The Governance Lead Officer submitted a report setting out a recommendation from the Scrutiny Committee that the Council constitute a Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee for East Cheshire. The report set out in Appendix 1 the proposed terms of reference for the Committee and in Appendix 2, the Cheshire East Health and Adult Social Care related business that had been dealt with since April 2007.
It was also reported that a Joint Committee with Wirral MBC currently existed to scrutinise the Mental health Partnership NHS Trust as the deliverer of mental health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services. The Joint Committee had also been influential in sustaining the profile of mental health issues.
Government guidance stipulated that Health Trusts must bring significant proposals for change to scrutiny. Although there was no similar requirement for Social Care, it would be good practice to act as even handedly as possible and to use internal mechanisms such as the forward plan, call in etc to achieve this.
The report indicated that the Scrutiny Committee considered a separate Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee of 14 members would be required. However consideration would need to be given to:-
§ The extent of cross representation with the membership of the Council’s main Scrutiny Committee;
§ The opportunity to involve a wider range of members in scrutiny work;
§ The representation on any external Joint Health Scrutiny Committee to be drawn from the H&ASC Scrutiny Committee.
In terms of Membership of the Committee, the Scrutiny Committee felt there was merit in leaving the issue of co-option on the table for the time being, but that Members appointed to the Committee should have some knowledge of Health and Adult Social Care issues. It was noted there was much still to be done to enable the Authority to assume its statutory responsibility for Health Scrutiny as seamlessly as possible from 1 April; and to function effectively thereafter. The Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee addressed the meeting to present the Scrutiny Committee’s unanimous recommendations. It was suggested that it would be helpful for officers to have the names to be nominated in advance of the Council Meeting.
RESOLVED - to recommend to Council : -
1. that a separate Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee be established within the Council’s Political Structure with terms of reference as set out in Appendix 1 to the report;
2. that the proposed Committee consist of 14 Members but that no action be taken as regards Cooption for the time being; and
3. that it support the principle of continuing Joint Scrutiny arrangements of the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust and authorise further discussions with the Authorities concerned with a view to bringing forward more detailed proposals.