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 interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests, or any disclosable pecuniary interests that they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Councillors Cannon, Cullwick and Richardson declared the treatment they were receiving from York Hospital.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2018 and the revised minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2017.

Please note: The revised minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2017 will follow as an agenda supplement.

Members received the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2018 and the revised minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2017 (appended).

The Chair reiterated his belief that more detail should be provided within the minutes, specifically in regard to Members’ questions, and encouraged Members to raise any concerns they had about specific omissions in the future. It was suggested that greater attention be drawn in the minutes to the meeting webcast.

Resolved:  To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2018 and the minutes of the meeting held on 12 December 2017 with the agreed amendments.

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 5:00 pm on Friday 16 February 2018.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be filmed and webcast, or recorded, including 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: http://www.york.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/11406/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings_20160809.pdf

It was reported that there had been one registration to speak under the Council’s scheme of public participation, and that one written representation had been received from Ms Gwen Vardigans. The written representation and the officer response (appended) were circulated to members and read out for the benefit of attendees.

Ms Ann Weerakoon asked the following question of the committee: Can the people of York and North Yorkshire be reassured that despite spiralling costs the new Mental Health Hospital will be built and operational by December 2019?

The Chair thanked Ms Weerakoon for her question and explained that the presentation on the new mental health hospital would address the points raised.

This report provides an update on the progress made and key milestones with regards to the development of a new mental health hospital for York and Selby.

Members received a presentation and update report on the development of plans for a new mental health hospital for York and Selby. Ruth Hill, Director of Operations, Dr Steve Wright, Deputy Medical Director, and Martin Dale, Strategic Project Manager, all from TEWV, were in attendance to deliver the presentation and to respond to questions. Derek Shepherd, from P&HS Architects, provided an interactive digital 3D model of the proposed new building.

The TEWV officers reported that work was ongoing to engage service users and care workers in all aspects of the project including the building design. Plans were currently going through the approval process and assurance had been sought from contractors and builders that the new building would be operational within the timescales given. Discussion with York St John University, the site’s neighbours, had been very positive and it was hoped that agreements would be reached regarding shared use of facilities and resources.

During the presentation of the model the following key design aspects were demonstrated:

·        Use of materials that drew on traditional aspects of the surrounding area.

·        A focal entrance without the need for signage.

·        An emphasis on landscaping within drop-off areas to enhance first impressions of the site.

·        An open reception area, extending into a more private area, both with drinks facilities and informal seating for visitors, staff and service users.

·        Incorporation of natural light through use of sky lights and floor-to-ceiling windows along many of the corridors.

·        The building was designed to be at a domestic scale with nothing higher than two-storeys and rooms arranged along single-sided corridors. There was ongoing discussion with service users about use of fabrics, colour schemes and art features.

The Chair thanked the officers for their presentation and invited questions from Members. The following points were made in response to the questions asked:

·        The design of bedrooms had been discussed at length, including issues such as position of beds, internal door design, and access for those with mobility problems.

·        Observation panels installed around the building would include use of Vistamatic door panes and be designed to cause minimal disturbance to patients.

·        In response to user feedback, shared spaces would be flexible for use in different ways (for example, projecting a football match on a large screen or delivering craft sessions).

·        It was hoped that mutually beneficial relationships could be built with the site’s neighbours and local schools, and that this would support the hospital’s integration within the university.

·        Different layouts for the site’s car parking spaces were being considered and installation of a pedestrian crossing outside the hospital was being looked into.

·        The entrance to the safe assessment area would be discreet with internal secure access to the rest of the hospital.

·        Community work would continue to take place in hubs closer to people’s homes.

·        Construction of the building had been planned using the YorBuild model which promoted local job creation and use of the local workforce.

·        The hospital was being financed by TEWV and it was envisaged that this would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

This report analyses the latest performance for 2017/18 and forecasts the financial outturn position by reference to the service plans and budgets for all of the services falling under the responsibility of the Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care.

Members considered the report which analysed the latest performance for 2017/18 and forecasted the financial outturn position for all of the services falling under the responsibility of the Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care. Richard Hartle, Martin Farran, and Terry Rudden were in attendance to present the report and to take questions.

The following information was provided in response to questions from committee members:

·        There had been an overspend in the overall budget for adult social care, and fewer savings made than expected, due mainly to an increased demand for services. It was not expected that the level of demand on services would reduce but it was hoped that better use could be made of available resources. Additional funding for adult social care had been raised through local taxation in line with new national guidelines.

·        A higher-than-expected number of people coming into care through hospital admissions had presented a challenge to local services but York had made very positive shifts in reducing the number of transfers in care and should current projections be proved correct, the council would be a much stronger position going forward than in previous years.

·        A schedule of maintenance for council-owned houses was ongoing but resources were stretched and a service review was being undertaken to ensure in-house staff had appropriate skills to reduce dependency on external contractors.

·        A comment was made regarding the apparent conflict between reductions to voluntary sector funding and the STP’s commitment to shift more resources into the community.

·        Arrangements for the way public health funding was allocated, were due to change in 2019 and this would replace the existing programme of grants. It was hoped that this would allow for a more robust structure for monitoring and reporting outcomes.

·        It was explained that the council supported people with learning difficulties and mental illness into work through a number of contracts held with the voluntary sector, and some further exploratory work was taking place in this area.

·        The impact of a new service providing health checks had been positive and the council had been recognised nationally for an app created for people to monitor their health outcomes.

·        Following the appointment of a new provider of the York substance misuse service, there would be a new focus on dependency reduction rather than maintaining users on alternatives like methadone

Resolved: To receive and note the report

To request circulation to Members of the following:

·        The data-return submitted annually to government specifying the allocation of additional funds raised through taxation for adult social care.

·        A written briefing on the reasons for the cessation of a general fund for mental health.

·        Details of the council’s target capacity for their in-house health check service.

·        Details of the funding arrangements for the newly commissioned substance misuse service.

Reason:     To keep the committee updated on the latest financial and performance position for 2017-18

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

Members received the Committee’s work plan for the municipal year

It was reported that no members of the committee had attended the arranged joint scrutiny meeting to discuss the potential for a children’s mental health review and that the Children, Education and Communities Scrutiny Committee would instead address this through a briefing.

Cllr Pavlovic suggested that a verbal briefing he’d received on the Council’s work in supporting entrenched rough sleepers would be useful for the committee’s consideration at a future meeting and the scrutiny officer agreed to look into arranging this.

There was a discussion about the remit of the committee in considering the implications of changes in the governance arrangements for the North Yorkshire Fire Authority. It was agreed to await the outcome of the decision resting with national government, before deciding on an appropriate course of action.

Two additions were made to the work plan as follows:

·        May 2018 - Consideration of the business case for the new mental health hospital

·        May 2018 – To receive report on the engagement of York Hospital with Home First

Resolved:  To approve the work plan for the municipal year with the above two additions

Reason:     To keep the work plan up to date.