HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

COUNTY COUNCIL

TUESDAY,25NOVEMBER 2008 AT 10.30AM

REPORT FROM THE HEALTH SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

  1. Primary Care Trusts : Finance Update

The Committee have received a report setting out the latest financial position of the County’s primary care trusts.

Members were pleased to note that both trusts have received a rating of ‘fair’ for ‘use of resources’ from the Healthcare Commission for 2007/08; an improvement on 2006/07. Continued year on year improvements in their annual ratings for ‘use of resources’are anticipated.

The Committee were also pleased to note that, as PCTs are not permitted to invest or borrow funds, the current banking crisis hasnot affectedtheir financial situation.

  1. East & North Herts Hospitals NHS Trust And West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust – Foundation Trust Status : Progress Reports

Progress reports on East & North Herts Hospitals NHS Trust and West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust individual bids for achieving foundation trust status have been presented to the Committee:-

East & North Herts Hospitals NHS Trust

The Trust concluded public consultation on its proposals to become a foundation trust on 30 May 2008 and is currently preparing its ‘Integrated Business Plan (IBP)’. Subject to the various stages of application and approval, the Trust anticipates that it will receive foundation trust status by the end of July 2009.

West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust

The Trust launched its public consultation on becoming a foundation trust on 22 September 2008. The consultation will run for 12 weeks concluding on 16 December 2008. The results of this consultation will be used to prepare proposals for the Trust’s constitution and IBP. The earliest date the Trust will be able to achieve foundation trust status is autumn 2009.

The Committee have asked that they be kept appraised of the progress of each of these bids.

  1. Review Of Cancer Services At Mount Vernon

Consideration has been given to a discussion document, prepared and issued by the Hertfordshire Primary Care Trusts, in which proposals for the future direction and development of cancer centre services for people who currently use the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre are outlined. The three options set out in the document are:-

(i)Relocation of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre from its current site to a district general hospitalsite;

(ii)Retention of the Cancer Centre at Mount VernonHospital and restriction of future development of specialist cancer services to this hospital site; and

(iii)Retention of the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre on the Mount Vernon site and building any new capacity needed at one or more satellite locations where this is possible within agreed standards.

The discussion document was issued to stakeholders in September, with comments due to be returned by 1 November 2008. Feedback will be considered, together with further work due to be undertaken by the trusts, prior to the issue of their interim report.

The Committee have agreed that they require further, more detailed information before they are able to comment on any of the options. Members have alsoagreed that, even if the PCTs donot go out to formal consultation next spring, the Committee will still expect to scrutinise the proposals at that time; a provisional date of 19th March 2009 has been identified on which to conduct this ‘one-off’ one day scrutiny (also see item 5 below).

  1. Standards For Better Health (S4BH) 2008/09 Topic Group

As requested by the Committee at their June 2008 meeting, members have received the notes of a meeting held to review the process and approach to the ‘Standards for Better Health’ (S4BH) taken by the Committee for the 2007/08 commentary. These were considered together with a report outlining proposals for preparing the Committee’s commentary on the S4BH 2008/09.

Members have agreed a scoping document and topic group membership for this work (also see item 5 below). The Committee have also agreed that the commentary should continue to cover the performance of both primary care trusts, both acute trusts, and Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust; that whilst keeping note of the Trusts’ performance on all core standards, the Group should continue to focus on those core standards reviewed in 2007/08; and that evidence from on-going scrutiny conducted by both the Health and Overview and Scrutiny Committees be collated and used to inform the commentary.

Whilst the Group’s scrutiny will not commence until 2009, the first meeting of the Group will be held in November at which a representative of the Healthcare Commission will provide feedback on the Committee’s 2007/08 commentary.

The Trusts’ results for S4BH 2007/08, just published by the Healthcare Commission, were noted; the Committee have congratulated them on the improvements made since 2006/07.

  1. Work Programme

The Committee have considered a report on their 2008/09 work programme. In addition to the ‘Dental Services’ scrutiny currently underway, members have agreed the scoping documents and confirmed membership for four topic groups, each to commence work during the autumn/winter period:-

  • Standards for Better Health (S4BH) 2008/09 (also see item 4 above);
  • Mental Health;
  • Implementing ‘Delivering Quality Health Care (DQHC) for Hertfordshire’; and
  • Public Health ‘Obesity’.

A‘one-off’ one day scrutiny of the proposals for the provision of cancer care services as they affect Hertfordshire will also be undertaken by the Committee in the spring of 2009. A provisional date of 19 March 2009 has been identified (also see item 3 above).

  1. Activity In The Eastern Region

‘Towards the Best Together–A Strategic Vision for the NHS,

East of England’

The East of England Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee have concluded their examination of the proposals which formed part of this wide ranging consultation. Their report contained a number of detailed recommendations which were made to the Strategic Health Authority. The Authority’s response to these was considered by the Joint Scrutiny Committee at their October 2008 meeting.

The Programme Director at the Strategic Health Authority, Simon Wood, has accepted our invitation to address the Hertfordshire Health Scrutiny Committee at our meeting in December.

Specialised Commissioning Group (SCG)

The Specialised Commissioning Group is focusing on three areas:-

  • Proposals for level 3 special care baby units across the Region
  • Proposals for quality improvements in specialised cancer care for children and young people
  • Proposals for the expansion of renal services

Eastern Region Chairmen of Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees Forum

At the last meeting of the Eastern Region Chairmen of Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees Forum it was agreed that, in accordance with legislation which determines that responsibility of health scrutiny rests with social services authorities, any liaison arrangements established between the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) will not involve any scrutiny of health matters.

Bernard Lloyd

Chairman

October 2008

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