the Local Government Association specifically in relation to the Health implications of the report and action plan developed in response to the report. The Committee was also asked to consider how the Committee might receive progress reports on the implementation of the action plan. The Deputy Director of Children Services attended the meeting to provide an overview of the report and the action plan with emphasis on the health issues.

The Deputy Director of Children Services stated that the review had been useful to highlight the strengths of services and partnerships, as well as areas which needed improving. The Peer Review Priority Action plan contained several desired outcomes with actions and success indicators for each outcome. Each action had been allocated to a named officer who was responsible for the implantation of actions and the realization of the outcomes. Monitoring of the action plan would allow scrutiny to hold officers to account for the achievement outcomes.

The report and action plan had previously been received by the Corporate Scrutiny Committee. The Committee agreed that the responsibility for monitoring the progress against the action plan should be carried out be a single committee.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the findings of the peer review be noted.

(b)  That the Chairman of this Committee and the Chairman of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee meet to discuss Scrutiny’s approach to receiving progress reports on the action plan.

To consider the NWAS Communities Strategy and offer comments for the consultation process.

The Committee considered the North West Ambulance Service’s (NWAS) draft Communities Strategy. The strategy stated that progress on performance against the aims of the strategy would be closely monitored by the Board of Director’s Communities Committee and progress reports would be published every six months and shared with stakeholders.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the North West Ambulance Service’s draft Communities Strategy be noted.

(b)  That the progress reports published every six months be examined by the Committee when they are available.

The Committee gave consideration to the Work Programme and the following points arose:

·         At its meeting in May the Committee would scrutinise the Quality Accounts from Mid Cheshire NHS Trust. The Committee was advised to consider the accounts closely in the light of the recent problems experienced at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust which had been reported nationally.

·         The Ageing Well Programme performance review would be available in June 2013.

·         The Leisure Services and Open Spaces items were considered to be the responsibility of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee and would be removed from the work programme.

·         Mental Health scrutiny needed to be added to the work programme as this was no longer being carried out by a Cheshire and Wirral Joint Scrutiny Committee.

·         The Committee did not require regular updates on North West Ambulance Services performance issues to be included in the work programme.

·         The Director of Public Health Annual Report would have a different format to previous years and was still being developed. This would not be available for the April meeting.

RESOLVED – That the Work Programme be updated.

To receive an update on the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Councillor J Clowes provided an update on the Health and Wellbeing Board. She stated that the Board would officially begin operating on 1 April 2013.

The development of a Major Incident Strategy was being completed which would include a major role for the Director of Public Health. There was a Members briefing on how Public Health fitted into the Council on 12 March 2013 in Macclesfield.

The development of Healthwatch was progressing. Cheshire East Healthwatch would be a company limited by guarantee and independent from the Council. It would appoint new directors during the week commencing 18 March 2013.

New regulations relating to Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny were published during February 2013. These regulations were being examined to consider whether an amendment to the Health and Wellbeing Board’s terms of reference would be needed. If a change was needed the terms of reference would be submitted to the Committee for comment.

There were no consultations from Cabinet.

Before closing the meeting the Chairman acknowledged Barrie Towse whose involvement with the Committee was coming to an end with the transition of LINks to Healthwatch. The Committee thanked her for her commitment and contribution to the Committee and wished her luck for the future.