Issue - meetings

To consider in detail the arrangements for constituting a Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee for East Cheshire, and in particular the draft Terms of Reference for the Committee.

In accordance with the request made at the last meeting of the Committee, the Cheshire East Governance Lead Officer submitted a report detailing proposed arrangements to constitute a Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Select Committee for East Cheshire, and in particular the draft Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Committee and how it might operate.    The ToR included scrutiny of the Authority’s own Social Care Services and acknowledged the Government’s expectations for the integration of Commissioning between Health and Social Care and that Scrutiny Committees could add best value with focus on that Commissioning.

Health and Social Care was becoming increasingly regulated and inspected. It was important that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) should have a good understanding of the NHS workings and key policies and drivers.  It was suggested that regular time be set aside to build and maintain relationships with key partners to enable the Committee to be a “critical friend” and help achieve desirable outcomes for the health of the population.  Similar consideration would be given to the relationship with the Local Involvement Network (LINk) and drawing up agreed protocols.

It was noted that scrutiny of health issues could span PCT or Local Authority boundaries and may sometimes be on a Sub-Regional or Regional basis – e.g. the Ambulance Services, Cancer Networks or Specialised Commissioning.  A Joint Committee currently existed with Wirral MBC and Cheshire County Council to scrutinise the activities of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Foundation Trust. The Joint Committee had been influential in sustaining the profile of mental health issues.

Government Guidance stipulated that Health Trusts must bring significant proposals for change to Scrutiny.  There was no similar requirement for major changes within social care to be brought to scrutiny.  It was suggested that it would be good practice for the Committee to act as even-handedly as possible and therefore to use internal mechanisms such as the Forward Plan and Call-In to achieve this.

Consideration was given to the establishment of a separate Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee within the Authority’s structure and the extent to which there would be cross representation with the Councils main Scrutiny Committee; where representation on any external Joint Health Scrutiny Committee would be drawn from, together with the issue of co-option of non-voting sector representatives for the perspective they bring. It was noted that the Committee’s recommendations would be referred to the Governance and Constitution Committee for advise prior to adoption by the full Council.   

Members referred to the extra workload that Health and Adult Social Care issues would place on members of this Committee.   It was also noted that Cheshire County Council was currently represented on the Cheshire and Wirral Health Partnership that considered issued relating to mental health for the whole of Cheshire.  It was suggested that consideration to continued involvement in this Partnership be given at the first meeting of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED - that the Committee:

1.      reaffirm its earlier recommendation that a separate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14