To give further consideration to items for inclusion in the work programme for the Health Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee gave further consideration to items for inclusion in its work programme.

The report restated the basis on which the Committee had agreed to structure its work programme in its initial discussion of the matter in October. In addition to focusing on three main areas: managing public expectations and public involvement, improving public health, and access and waiting it had proposed the formation of groups to look at delayed discharges (henceforth to be known as the safely home project), car parking at the county hospital, communication and morale, and proposals affecting the ear, nose and throat service.  It was reiterated that the Committee would also respond to major consultations as required and noted that the Committee would also need to consider the operation of the new contracts for General practitioners at some point.  A draft work programme incorporating these activities and suggesting a timescale was appended to the report.

The Committee was also asked to consider the establishment of special relationships with health partners.

A development programme to assist Members of the Committee in their role, based on training provided by the Patient Advice and Liaison Service to lay Members of relevant bodies, was also appended to the report.

It was also suggested that after the abolition of the Community Health Council (CHC) in December, Members of that body should be invited to act as a source of advice to the Committee as appropriate until the Patients Forums had become established.

The Chairman reported that the Primary Care Trust and the Hospital Trust had both indicated to him that the draft work programme was appropriate.

In the course of discussion the following principal points were made:

·         It was reported that the Members of the Community Health Council had only received cursory thanks for their service.  The Committee considered that the CHCs had been treated atrociously and felt that a letter should be sent on the Committee’s behalf to recognise formally the commitment shown by the Members of the CHC to improving the health of the people of Herefordshire.

·         That links with voluntary bodies who had served on the CHC should be maintained.

·         That efforts should be made to establish good communication links with the new Patients Forums at the earliest opportunity.

·         The Director of Social Care and Strategic Housing informed the Committee that the Government had announced a one-off payment of £2.25 million to help local authorities in their new health scrutiny role.  However, the payment was to be made to the Centre for Public Scrutiny to aid development of the function in association with the Local Government Association.  In terms of capacity to support the Committee directly in its work it was therefore rather disappointing.

·         That a review of the response to the outbreak of legionnaire’s disease in Hereford City should be added to the work programme and be undertaken as a priority as soon as the outbreak was over.  There was agreement that the Committee as a whole should conduct this exercise.  It was also acknowledged that this would be complementary to and not a substitute for the more detailed review which would doubtless be undertaken by NHS bodies and others.

·         In relation to delays in discharging patients from hospital the Director of Social Care and Strategic Housing reported that for the last two weeks there had been no delays connected to social care within the County Hospital.

·         That whilst being mindful that resources were limited the Committee must be enabled to discharge its responsibilities effectively.

THAT (a) the broad content of the work programme as set out in appendix 1 to the report be approved;

            (b) scoping of any Reviews be undertaken after consultation with the Chairman and reported back to the Committee as appropriate;

            (c) outgoing Members of the Community Health Council be thanked  formally for their work and invited to act as a source of advice to the Committee, providing views to the Committee on request, until 29 February, 2004.

            (d) the Chairman take the lead liaising with health partners on choice;

            (e) a member be nominated to take the lead liaising with health partners on consultation;

(f)the training proposals as set out in appendix 2 to the report be welcomed;

and

(g)efforts should be made to establish good communication links with the new Patients Forums at the earliest opportunity.