Sunday 14 June 2015

Health and Childcare on Agenda for Brent Scrutiny Committee next week

The revamped Scrutiny Committee meets on Tuesday June 16th at the Brent Civic Centre.  As it takes quite a bit of navigation to find the agenda on the Brent Council website here are the main items:


This joint report produced on behalf of Brent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and London North West Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWHT) provides an overview and summary of Paediatric Services provided to Brent residents.  The report summarises current paediatric provision in Brent and sets out the potential impact on Northwick Park Hospital of the changes to paediatric services at Ealing Hospital taking place on 30 June 2016.

This report provides interim feedback on the work of the Scrutiny Task Group focused on Access to Extended GP Services and Primary Care in Brent.  The report outlines the task group scope and methodology and provides an overview of emerging findings and recommendations. 

As a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, local authorities have new responsibilities for public health. This report outlines these responsibilities and how the Council is discharging these.

This report looks at the challenge of providing access to affordable, quality childcare.
In a report LINK  to the June 22nd Cabinet Scrutiny Chair Dan Filson writes:


In May 2015 the Council selected five new members to serve on the Scrutiny Committee. Scrutiny training was arranged for committee members and this took place on 9 June, with two substitute members taking part. The first scheduled Scrutiny Committee was scheduled for 16 June. The Chair of the Committee can add an oral report on any issues arising. 
The Chair of the Committee has held initial meetings with officers to discuss the process for developing a 2015-16 programme of work and will meet with the full Scrutiny Committee over the coming days to develop further the forward plan. It is unlikely the Committee will map out fully how the forthcoming year will be used as the Committee will want to retain some flexibility as to its programme, not least so it can respond to issues as they may arise and to ensure room for issues that members of the wider public may suggest.
The Chair has invited all members of the Council, not just members of theCommittee, to make proposals for items for inclusion in the work programmeand these will be reviewed by the Committee, as will ideas submitted by the public. Scrutiny Committee will also review the Cabinet Forward Plan andconsider reports from such task groups as are created. The Committee will make greater use of time-limited task groups involving a small group of councillors and others, usually led by a member of Scrutiny Committee.

3 comments:

Kilburn Unemployed Workers Group said...

When -- if ever -- will the Scrutiny Committee consider what LB Brent should do about picking up the service delivery tab as the DWP pulls the plug on Independent Living Fund for the most seriously disabled adults? See Kate Belgrave's blog piece on how the DWP is passing the buck on this matter: And so the DWP washes its hands of the Independent Living Fund meltdown…

Nan Tewari said...

Something Scrutiny could usefully do is to require the CCG and the council to add to all of their reports a full account of the public involvement and engagement activity that has underpinned those reports, including any negative comments or feedback.

NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have a legal obligation under s14Z2 of the NHS Act 2006 (as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012) to involve the public in changes in the way that health services are delivered.

Both CCG and council are adept at conducting meaningless involvement exercises where they ask the public a lot of inane questions without providing any thoughtful context, e,g would you like your services to be delivered closer to home? would you like your services to be integrated? would you like fries with that? (OK, getting a bit carried away with that last one.)

The wording of the NHS England guidance is worth repeating -

Section 14Z2 NHS Act 2006

Under section 14Z2, each CCG has a duty, in relation
to health services provided (or which are to be
provided) under arrangements made by the CCG
exercising its functions, to make arrangements so as to
secure that individuals to whom the services are be
ing (or may be) provided are involved at various specified
stages, including:

in planning commissioning arrangements;

in the development and consideration of proposals
for change;

in decisions affecting the operation of
commissioning arrangements where
implementation would have an impact on the
manner in which services are delivered or the
range of services available.

This involvement can be by way of consultation or
otherwise.


Nan Tewari, Brent Patient Voice Steering Group

Anonymous said...

Right as always Nan - lets do away with all consultation - because after all its meaningless