Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2021.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 25 November 2021 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider an update of the Director of Public Health.

The update provides an update on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for Stockport.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to discuss and note the update.

Officer contact: Jennifer Connolly on 0161 474 2442 or email: Jennifer.connolly@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Public Health submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided an update relating to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for Stockport.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Members sought clarification in relation to why the isolation period for care home residents had not been relaxed in line with that of care home staff.

·         In response members were advised that the staff isolation requirements were in line with that of the general public which required a full five day isolation with a negative lateral flow test on both day five and six prior to returning to work. The isolation requirements for care home residents had been reviewed in the previous week which agreed that were a resident was immunocompetent, the isolation requirement would be 10 days, however remained 14 days for those who were immunosuppressed.

·         Noted the geographical variation in vaccination uptake and the relationship with deprivation and whether there was a reason for this.

·         In response it was stated that the governance around the vaccination programme included a vaccine inclusion group who identified areas of inequality, discussed access needs and proactively worked with communities to ensure that vaccine information was being disseminated in the most effective way.

·         Commented on the activity of anti-vaccination groups particularly in relation to the misinformation shared in respect of the effect of the vaccine on fertility and whether the information shared by this group was having an impact on vaccination rates. In response, Members were assured that their activity was being reported through NHS England to deliver a co-ordinated response and ensure that residents were educated to make an informed decision.

·         Members commented on the success of the vaccination programme and thanked the Social Health & Care staff for the support provided during the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine.

·         Raised concerns in relation to vaccine longevity and the impact on cases following the waning of the effectiveness of the vaccine.

·         Noted the upward trend in cases for the 0-9 age group and raised concerns in relation to the effect of long Covid on this age group.

·         In response members were informed that the 0-9 age group remained the susceptible population in the sense that their peers were not vaccinated and overall, their rates had remained relatively low in comparison with other age groups for the duration of the pandemic. Members were assured that the upward trend in cases was not translating in an upward trend in urgent care requirements and vaccinations would be offered to 5-11 year olds who had a clinical vulnerability.

·         Raised concerns around the impact of long Covid on residents and the support available. In response it was stated that the Council’s website had recently been updated to provide additional information about long Covid including both self-help, support and services that residents were able to access.

The Chair thanked the Director for the most up to date and volume of data shared and informed the Committee that an item relating to the Covid-19 Update would be on the agenda for the next meeting.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and thanks be expressed to all the team for their continued hard work.

To consider a report of the Cabinet Members for Adult Social Care and Health.

The Cabinet has previously set out its approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan at its meeting on 21st September 2021. This was shared for further discussion and comment with scrutiny committees in October 2021.

Following these discussions further development of proposals have been undertaken and these are now being shared again with Scrutiny for comment and consideration.

The Scrutiny Committee is requested to comment on the proposals within the four business cases alongside feedback from consultation and equalities analysis.

Officer contact: Holly Rae on 0161 474 3014 or email: holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Place Management submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the Cabinet’s proposed approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan presented at the Cabinet meeting on the 21 September 2021.  The Scrutiny Committee was provided with an opportunity to make initial comments on the proposals at its meeting in October 2021.  Following these discussions further development of proposals have been undertaken and these are now being shared again with the committee for comment and consideration.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) also attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·      Recognised the challenges and uncertainty that the council were facing in relation to the Adult Social Care budget.

·      Concerns were expressed in relation to the levels of Government funding for future years and the impact that this had on service delivery.

·      Members sought clarification in relation to All Age approach demand management savings proposal and the diverse needs of children and adults were noted.

·      In response, it was stated that the All Age programme was broken down into three distinct areas which included the Front Door, Drug and Alcohol Service and Transition. Members were informed that a Programme Board has been established across Children and Adult Services to focus on how the services could work collectively to deliver improved outcomes for residents. Within this, three test for change groups had been utilised to consider where services and support was best placed to provide collaborative, wrap around support which was focused on early intervention. It was advised that the legislation and statutory requirements under CQC had been updated which required services delivery changes to improve transition that were incorporated under the All Age approach.

·      Welcomed the proposals to explore service improvement for residents and opportunities that this provided, however raised concerns in relation to available resources and funding that were required to deliver these services.

·      In response to concerns relating to terminology and jargon contained within the report, it was agreed that future reports would contain a glossary to improve accessibility.

·      Members sought assurances that residents would not suffer as a result of the proposals.

·      In response, it was stated that there had always been finite budgets within Adult Social Care which posed challenges for allocating funds and resources in the best way. Members were advised that budget allocation was based on protecting residents and prioritising need and it was a credit to the team that people were being supported in light of the climate that they were working in. Members were assured that Equality Impact Assessments had been considered to understand the impact of the proposals on different communities. The challenges to deliver services with limited budgets and increased demand were acknowledged and as a result services were considering proposals to work creatively and with partner organisations to deliver to a co-ordinated, multidisciplinary approach.

·      In response to concerns relating to further funding cuts and efficiency demands given the transformation work the council had untaken in recent years, it was stated that the Integrated Care Systems presented opportunities to co-ordinate services with the NHS using the asset-based approach and align contracts across health and social care to deliver savings.

·      Members sought assurance that children under child protection would be prioritised by the council. In response it was stated that in the exploration for an All Age delivery model, the council were adopting a carefully considered approach to understand the best way forward for joined up services and offered reassurance that there would not be a dilution in quality relating child protection and safeguarding.  

The Chair queried whether the Medium-Term Financial Plan proposals would be considered at a future meeting of the Committee. In response, it was stated that the final business cases including the comments from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider a joint report of the Director of Public Health and Corporate Director (Corporate and Support Services) & Deputy Chief Executive.

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the actions being taken by Stockport Council and partners to tackle inequality. The report gives an overview of the inequalities picture in Stockport and the impact of COVID-19 has had on these inequalities. 

The report also summarises some of the main national and Greater Manchester reviews of inequality, the recommendations made by these reviews and how Stockport’s approach to tackling inequalities responds to these recommendations.

Finally the report also sets out the outputs from work that is being taken forward to develop our Fair and Inclusive Framework and delivery plans.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Kirsteen Roe on 0161 474 3376 or email:  kirsteen.roe@stockport.gov.uk or Jennifer Connolly on 0161 474 2442  or email: jennifer.connolly@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Public Health and Corporate Director (Corporate and Support Services) & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided an overview of the actions being taken by Stockport Council and partners to tackle inequality. The report gave an overview of the inequalities picture in Stockport and the impact that COVID-19 had on these inequalities. The report also summarised some of the main national and Greater Manchester reviews of inequality, the recommendations made by these reviews and how Stockport’s approach to tackling inequalities had responded to these recommendations. The report also set out the outputs from work that was being taken forward to develop our Fair and Inclusive Framework and delivery plans.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·      Expressed concern in relation to the level of inequality in Stockport despite this having been a priority for the Council for a number of years.

·      Commented on the importance of having additional resources for the most deprived areas as part of the governments Levelling Up agenda.

·      Requested information in relation the availability of social movement for families who lived in the most deprived areas within the borough.

·      In response members were advised that data in relation to social mobility was not collected at this time, however the Council was identifying areas of further exploration in terms of data and members suggestions were welcomed.

·      Noted the link between austerity and inequality.

·      Requested information in relation to the changes in demographics across the most deprived areas in Stockport.

·      In response it was stated that this was in part explained by the age structure of Stockport’s Black, Asian or minority ethnic populations which was a younger profile than the average in Stockport. Members were advised that the population of Stockport was therefore likely to continue to become more diverse as families grew.

·      Welcomed the report including the plan to tackle inequality across the borough and the level of data provided.

·      Raised concerns in relation to the difference in life expectancy within Stockport neighbourhoods, with men in the most affluent areas living 9.1 years longer than those in the most deprived areas and 8.5 years for females.

·      Welcomed the focus on the polarisation as part of the actions being taken to tackle inequality and noted the consequences of polarisation for those living in the most deprived areas.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Director of Public Health.

The report proves an update of the progress of the motion on Automated External Defibrillators that was agreed at Full Council.

The Scrutiny Committee is requested to note the report and agree that an update on the progress of this work be brought back to the March meeting of the Committee.

Officer contact: Jennifer Connolly on 0161 474 2442 or email: Jennifer.connolly@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Public Health submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided an update of the progress of the motion on Automated External Defibrillators that was agreed at Full Council.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Welcomed the proposal to roll out more Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across the borough.

·         Commented on the importance of CPR training paired with close proximity of an AED in order to increase the likelihood of success in a medical emergency.

·         Recommended training be rolled out for residents in relation the use of AEDs.

·         Members sought clarification in relation to the delay in enabling public access to the list which was held by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and contained information relating to the distribution and availability of defibrillators across the borough.

·         In response it was stated that the challenges to date included identifying who in the NWAS held the list of defibrillator locations and receiving agreement to make the information publicly available. Members were assured that the Council were continuing to liaise with colleagues in NWAS to obtain the information and recognised the pressure on NWAS in delivering their core services for the duration of the pandemic.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

The Scrutiny Committee has the opportunity to consider the portfolio dashboard for the Adult Care and Health portfolio and raise any issues with regard to performance.

Members can view the portfolio dashboard by visiting the following page:-

Adult Care and Health Portfolio Dashboard

The Scrutiny Committee had the opportunity to consider the portfolio dashboard for the Adult Care and Health portfolio and raise any issues with regard to performance.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

There were no issues raised.

To consider a report of the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal & Democratic Governance).

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: Georgia Latham on 0161 474 3229, or email: georgia.latham@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal & Democratic Governance) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and any Forward Plan items.

The Chair invited Councillor John Wright to provide an update on the progress of the Scrutiny Review as Lead Member.

Councillor Wright informed Members that the review was progressing well with the first information gathering session having taken place on Monday 17 January and was focussed on Access to Secondary Care. Members were advised that the Primary Care Session was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 9 February and an update would be provided in due course.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.