MEMORANDUM Date: 26 October 2005

To:All Members of the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire & Luton Joint Health Scrutiny Committee / From:COUNTY SECRETARY'S
DEPARTMENT
Ask for:David Roberts
Ext:25562
Minicom:6611
BEDFORDSHIRE, HERTFORDSHIRE & LUTON JOINT HEALTH
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

MONDAY 24 OCTOBER 2005

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Bedfordshire County Council

R Drinkwater

V Lee (substitute for A Carter)

Hertfordshire County Council

M Downing

Luton Borough Council

S Roden

M Yasin

Also present:

N Hollinghurst, G Bocutt, R Davison, J Moseley, NRotherham, W Hamilton,

1. / APOLOGIES AND CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS / ACTION
Apologies were received from A Carter (Bedfordshire County Council).
The Committee was advised that the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority and its partners would be holding an all day report back and decision day on 5 December 2005 at the Odyssey Centre, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire, to make decisions on Investing in Your Mental Health. All members were invited to attend.
2. / MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2005 were confirmed as a correct record, subject to the amendment of the meeting date.
3. / DECLARATION OF PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS
None.
4. / HEALTHCARE COMMISSION SELF-EVALUATION
a) / Advice from the Healthcare Commission
The Committee noted the advice to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees contained in the Healthcare Commission’s document “Your Part in the Annual Health Check” which had been circulated with the agenda.
It was noted in particular that Overview and Scrutiny Committees, along with Patient and Public Involvement Forums and Strategic Health Authorities, were being invited to make comments on the performance of their local Primary Care Trusts,and other healthcare providing bodies,as part of the Healthcare Commission’s new system for assessment of all PCTs and NHS Trusts.
b) / Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service Trust (BHAPS)
The Committee considered a document which had been circulated entitled “Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service NHS Trust – Healthcare Commission Annual Health Check: Draft Declaration 1 April 2005 to 30 September 2005”.
In addition the Committee received a presentation on the BHAPS self-assessment process by Jill Moseley, Director of Clinical Services with the Trust.
The Committee noted that the BHAPS Board had verified the compliance statements for each of the core standards and had approved and signed off the draft declaration. The draft declaration had been considered by the Strategic Health Authority and also by the Patient and Public Involvement Forum. The comments of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum were appended to the circulated report.
During the presentation Jill Moseley referred to the anticipated consultation on the regional re-organisation of the Ambulance and Paramedic Trust.
The Chairman indicated that the Committee would want to comment separately, at the appropriate time, to the Secretary of State on the proposals to re-organise the ambulance service. / Bill Hamilton
The Committee noted that BHAPS stated in the draft declaration that they had met the core standards without significant lapses.
Members of the Committee commented that they found it difficult to assess the quality of the statements contained in the draft declaration without access to at least some of the performance data. In response, Jill Moseley referred to the ‘performance manager’ software BHAPS used as part of its assessment processes. She offered to provide access to members of the Committee. Bill Hamilton indicated he would e-mail Jill Moseley so that she could reply with the necessary log-in information for forwarding to members of the Committee.
Jill Moseley stated that, although there was not time to provide more detailed information before the deadline for submission of the draft declaration to the Healthcare Commission, she could perhaps do a more detailed report for the end of year statement including some of the underlying data. The Committee indicated that this would probably be useful. / Bill Hamilton
Jill Moseley also referred to the various reports to the BHAPS Board which were in the public domain and which contained performance data. The Committee noted the reported comments of Mike Paul that the Patient and Public Involvement Forum had no cause for concern in connection with the performance of the Trust.
After further debate:
The Committee agreed:
1. / That the Committee felt there was insufficient detail both in the report and the presentation made on behalf of the Trust upon which to reach a positive conclusion on the performance of the Trust.
2. / In view of the deadline for submission of comments, the Committee’s advisor, Bill Hamilton, be authorised to draft a response in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee, for submission to the Trust. (Note a copy of the response is appended to these minutes.) / Bill Hamilton
5. / OTHER BUSINESS
The Chairman invited Ruth Davidson of the Strategic Health Authority to update the Committee on the latest developments with the Investing in Your Mental Health (IYMH) proposals.
Ruth Davidson thanked the Committee for the opportunity to attend. She reported that as a result of the consultation no clear way forward had been identified for acute inpatient mental health services within Hertfordshire. The Strategic Health Authority had been challenged by many of the responses particularly in connection with the proposal to have four sites. As a response to this the SHA had reconsidered how acute inpatient mental health services might be delivered in Hertfordshire and as a result wanted to undertake some re-consultation with acute users in Hertfordshire.
As a result it was possible that the Strategic Health Authority’s upcoming decision on 5 December 2005 might exclude consideration of inpatient acute services in Hertfordshire pending the outcome of this re-consultation.
The Chairman thanked Ruth Davidson for the report and commented that the proposed re-consultation seemed a reasonable way forward.
6. / DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Bearing in mind the Strategic Health Authority was to reach a decision on 5 December 2005 in relation to the bulk of Investing in Your Mental Health (as reported above), the Committee agreed to meet on Tuesday 20 December at 10.30 am at County Hall, Hertford. A pre-meeting for members of the Committee would be held at 10 am on that day. / Laura Shewfelt
(All to note)

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241005 Joint Health Minutes