Agenda item

Discussion

The Chairman advised that the Councillor visit to the NHS 111 Call Centre in Ashford, that had been due to take place on 24 November, had been postponed as not enough Members had been able to attend. It was agreed that the visit would be rearranged with the aim being for it to take place early in the New Year, subject to a sufficient number of Members being available in order to make the visit viable.

A visit to Amherst Court was due to take place on 24 November with five or six Members due to be attending.

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the remainder of the Work Programme report which advised Members of the current work programme in light of the latest priorities, issues and circumstances.

The establishment of a regional scrutiny sub-group had been proposed to undertake scrutiny of SECAmb. It was also proposed that each health scrutiny committee would select two Members to represent it on the regional sub-group. Sub-group work would be reported regularly to each participating Council’s own scrutiny committee on a regular basis and participation in the sub-group would not affect the right of individual Councils to undertake their own scrutiny, should they so wish. The proposals were due to be discussed at the South East Regional Scrutiny Network meeting taking place on Friday 18 November. This meeting was also due to include an update on the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan. A Member proposed that the Committee should be represented by one Conservative and one Labour Member. The Chairman proposed that Councillors Royle and himself, both Conservative Councillors, should be appointed as the Committee’s representatives on the regional Sub-Group. The Committee agreed this proposal, but some Members of the Committee were not satisfied with this arrangement.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had announced that it would be undertaking an inspection of Kent and Medway NHS Social Care and Partnership Trust (KMPT) in the week beginning 16 January 2017. The Committee had been invited to share information relevant to the inspection. It was proposed that a summary of scrutiny undertaken by the Committee over the last year be submitted to the CQC.

Four meetings of the Dementia Task Group had taken place. These had included an introductory meeting, meeting with the Alzheimer’s Society, a visit to Crawley to see how it had became one of 12 towns to initially be awarded dementia friendly status and a visit to a Dementia Café. Future Task Group meetings would include a Diagnosis and Post Diagnostic Support Session and a Leading by Example session to consider how the Council could demonstrate leadership in making Medway a dementia friendly community. It was anticipated that the Task Group’s draft report would be presented to the Committee at its March 2017 meeting.

The next meeting of the Kent and Medway Joint Health Scrutiny Committee was due to take place on 28 November. This would receive updates on work undertaken since the last meeting on 4 August on two major service reconfigurations that would affect Medway and Kent, the Kent and Medway Hyper Acute and Acute Services Stroke Review and the Kent and Medway Specialist Vascular Services Review.

Decision

The Committee:

a)    Noted the current work programme attached as appendix 1 of the report.

b)    Agreed the suggested additions and changes to the Committee’s work

programme, as set out in paragraph 3 of the report.

c)    Agreed that the Committee be represented on the proposed South

East Regional Scrutiny Network Sub-group that would scrutinise SECAmb and agreed that Councillors Wildey and Royle should represent the Committee at these meetings.

d)    Agreed to delegate authority to the Head of Democratic Services, to, following consultation with the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Opposition Spokespersons, agree a summary report of the scrutiny undertaken of Kent and Medway Partnership Trust over the previous year, for submission to the Care Quality Commission.

e)    Agreed that the previously postponed Member visit to the NHS 111 Call Centre in Chatham be arranged to take place in early 2017.