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.

At this point in the meeting, Members were invited to declare any personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests, other than their standing interests attached to the agenda, that they might have had in the business on the agenda.

The list of standing interests attached to the agenda was circulated amongst Members to include any updates to their previously declared standing interests. The following personal standing interests were updated;

·        Councillor Doughty- that his partner now works at the Retreat.

·        Councillor Douglas- as a Council appointee to the Leeds and York NHS Partnership Trust.

·        Councillor Jeffries- as the Director of York Independent Living Network.

Councillor Wiseman also declared a personal standing interest in the general remit of the Committee as a member and past employee of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

No other interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2013.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the last meeting of the Health                     Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 11                                  September 2013 be approved and signed by the Chair               as a correct record.

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 Tuesday 22 October 2013 at 5:00 pm.

It was reported that there had three registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

SiânBalsom, the Manager of Healthwatch York had registered to speak under Agenda Item 3 (Public Participation) but was unable to attend the meeting. She had submitted her concerns via email and these were read out at the meeting. The email outlined two concerns that Healthwatch York had been approached about. These were the redesign of counselling services (specifically at St Andrew’s) and regarding access to psychological therapies in the city.

In relation to the redesign of the counselling services, concerns had been raised about the lack of engagement with service users and the speed at which Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust would be carrying out the redesign.

Regarding access to psychological therapies, it was stated that several hundred patients at York Hospital had been waiting over a year for access to talking therapies. Healthwatch York had been given the impression from Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust that a further 27 full time therapists needed to be employed to adequately staff therapy across York and North Yorkshire.

Roy Goddard, a Governor of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, also registered under the same item. He spoke about the length of waiting lists for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. He added that the loss of funding for services from the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (VOYCCG) had attracted attention as a result of publicly reported long waiting lists. He also felt that there was an unequal distribution between funding and provision of psychological therapy services in York and North Yorkshire.

Amanda Griffiths spoke under Agenda Items 4 (Annual Report from the Chief Executive of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) and 6 (Proposed changes to Psychological Therapies services in York). She mentioned that at a recent meeting held at Bootham Park Hospital, service users were told that the proposed revised service would not suit complex Personality Disorders (PD). They were also told that the York PD service was not concordant with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. In relation to Community Care, she spoke about how the provision would be for areas in which the providers were specialists. She felt that the current situation in the city had left service users waiting for up to 18 months. She informed Members that as a result of this, she had to fund her own care. GPs had also been struggling to get access to secondary mental health services due to the current situation. She urged the Committee to explore other options for commissioning and providing mental health services in the city, such as through non profit services.

Mental Health and Learning Disability services in York, Selby, Tadcaster and Easingwold have been provided by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) since February 2012. This report sets out key areas of service development since that date; and areas for focus on further improvement over coming months.

Members considered an annual report from the Chief Executive of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Discussion of this item and Agenda Item 6 (Minute Item 40 refers) took place at the same time. Details of the discussion of the two items can be found below.

The Chief Executive introduced his report and underlined that Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust had been running mental health and learning disability services in York for twenty months. He outlined four aims that they had. These were:

·        That services needed to be of a higher quality with a reduction in the variation of quality in some services.

·        That there needed to be simpler and easier to access services, and that duplication of the same service should be avoided.

·        That services should be more efficient and operate within the resources available.

·        That as much progress as possible should be made towards establishing a Section 136 Place of Safety in York.

He stated that due to reduced budgets, changes needed to be made but that there was also the need to;

·        Rebalance institutional care with community care

·        For more care to be brought to people in their own homes.

·        To address the under-resourced Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services.

·        Ensure that psychological services in York connected with those in Leeds (for example Personality Disorders)

·        To address accommodation issues, not just at Bootham Park Hospital but also at the adult and young people inpatient service at Limetrees.

He added that he was happy to take comments from the public speakers back to his colleagues and admitted that he would be happy to extend the timescale for public consultation on St Andrew’s Counselling and Psychotherapy services.

Some Members felt that the proposals for changes to mental health services in York, were particularly concerning given that there was a reported underspend in Mental Health services in the area. 

In response, Members were informed that there was a £2.8 million underspend in the services but that this money would not be immediately accessible to Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, but would be released in phases over the next three years. The main challenge would be how the money would be phased into continuing to provide the services.

Regarding figures relating to public consultation over the plans, the Committee were told that this information could be provided to them. In addition, further public consultation was planned in November. It was hoped that a ‘focused group’ of service users would help steer improvements forward, along with a detailed questionnaire about service users’ experiences. This questionnaire would be repeated periodically.

Further questions from Members to the Chief Executive included;

·        With Integrated Bed Management-would it be likely that York patients be accommodated elsewhere, out of the area?

·        Did evidence exist to support computerised cognitive telephone services for IAPT users?

Leeds and Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust recognised that although a few patients were accommodated outside of York, that this was not ideal. There was limited bed space at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

In December 2012, York Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee provided its support for the reconfiguration of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) beds for older people; and the development of a dedicated Care Home Liaison Team.

Members of the Committee asked for a subsequent update on partnership working in mental health services; an interim review of the Care Home Liaison Team; and an update on the placement of service users who had been in Mill Lodge prior to its closure. This report has been prepared for these purposes.

Members considered a report which updated them on;

·        Partnership working in Mental Health Services

·        An interim review of the Care Home Liaison Team

·        The placement of service users who had been in Mill Lodge prior to its closure.

Members asked about the impact on the Council of the interim review of the Care Home Liaison Team. It was reported that although no clear data existed there had been an increase demand for care homes and increased safeguarding referrals.

Resolved:  That the report be noted.

Reason:     To update the Committee on the issues raised in the                report.

This paper outlines proposed changes to psychological therapies services in York, including St Andrew’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Service.

Members received a paper which outlined proposed changes to psychological therapies services in York, including St Andrew’s Counselling and Psychotherapy Service.

Discussion of this paper took place at the same time as consideration of Agenda Item 4 (Minute 38 refers).

Resolved:  That the report be noted.

Reason:     To ensure that the Committee is kept updated on                      proposed changes to psychological therapies services                    in York.

The report updates the York Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee on developments regarding a Section 136 Health Based Place of Safety (HBPOS).

Members received a report which updated them on developments regarding a Section 136 Health Based Place of Safety (HBPOS).

The Head of Mental Health and Vulnerable Adults from the NHS Partnership Commissioning Unit was in attendance at the meeting to present the report and answer Members’ questions.

It was reported that although Bootham Park Hospital was not an ideal site for the facility, if a new building was commissioned this could take five years to complete. Therefore it was felt using Bootham Park Hospital was currently the best option for York.

Members asked if the building’s plans had been fast tracked through the Council’s Planning process. It was confirmed that there was a minimum of four weeks in order for the plans to go through the process and for a decision to be made.

Resolved:  That the report be noted.

Reason:     In order to update the Committee on the development              of a Section 136 Health Based Place of Safety                            (HBPOS) in the city.

This presentation and attached paper will focus on the issue of ‘Living with Loneliness’.

Members received a PowerPoint presentation and attached paper from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Housing Trust in regards to the issue of ‘Living with Loneliness’.

It was noted that a resource kit for all on loneliness had been developed and would be available and free to download from the Joseph Rowntree website in November 2013.

It was also confirmed that the Health and Wellbeing Board would be conducting work on the issue at a future meeting.

Resolved:  That the presentation and paper be noted.

Reason:     In order to update the Committee on this issue.

This report presents Members with the final report (Appendix 1) from the Community Mental Health and Care of Young People Scrutiny Review.

Members considered the draft final report from the Community Mental Health and Care of Young People Scrutiny Review.

Questions were raised about the uptake of the Mental Health Toolkit for Schools. Members were informed that those schools who had adopted it were appreciative of the toolkit, and that a third draft was in production which could lead to a greater uptake.

Members expressed their thanks to the York Youth Council for highlighting the issues that informed the review. Everybody who had given evidence for the Review were also invited to the meeting to be officially thanked for their contributions.

Resolved:  (i)      That the report be noted.

                   (ii)      That the recommendations set out in the report                         be agreed and forwarded to Cabinet.

Reason:     In order to complete this review.

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

A revised work plan was circulated to Members at the meeting.

Following discussion the following amendments were agreed;

·        That workplans for the Health and Wellbeing Partnership Boards be included in the Director of Health and Wellbeing’s report on the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board and its work with Health OSC. This item would be presented at the Committee’s meeting in November.

·        That the scoping report on the Men’s Health Scrutiny Review be considered at the Committee’s meeting in January 2014.

·        That an item on the NHS 111 Service be scheduled into the workplan for the March 2014 meeting.

·        That an item from the Police in regards to training for the Place of Safety be scheduled into the workplan for the April 2014 meeting.

·        That visits by Committee Members to the Accident and Emergency Department at York Hospital to support the late- night economy review be arranged.

Resolved:  That the work plan be noted with the                                            revisions detailed above.

Reason:     To ensure that the Committee has a planned                                       programme of work in place.