Issue - meetings

The Department of Health (DH) has launched a consultation on local authority health scrutiny, including proposal to update the “arrangements and regulations for local authority health scrutiny and help to ensure that the interests of patients and the public are at the heart of the planning, delivery and reconfiguration of health services”.

The report attached sets out a proposed response the consultation, drafted in consultation with the chair.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited

·         to comment on and suggest amendments (if necessary) to the proposed response.

·         agree that the finalisation of the response be delegated to the Democratic Services Manager, in consultation with the Chair, for submission to the Department of Health by the 7 September 2012 deadline.

Officer contact: Jonathan Vali, 0161 474 3201, jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk / Gaynor Alexander, 0161 474 3186, Gaynor.alexander@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out a proposed response to the Department of Health’s consultation on Local Authority Health Scrutiny.

RESOLVED – That the response of the Health Scrutiny Committee to the consultation on Local Authority Health Scrutiny as detailed in the report be approved for submission to the Department of Health.

The Department of Health (DH) has launched a consultation on local authority health scrutiny, including proposal to update the “arrangements and regulations for local authority health scrutiny and help to ensure that the interests of patients and the public are at the heart of the planning, delivery and reconfiguration of health services”.

Details of the consultation can be found on the DH website at

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/07/health-scrutiny/

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider if and how it might wish to respond to the consultation.

Officer contact: Jonathan Vali, 0161 474 3201, jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk / Gaynor Alexander, 0161 474 3186, Gaynor.alexander@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager reported on the publication of a Department of Health consultation entitled ‘Local Authority Health Scrutiny’ in advance of the Department refreshing the regulations for the scrutiny of health services by local authorities. The proposals contained in the consultation document covered areas such as publishing timetables for service redesign; amendments to the process for making referrals by local authorities to the Secretary of State; joint scrutiny arrangements; and equalities issues. The deadline for responding to the consultation was 7 September 2012.

RESOLVED – That the Democratic Services Manager, in consultation with the Chair, be requested to prepare a draft response to the Department of Health’s Local Authority Health Scrutiny consultation for consideration at the meeting on 4 September 2012.