MEMORANDUM Date: 19 April 2006

To:All Members of the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire & Luton Joint Health Scrutiny Committee / From:COUNTY SECRETARY'S
DEPARTMENT
Ask for:Laura Shewfelt
Ext:25565
Minicom:6611
BEDFORDSHIRE, HERTFORDSHIRE & LUTON JOINT HEALTH
SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

THURSDAY 6 APRIL2006

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Bedfordshire County Council

R Drinkwater

Hertfordshire County Council

M Downing

S Quilty

Luton Borough Council

S Roden

Patient and Public Involvement Forum Representatives (Non-Voting)

C Reynolds

Also present:

D Hills, R Davison, S Knighton, NRotherham, P Jerred, W Hamilton, L Shewfelt

1. / MINUTES / ACTION
The minutes of the meeting held on 20 December 2006 were confirmed as a correct record
2. / DECLARATION OF PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS
Michael Downing declared an interest in Item 5, in relation to the decisions made by the Joint Commissioning Partnership Board. He left the room during the discussion related to this. Rita Drinkwater took the Chair during this time.
3. / HEALTHCARE COMMISSION SELF ASSESSMENT - BHAPS
The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service NHS Trust was obliged to provide the Healthcare Commission with itsFinal Declaration by May 2006. The Committee heard from Jill Moseley and Oskan Edwardson,regarding the progress made towards compliance with the core standards.
Questions were invited and responded to and the Committee unanimously RESOLVED to provide the following commentary to the Trust for inclusion in the Declaration:
The Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Luton Joint Health Scrutiny Committee considered the BHAPS Trust self assessment. The Joint Committee noted that the Trust had been a three star Trust for the last four years. The Joint Committee:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f) / Noted that the Trust had declared itself non-compliant with C14a. The Joint Committee noted the actions taken recently to address elements of non-compliance and has welcomed these actions.
Noted that the Trust had declared itself non-compliant in respect of C22b. The Joint Committee believed that the operational actions taken by the Trust had not necessarily been reflected in this the self assessment of this standard. For example, the electronic mapping by the Trust of falls by elderly people and the subsequent action to work with the operators of care homes (to which there had been multiple ambulance visits) did appear to indicated that the Trust was active in promoting actions to improve the health of the community it served. To that extent the Trust may be under-selling itself. The Joint Committee shared the Trust's officers' view that there was a need for greater clarity as to what constitutes success and compliance in respect of this standard and encouraged the Healthcare Commission to address this issue.
Noted that the Trust had declared itself non-compliant in respect of C23. The Joint Committee was equally concerned about the definition of success in respect of this core standard and believed that compliance with it should not be at the expense of the Trust's core business. The Joint Committee believed that this standard was not necessarily applicable to the core business of the Ambulance and Paramedic service, other than in its supportive and promotional role as an employer.
Noted that in respect of C17, that changes to service’s, or service delivery methods, needed to be the subject of consultation with the patients and public and, if they represented substantial developments or variationsin service, also needed to be considered by the relevant Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee(s).
Noted that in respect of C18 work had been undertaken in respect of the ethnic minority communities in Luton and elsewhere this good practice had been shared with other Ambulance and Paramedic Trusts.
Endorsed the Trust's Self Assessment and congratulated the Trust on its work.
4. / INVESTING IN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
The Committee received information from Steve Knighton regarding the reconvened Decision Day on 16 January 2006, held by the Strategic Health Authority.
He reported that the proposals for children and young people’s inpatient facilities and detoxification facilities had been unanimously agreed.
In response to a Members’ question, it was confirmed that proposals complied with the Children’s Act.
After further debate the Joint Committee unanimously RESOLVED:
That the Strategy, Investing In Your Mental Health, be supported as being in the interests of health locally.
5. / FUTURE OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE
In light of the reconfiguration within the health service over the coming months, it was agreed that the Joint Committee would cease on 30 June 2006. It was unlikely that the Joint Committee would meet again before this date unless urgent business arose or that the Secretary of State’s decision regarding NHS structural reconfiguration suggested the need to meet.
The Committee thanked Bill Hamilton for his work as advisor.

Bill Hamilton

Adviser to the Committee

1

6 April 2006