Agenda item

To consider the final decision-making business case for adult’s and older peoples mental health services in Cheshire East.

Please note that the relevant documentation for this item will be published as a supplementary item on Thursday 15^th November.

The committee considered a report and presentation submitted in partnership by the NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) and NHS South Cheshire & Vale Royal CCG, that detailed a new proposal, Option 2 Plus, for the redesign of adults of older peoples’ mental health services in Cheshire East.

The committee was informed that Option 2 Plus was a revised version of the previously consulted Option 2. It had been reviewed to take into account the feedback and concern raised by the committee and the wider public relating to;

·         travel and transport implications for affected patients and their carers and families;

·         impacts to local emergency services; and

·         ensuring that there were enough local beds to retain localised services for residents.

Members were advised that a meeting of the combined governing bodies of the CCGs was being held concurrent to the meeting of this committee, at which it was planned for the final decision to be taken on which proposal – Option 2 Plus, or one of the three previously consulted options – would be taken forward.

After considering the information presented, members put questions and comments in relation to;

·         what engagement or consultation had been carried out on Option 2 Plus to date, and whether any more was planned;

·         recruitment and staffing issues and the impacts of these on how effective the Option 2 Plus could be;

·         the potential difficulties of travelling to Lyme Walk House via public transport and nearby car parking;

·         whether the wards in Lyme Walk House would be organised in a way that best supports cohorts of patients from different age groups;

·         where in the locality the six new crisis beds would be placed; and

·         whether the CCGs could guarantee their planned additional financial contributions to the proposal.

It was proposed by Councillor A Moran and seconded by Councillor D Flude, that the committee support Option 2 Plus as the preferred option to the previously consulted proposals. The committee unanimously supported this resolution.

The Chairman then referred the committee to its statutory duty as a health scrutiny body, in determining whether such a proposal should be considered a significant development or variation (SDV), and if so, what it would recommend to be an appropriate level of public consultation for the matter.

The committee concluded by a majority vote that it considered Option 2 Plus to be a level 3 SDV, as per the council’s Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Protocol.

In light of the extensive consultation already undertaken by the CCGs and CWP on this matter, the committee was mindful to waive the government-recommended requirement to undertake a twelve week public consultation for a level 3 SDV, and in this instance requested that the CCGs and CWP undertake a public consultation exercise for a period of four weeks commencing 22 November, 2018.

RESOLVED

1          That Option 2 Plus be considered as a Significant Development or Variation.

2          That a recommendation be put to the governing bodies of the CCGs to undertake a formal public consultation on Option 2 Plus for a period of four weeks, commencing 22 November, 2018.