Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2014.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 24 July 2014 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

No declarations of interest were made.

There were no call-ins to consider.

Representatives of Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group will attend the meeting to make a presentation to the Committee on proposals for the reconfiguration of health services across Greater Manchester as part of the ‘Healthier Together’ programme.

All members of the Council have been invited to the meeting for this item.

Further detail on Healthier Together can be found online at https://healthiertogethergm.nhs.uk/

The Chair welcomed those councillors who had attended the meeting to take part in the discussion on the Healthier Together proposals and introduced representatives from the Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and the Council’s Adult Social Care service and invited them to outline the key features of the Healthier Together Programme and the possible implications to their organisation.

Healthier Together (HT) referred to a programme of proposals to change the way health services were delivered in Greater Manchester which included improved access to primary care, greater focus on prevention and management of complex conditions, and reconfiguration of some hospital services.

Dr Ranjit Gill, Chief Clinical Officer, Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group

Dr Gill outlined the drivers for the development of Healthier Together, including the need to improve health outcomes across Greater Manchester (GM), which were currently amongst the worst in England; to reduce variation in outcomes and standards of care between different parts of GM and between different facilities; to improve diagnosis of treatable conditions to provide more appropriate care and management that might otherwise lead to avoidable deaths; to respond to changing demographic requirements.

Dr Gill emphasised that the Programme was clinically-led, with the decisions being taken by the GM Clinical Commissioning Groups acting in concert, and that the focus was on clinical outcomes. He further stressed that the proposals were not driven by financial considerations as the cause of the variations and poor outcomes were systemic and organisational and that these problems could not be overcome through resources and investment alone.

Clarity was also provided on the scope of the HT proposals with respect to hospital services which would include specialist services (rather than specialised or tertiary services commissioned by NHS England) such as Emergency Acute Medicine, Emergency and Elective Surgery - services for the ‘once in a lifetime’ events.

Ann Barnes (Chief Executive) and Dr James Catania (Clinical Director) Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Ann Barnes outlined the role of the Foundation Trust (FT) in providing both Acute and Community Care services for Stockport, but also for a wider catchment that included High Peak, Glossop, Macclesfield (acute) and Tameside (community), as well having a key role in the integration of health and social care.

She further emphasised the distinction drawn in the HT consultation between Specialist and Local Hospitals, the former retaining those specialitist services commissioned by the CCGs (detailed above) while the former would not (although both may provide specialised/tertiary services). One of the assumptions of the HT programme was that the concentration of services in this two tier system would mean that all the hospitals would be better able to meet the national clinical care standards.

In the options set out in the consultation, the geographical distribution of specialist/ local hospitals assumed at least three of the former, while respondents were asked to give a view on whether a further one or two specialist hospitals should be designated, and these would be from a short list of existing facilities clustered in either the north or the south of GM.

As part of the development of the HT proposals, further consideration would be given to access and transportation issues, which was of particular concern for the FT because a significant element of its wider catchment population (not including Stockport) lived in areas that were not easily accessible via public transport.

The HT proposals also contained standards for ‘blue light’ journeys to specialist hospitals of no more than 45 minutes. Given the potential spread of these with either the four or five specialist hospital model, this would present particular challenges.

It was the view of the FT Board that it was important that Stepping Hill be designated as one of the specialist hospitals, and that the five model option in the HT consultation was to be preferred. The Board was also committed to working in partnership with other hospitals in delivering services.

Terry Dafter, Service Director  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

At 8.00pm the meeting adjourned.

At 8.05pm the meeting reconvened.

To consider a joint report of the Executive Councillors (Children & Young People) and (Health & Wellbeing).

The report sets out the Executive’s response to the Scrutiny Committees previous scrutiny review of mental health for children and young people, as approved at the Executive Meeting on 17 June 2014.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to note the report.

Officer contact: Eleanor Hill/ Jonathan Vali, 0161 474 2458, 3201, Eleanor.hill@stockport.gov.uk / jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Executive’s agreed response to the Scrutiny Committee’s Review ‘Mind the Gap: mental wellbeing and mental health services for children & young people in Stockport’.

RESOLVED – That the Corporate Director for People, Director of Public Health and the Chief Operating Officer of the Clinical Commissioning Group be requested to provide a progress report on the implementation of the recommendations of the ‘Mind the Gap: mental wellbeing and mental health services for children & young people in Stockport’ Scrutiny Review to the 31 March 2014 meeting.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report sets out the process for the selection of Scrutiny Review topics by Scrutiny Committees to be carried out during the 2014/15 municipal year.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider the selection of Scrutiny Review topics to be carried out during the 2014/15 municipal year.

Officer contact: Jonathan Vali, 0161 474 3201, jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Scrutiny Committee to consider the process for the selection of Scrutiny Review topics by Scrutiny Committees to be carried out during the 2014/2015 municipal year.

RESOLVED – (1) That consideration of the possible Scrutiny Review topics be deferred until the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee.

(2) That the Director of Public Health be requested to prepare a short report for the next meeting setting out possible lines of enquiry for a potential review of alcohol related issues.

The Democratic Services Manager to report at the meeting.

The Deputy Director of Public Health reminded the Scrutiny Committee about an upcoming training session for members of the Committee in relation to the Council’s ‘Health Chats’ initiative to equip councillors to be able to discuss lifestyle issues with constituents.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.                                                          

The report sets out planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider the information in the report and put forward any agenda items for future meetings of the Committee.

Officer contact: Jonathan Vali,   0161 474 3201 , jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items which fell within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust be invited to the next meeting to provide an update on performance in relation to unplanned admissions.

(3) That the Director of Public Health be requested to submit a report to the October meeting on the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment consultation.