Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare:

·        any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        any prejudicial interests or

·        any disclosable pecuniary interests

which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Members were asked to declare any personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests which they might have had in respect of the business on the agenda.

No interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meetings of the Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 24 November 2015 and 1 December 2015.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the meetings held on 24 November and 1 December 2015 be signed and approved by the Chair as a record subject to the following amendment;

1 December 2015

·        Minute Item 48 (Healthwatch Six Monthly Performance Update Report) Leigh Ringfield for Lee Greenfield

Further discussion took place on issues raised under the Work Plan item in the 1 December minutes, namely Local Authority Precepts and co-option of an independent member on to the Committee. It was reported that Finance Officers were currently  examining Local Authority precepts and the Executive would be the correct forum for discussion of the topic. Regarding co-opting an Independent Member on to the Committee, it was noted that this would need Full Council approval and the Chair felt it was best to co-opt to the Committee when needed rather than on a full term basis.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Committee’s remit can do so. The deadline for registering is Monday 21 December 2015 at 5:00 pm.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note this meeting may be filmed and webcast and that includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission.  This broadcast can be viewed at: http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at: https://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/file/6453/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_council_meetingspdf

It was reported that there had been five registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Councillor Warters spoke on a recent issue which had been raised in the media about an incident that had happened at Glen Lodge Care Home where a resident had been alleged bitten by a rodent. He gave a potted history of the Council’s Pest Control Team and the reduction in their budgets. He questioned why inspections were not conducted at night in the home or proactively. He asked for Members to make strong representations through their group budget setting meetings towards pest control.

The rest of the registered public speakers spoke regarding Agenda Item 5 (Update to Bootham Park Hospital).

Chris Brace spoke as a representative of a newly formed group, Mental Health Action York. He referred to the plans for engagement that had been outlined for the re-procurement of community equipment and wheelchair services led by the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in the previous agenda item that had been discussed, and asked that they and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust organised similar drop in consultation events. He informed Members that Historic England felt that mental health was a significant part of the Bootham Park Hospital building and that it would be placed at significant risk of remote management through the proposed plans.

Joanne Lazenby, a carer, spoke about how Bootham Park Hospital felt like a home from home for her sister. She added that she could not see the reasoning for the reduction in the number of beds in York whilst the city had a growing population and how a petition to save the hospital from closure had now attracted 8000 signatures. The site itself needed to be saved to develop a new unit.

Mick Hickling spoke on behalf of Mental Health Action York and as a carer of an outpatient at Bootham Park Hospital. He felt that the closure was the result of turf wars between different sections of the NHS and the patients had been the last people to be considered. He felt that the reasons given by the Care Quality Commission(CQC) for the closure were trivial, and had a detrimental affect on dementia patients at Peppermill Court. He could not see how the small defects that had been identified by the CQC could not be rectified.

Dr Bob Adams, a former senior consultant psychiatrist at Bootham Park Hospital questioned why a written report had not been produced by the CQC on the closure of the hospital. He wondered where the rehabilitation services would go whilst TEWV were upgrading Peppermill Court, and what were their plans for a new mental health hospital in York. Finally, he asked if Bootham Park Hospital was sold if any of the money would go towards a new mental health hospital or if it would go towards paying off the NHS deficit.

This report is to inform Members of progress associated with the current re-procurement of community equipment and wheelchair services, across North Yorkshire, led by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).  In addition, a brief update is provided with regards to rapid improvement work also underway relating to wheelchair services.

Members received a report on the progress associated with the re-procurement of community equipment and wheelchair services, across North Yorkshire, led by Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

LinsaySpringhall, Senior Delivery Manager and Fiona Bell, Deputy Chief Operating Officer from Vale of York CCG presented the report and were in attendance to answer Members questions.

The main discussion of the report took place around service user engagement and the consultation process. Some Members raised concerns regarding the timing of the drop in sessions. It was reported that the promotion of the re-procurement events had originally started in November but would restart in January and an additional date would be added for York. Communication regarding the dates was underway with service users. There would be also be specific plans for events for service users with learning disabilities. 

It was noted that there would be opportunities for service users to feed into the service specification before it was approved and the CCG would be working with Healthwatch to achieve this. When Members learnt that there would be over 15000 service users in North Yorkshire who would be affected, it was suggested that perhaps those with the greatest need be invited to the consultation events.

In response to one Member’s question about Key Performance Indicators in contracts Members were told that it would be an evolutionary process, in partnership with service users, and would be less about numbers and more about commissioning services for certain outcomes.

The Chair thanked Linsay Springhall and Fiona Bell for answering Members’ questions and for acknowledging present concerns and hoped that these would be managed. It was suggested that they returned to update the Committee after the next phase of consultation events had ended.

Members suggested that a written report be produced in regards to what changes had been put into effect following the roll out phase.

Resolved: (i) That the report be noted.

(ii) That a further written report be received on the status of the roll out of the re-procurement of the North Yorkshire community equipment and wheelchair services.

Reason:  To provide an update for Members on the provision of community equipment and wheelchair services in the Vale of York area.      

This report and its annexes provide the Health & Adult Social Care Policy & Scrutiny Committee with information around the closure of Bootham Park Hospital and the plans that have been made to return services to York as soon as possible.

Members received a report which updated them on information surrounding the closure of Bootham Park Hospital and plans that had been made to return services to York as soon as possible.

The Chair stated that he was delighted with the news that the Section 136 suite had been reopened at Bootham Park. It was hoped that outpatients could return to Bootham.

Dr Steve Wright, Deputy Medical Director, Elizabeth Moody, Deputy of Nursing and Governance and Ruth Hill, Director of Operations from Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust gave an update on the current situation and were in attendance to answer Members’ questions.

In addition to the Chair’s introduction, Dr Steve Wright started by saying it was hoped that outpatients could return to Bootham, and a lot of thought had gone into how the room space could be used effectively and safely.

It was also noted that

·        Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) were looking at longer term solutions for ECT provision, which was currently being provided at York Hospital.

·        It was hoped there would be a safe facility for adults at Peppermill Court in Summer 2016.

·        There would be full consultation on long term plans.

·        Worsley Court would be used as a male dementia unit.

·        A cashier’s service had been set up in York to refund the travel expenses of those carers who had to travel out of the city to visit loved ones.

Dr Mark Hayes, Chief Clinical Officer from Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), in response to a Member’s question as to whether the CCG felt that Bootham Park was the correct place for the new mental health hospital in York, he said that it was on a long list of sites being considered. He felt that the Bootham Park site was not big enough for a modern mental health facility, and pointed out that it was the only 250 year old mental health hospital still in use in Europe. He added that all those involved in healthcare were committed to a new hospital. In response to another Member’s question about sale money from Bootham Park Hospital, he stated that although NHS Property Services had a duty to make sure that this went to Central Government, the CCG were taking steps to ensure that the money remained earmarked for a new mental health hospital.

Councillor Cannon requested that the Committee receive the CQC report on the Bootham Park Hospital closure in the future. She also referred to the fact that she had submitted and gained approval of a motion to Full Council, which endorsed a call for an independent enquiry into the reasons for the closure of the hospital. The Chair pointed out that the motion was also supported by the two local MPs.

In regards to consultation with patients and carers, the Manager of Healthwatch York said that they were keen to hear from carers and could co-ordinate and collate views and share what they had with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

Members are asked to consider the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year 2015-16.

Consideration was given to the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year.

The Chair referred to an Internal Audit report which had been considered at a recent Audit and Governance Committee which included an audit opinion of Public Health which was for limited assurance. He said that Members might like to discuss this within the Public Health Grant Spending Scrutiny review and that he would like copies of such reports brought to Scrutiny Members, possibly by email.

The Interim Director of Public Health welcomed consideration of the Public Health internal audit report but felt that a cover report should be added to provide assurances around public health capacities and the impact of that going forward.

The Chair also requested that a full report from the Head of Safeguarding be received by the Committee in respect of the recent events at Glen Lodge. The Assistant Director of Adult Social Care questioned whether Members wanted just the Adult Safeguarding Board’s report on Glen Lodge itself or one on wider issues. He added that he would talk to the Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods for instance about pest control, and it was noted that Glen Lodge were flats not a Care Home.

Further discussion took place on additional items to be added to the workplan.

Councillor Barnes suggested an item on the devolution of Primary Care Commissioning, particularly given that the CCG had applied for full delegation of commissioning services and that someone from the Vale of York CCG and regional NHS England be invited to attend the meeting. He suggested that the report be added in for the January meeting, as the CCG would take on commissioning responsibility in the new financial year.

The Scrutiny Officer had received a request from the Healthy Child Service Project Board who had responsibility for School Nurses to provide an update report in January. In response to a question from a Member about the Committee’s review into Bootham Park Hospital, the Scrutiny Officer pointed out that a report written by the Chief Nurse would hopefully be written before Christmas, if not in January, and that a former Chief Executive of North Yorkshire County Council would assist in the review.

Councillor Barnes asked whether a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in regards to a review on Bootham Park Hospital had been agreed by all partners. The Scrutiny Officer stated that they would wait for the NHS England report to be released, as it was not known whether an MOU had already been agreed.

Resolved: (i) That the work plan be noted and the following amendments be made;

·     A report on the roll out of the reprocurement of the North Yorkshire community equipment and wheelchair services.

·        A report on the devolution of Primary Care Commissioning to Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group be added to January’s meeting.

·        An update report from the Healthy Child Service Board be received in January’s meeting.

               (ii) That a Public Health internal audit report be circulated to Members of the Committee.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.