Issue - meetings

The Executive Councillor (Governance & Corporate Services) submitted reports (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Executive Meeting to consider proposed changes to the Council Constitution arising from the Health & Social Care Act 2012 in relation to the transfer of public health functions from Primary Care Trusts to Local Authorities from 1 April 2013.

The Corporate, Resource Management & Governance Scrutiny Committee had also considered the proposals and their comments had been circulated to members of the Executive for information.

RESOLVED – (1) That the Council Meeting be recommended to approve the changes to the Constitution to reflect the requirements of the Health & Social Care Act 2012 to take into account:-

·         the Council’s new statutory responsibilities in relation to Public Health;

·         the role and responsibilities of the Director of Public Health as part of the Council’s management and governance structure and the proposed changes to the Scheme of Delegation;

·         the implications of the changes on the remit of the Health Scrutiny Committee and the Stockport Partnership.

(2) That the Executive endorses the suggestion of the Corporate, Resource Management & Governance Scrutiny Committee that the Director of Public Health’s Annual Report not be produced as a paper document in order to improve sustainability and to link in with information available through ‘MyStockport’.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Strategy & Performance)

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 transfers responsibility for public health from the NHS to local authorities and specifies a number of statutory responsibilities and governance arrangements which need to be reflected in the Council’s Constitution.

The comments of the Constitution Working Party to be held on 23 January 2013 will be circulated prior to the meeting.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider the changes to the Council’s Constitution which will be required to reflect the changes introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, in particular:-

·         the Council’s new statutory responsibilities in relation to public health;

·         the role and responsibilities of the Director of Public Health as part of the Council’s management/governance structure

·         the implications of the above changes for the remit of the Health Scrutiny Committee and Stockport Partnership.

Officer contact: Donna Sager on 0161 474 3928 or e mail: donna.sager@stockport.gov.uk

A report of the Service Director (Strategy & Performance) was submitted (copies of which had been circulated) reminding the Scrutiny Committee that the Health and Social Care Act 2012 transferred responsibility for public health from the NHS to local authorities and specified a number of statutory responsibilities and governance arrangements which needed to be reflected in the Council’s Constitution.

It was reported that the Constitution Working Party on 23 January 2013 had considered the changes to the Council’s Constitution which would be required to reflect the changes introduced by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, in particular:-

·         the Council’s new statutory responsibilities in relation to public health;

·         the role and responsibilities of the Director of Public Health as part of the Council’s management/governance structure

·         the implications of the above changes for the remit of the Health Scrutiny Committee and Stockport Partnership.

and had recommended the proposed changes to the Scheme of Delegation be approved.

It was suggested that the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health should not be produced as a paper document but instead should be available on the Council website linking to the health information on ‘MyStockport’.

RESOLVED – That the recommendation of the Constitution Working Party be endorsed.