To note any apologies for absence or changes in membership.

There were no apologies for absence.

To receive the minutes of the meeting of Bedfordshire County Council’s Bedfordshire Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 February 2009.

The Committee received the minutes of the last meeting of the Bedfordshire Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 February 2009. The Chairman signed the minutes.

To receive petitions in accordance with the scheme of public participation set out in Annex 2 in Part 4 of the Constitution.

The Committee was informed that no petitions had been referred to this meeting. 

To receive communications on matters of interest.

The following matters of communication were noted:-

i.                    a letter from Hayden Newton, Chief Executive of the East of England Ambulance Association indicating his willingness to attend meetings of the Committee;

ii.                  Bulletin no 8 of the publication Beds Link Up;

iii.                An NHS publication entitled Supporting people with complex personality disorder Your chance to shape care for the future. It was noted that few people from Bedfordshire attended Henderson Hospital and therefore this was not considered a major consultative issue for the Committee.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman.

There were no announcements from the Chairman.

To consider a report (to follow).

1. to note that that if Luton PCT’s approach to public consultation on its urgent care strategy was broadly similar to that of NHS Bedfordshire, there was no need for the matter to be brought back to this Committee before proceeding to the consultation stage;

The Committee considered a report detailing the proposed public consultation on urgent care reform in Bedford. The Committee noted that the Bedfordshire County Council’s Bedfordshire Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which had ceased to exist since the Council’s abolition, had made a number of recommendations to the PCT at its meeting on 27 February 2009 in relation to the urgent care strategy. The Committee agreed to ratify those recommendations.

The Committee noted the details of the public consultation set out in the report and welcomed the approach described.

A comment was made that it was not clear to people needing to access urgent care what telephone number they should call and lack of clarity would lead to the over-use of 999. A request was made that there be only one telephone number for accessing urgent care. In response, the Committee was advised that the introduction of one number for urgent care was planned to take place in April 2010, and this would be effective 24 hours a day.

The Committee noted the contents of minute 08-09cosc48 from the meeting of the former Bedfordshire County Council’s Bedfordshire Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee which were attached to this agenda. Members noted points made at that discussion, that:-

·                    Bedford Hospital did not feel it was engaged with the discussions and consultations on the strategy, notwithstanding that the proposed strategy proposed to use hospital assets and work alongside hospital services

·                    The strategy had been drafted by a group drawn from Horizon Healthcare Commissioning Ltd which is a firm established by Bedford GPs and which is associated with, but separate from, the Practice Based Commissioning Group of Bedford GPs.

The Committee sought assurance that there would be openness and transparency  in the commissioning and contracting roles of the GPs and in the role of Bedford Hospital. In response, the Committee was advised by the Deputy Chief Executive of Bedford Hospital who was present at the meeting that the consultation before the Committee provided more tangible information than had hitherto been received and the principle contained within it was acceptable although it was unclear yet how it would be achieved.

The Committee noted that there was no explicit recognition of the social care dimension of supporting older or elderly patients to remain in their homes for treatment or supporting them when they were discharged from hospital. Members commented that closer working was needed with the Council’s Adult Social Care team to address elderly and mental health matters.

The Committee noted the targets set out at section 3 of the report and commented that it was important that targets should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable/agreed upon, realistic and timely) – for example, stating by when  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the attached report.

The Committee considered a brief report regarding the NHS Luton review of urgent care services. The Committee noted that NHS Luton, which served south Bedfordshire, Luton and part of Hertfordshire, was carrying out similar work to NHS Bedfordshire but was slightly behind them in terms of timescale.

It was noted that a visioning day would be held in June 2009.

The Committee sought similar assurances from NHS Luton as had been received from NHS Bedfordshire that full public consultation would be undertaken on the issues rather than consultation being restricted to professionals and stakeholders. It was noted that a similar approach encompassing public consultation was expected to be taken by NHS Luton as was outlined by NHS Bedfordshire (see minute XXX above).

 Members were concerned that NHS Bedfordshire and NHS Luton should work together to take a co-ordinated approach towards the consultation and should ensure that consultation was timely and was appropriate according to where people lived, avoiding  duplications or omissions. The Committee considered that if the approach by NHS Luton was broadly similar to that of NHS Bedfordshire there would be no need to bring a report on their proposed consultation to this Committee before proceeding with it. This would enable the timings of both consultations to be brought together.

The Committee made the point that close working with appropriate local authorities should be undertaken regarding elderly and mental health matters.

RECOMMENDED to Luton PCT Board:-

1. that the Board is urged to work with NHS Bedfordshire to take a co-ordinated approach to consultation to ensure as far as possible that consultations take account of timeliness and that people are consulted on the appropriate service according to where they live, avoiding any duplications or omissions;

2. to note that that if Luton PCT’s approach to public consultation on its urgent care strategy was broadly similar to that of NHS Bedfordshire, there was no need for the matter to be brought back to this Committee before proceeding to the consultation stage;

3. to note that although members of the Committee may attend NHS Luton’s visioning day as observers, they would not take a full part and therefore would not compromise their ability to take part in the scrutiny of the strategy.

To consider the attached report.

The Committee received a report of the Overview and Scrutiny Manager providing information on the creation and purpose of a joint committee of Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough Councils to scrutinise A Healthier Bedfordshire, NHS Bedfordshire’s draft strategic plan 2009-2013.

Members noted the statutory basis of the joint committee and the membership representing Central Bedfordshire Council together with the terms of reference of the joint committee and its work programme.

RESOLVED to note the report.

The next meeting is scheduled for 21 May 2009. If there are no items which need to be considered at this meeting, in view of the local elections to be held shortly after in June, the meeting will be cancelled.

The Committee noted that the next meeting was scheduled for 21 May 2009. This date fell shortly before the local elections on 4 June 2009.

RESOLVED that if there was no business to be considered at the next meeting, it would be cancelled.

Chairman………………………………………………

Date…………………………………………………....