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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Health, Housing & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee |
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Date |
19 September 2023 |
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Present |
Councillors D Myers (Chair), Vassie (Vice-Chair), Baxter, Kelly, Rose, Runciman, Smalley, Steels-Walshaw, Wann and Whitcroft (Substitute) |
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Apologies
In Attendance |
Councillor Wilson
Councillor Coles - Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care [from 17:36] Jamaila Hussain - Corporate Director – Adult Services and Integration (remotely) Zoe Campbell - Managing Director (North Yorkshire, York and Selby), Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust Simon Morrit - Chief Executive, York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [until 18:21] Dawn Parkes – Interim Chief Nurse York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [until 18:21] |
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1. Declarations of Interest (17:32)
Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registerable interests they might have in respect of the business on the agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests.
Councillor Steels-Walshaw declared an interest in relation to the minutes item for the 21 February 2023 Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee but noted that this was on her register of interests.
Councillor Rose disclosed a personal interest in relation to agenda item 4 - CQC Inspection Update Report - York and Scarborough as he was a governor on the York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a representative of City of York Council.
2. Minutes (17:33)
Members discussed the minutes of the previous Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 21 February 2023. In response to questions, the Corporate Director for Adult Services and Integration noted that:
· The use of agency staff had reduced by almost 60% and an additional 10 social workers were recruited during the Social Work Week in March 2023. A safeguarding lead was also recruited and had been in post for about 6 weeks.
· The Government had released an action plan on delivering the People at the Heart of Care plans but this required further investment. They also announced that there no money attached to the older person accommodation plan.
· The Cost on Care Cap scheme was paused.
· The additional Adult Social Care User Survey was sent in late August and were expecting to have results in November 2023.
· There was a review in the budget and they were confident that there were sufficient plans in place to provide savings.
They also discussed minutes of the previous Housing and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 14 March 2023 and asked for some further information on the number of long term staff vacancies in the housing team and the number of void properties. It was then;
Resolved:
i. That the minutes of the previous Health and Adult Social Care Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 21 February 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
ii. That the minutes of the previous Housing and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee held on 14 March 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
3. Public Participation (17:48)
It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
4. CQC Inspection Update Report - York and Scarborough (17:48)
Members considered a report which provided an update on the October 2022 CQC inspections of urgent and emergency care, medical and maternity services. It also provided an update on the approaches that the Trust was taking to address the issues identified across both York and Scarborough hospital sites.
The Interim Chief Nurse, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, outlined the report and was present to answer questions alongside the Chief Executive, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. In response to some questions from Members, it was noted that:
· Urgent action and investment was taken in regards to staffing, especially in maternity services and the specialist roles within.
· Recruitment was still ongoing and that a clearer career framework was introduced to support people into employment. Training and upskilling was also a priority to new and existing staff.
· Measures were being put in place ahead of the winter season and building work in the A&E department was still ongoing but should be completed by mid-October
· The ward accreditation scheme was a development tool used to measure standards of care through audits and other systems.
· Governance and culture issues were a key priority for the Trust with specific measures being implemented under maternity services, such as the introductions of workstreams. There was also an increase in the number of incidents reported and this demonstrated improvements in the culture.
The Chief Executive also confirmed that he would share the action plan from the inspection report and details of the winter provision with the Committee. It was then;
Resolved:
i. That the Trust’s response to the CQC inspection and wider Journey to Excellence focussed improvement programme be noted.
ii. That the additional info as above be shared with the Committee.
Reason: To keep the Committee updated on the Trust’s response to the CQC Inspection.
5. Update Regarding CQC Inspections at Foss Park Hospital (18:21)
The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the content of a previous report, dated 22 November, regarding the CQC inspection at Foss Park Hospital. The Managing Director (North Yorkshire, York and Selby), Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust outlined the report and was present to answer questions.
Members discussed issues around staffing levels. The Managing Director explained that staff within the wards were fully qualified and registered where necessary, and that there was ongoing training available. She also noted that there was a net gain of 12 therapist posts within the last year and the recruitment of two team managers within the children and adolescent’s mental health services (CAHMS) had improved staff morale. However, she then confirmed that staffing issues and recruitment continued to be one of biggest challenges, especially within the medical field and on the crisis line. She noted that there was ongoing work to improve this and that staff retention was also slowly improving.
Questions were also raised regarding the use of assistive technology and the Managing Director explained how Oxyhealth and the specialist doors worked before confirming that the systems could be turned off if a patient requested.
The Committee then discussed the CAHMS and waiting times. The Managing Director explained that there was a high demand for CAHMS, especially after Covid-19, and waiting times varied but that neuro assessments had the longest waiting time, both nationally and locally. She also confirmed that cases were prioritised accordingly but this would only happen after the initial assessment.
The Managing Director also agreed to share additional data and information regarding staff morale, hourly rates for bank staff, number of additional physical healthcare assistants and CAHMS waiting times alongside a copy of the November 22 report to be circulated with the Committee. It was then;
Resolved:
i. That the contents of the report be noted.
ii. That the additional info as above be shared with the Committee.
Reason: To keep the Committee updated regarding the CQC inspection at Foss Park Hospital.
6. Commissioning Strategy (18:56)
Resolved:
i. That the Commissioning Strategy report be deferred to a future Scrutiny meeting.
Reason: To allow Officers extra time to finalise the report.
7. Work Plan (18:56)
Members considered the 2023/24 draft work plan for the Committee.
Resolved:
i. That the Committee receives an update on the winter provision for homeless people at the next scheduled meeting.
ii. That the weight management item for the April 2024 meeting be expanded to include obesity issues across York.
iii. That the Committee receives a report on the Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys CQC inspection once available.
Reason: To keep the Committee’s work plan updated.
Councillor Myers, Chair
[The meeting started at 5.31 pm and finished at 6.56 pm].