To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors MJK Cooper and Brig P Jones CBE.

To receive details of any Members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Committee.

None.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda.

None.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 December 2013.

The Minutes of the meetings held on the 13 January and the 14 February were approved and signed as a correct record.

To consider suggestions from members of the public on issues the Committee could scrutinise in the future.

(There will be no discussion of the issue at the time when the matter is raised.  Consideration will be given to whether it should form part of the Committee’s work programme when compared with other competing priorities.)

None.

To note questions received from the public and the items to which they relate.

(Questions are welcomed for consideration at a Scrutiny Committee meeting so long as the question is directly related to an item listed on the agenda.  If you have a question you would like to ask then please submit it no later than two working days before the meeting to the Committee Officer.  This will help to ensure that an answer can be provided at the meeting). 

None.

To hold a public accountability session to discuss the performance of organisations within the health sector in Herefordshire: 

·         Health and Wellbeing Board

·         Healthwatch

·         Public Health

The Committee received a report on the performance of the organisation over the previous year from Mr P Deneen, Independent Chairman of Healthwatch Herefordshire (HWH), Mr W Lindesay Governance Lead and Chief Executive, HVOSS, Ms C McNally, Strategy & Policy coordinator for HWH. This included the success and the challenges for the organisation during 2013/14, the key work and key areas of risk for 2014/15 and areas that might be beneficial for future input by the Committee.

Ms McNally provided two case studies that highlighted different models of working.  The first had been undertaken when patients had contacted Healthwatch from three GP surgeries to raise concerns and highlight their needs regarding access to services in relation to disability, carer needs and communication issues relating to a learning disability. Health Watch had also worked to contribute a response to the NHS Area Team in relation to the Primary Care Strategy. The response requested the Strategy to consider possible issues with access to GP services.

The second model was of social care for an elderly patient who had not been deemed to require home care support.  Work had been undertaken with Age UK to provide a single sign posting service for a befriending service to allow the patient to live independently.

·         That HWH would continue to promote and raise public awareness of its role and independence, particularly with people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to, or feel less confident, in their ability to make their views known.

·         That a key strand of the future activity of HWH would be work with children and young people and a Children and Young Peoples Champion would be appointed in order to involve people from different organisations.

In reply to a question, Ms McNally said that one of the strengths of the organisation was a Board that was both knowledgeable and engaged in its day to day operation.  Cross border safeguarding issues had been addressed by a model generated by Board members.  Regular meetings were held with Gloucestershire Healthwatch, which allowed cross border issues to be followed up. A weakness was the ability to get the Healthwatch message out to the landscape of Health and Social Care in order to ensure that more practitioners and residents were aware of what the organisation could offer.

·         That HWH had statutory powers to enter and review the Acute Hospital, and had visited the hospital and discussed issues with patients.  It was important to know what the issues were and that patients felt that they were being treated with dignity and respect.  A Board member was specifically tasked with monitoring services at the hospital and reporting back to the Board.

·         That there was access to GP surgeries through the Practice Manager Forum, but that there was more work to be done in this area.

·         That the first action HWH had taken concerning GP access was to look at the commissioning provision and to attend meetings in order to canvas the public as to what was required in terms of care.  A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 107.

To consider the Committee’s Work Programme.

The Committee noted its Work Programme.

Resolved: That as a result of the workload of the Committee, meetings should be moved from bimonthly to every six weeks.