Agenda item

This report asks Members to confirm their work planning programme for the remainder of 2008.

Consideration was given to a report which asked Members to confirm their work planning programme for the remainder of 2008.

The Committee were reminded that at earlier meetings they had agreed that their work would include:

·        Contributing to the “Annual Health Check” – the self-assessment process for NHS trusts run by the Healthcare Commission.

·        Taking an overview of the procurement process for a host organisation to run the new Local Involvement Network (LINk) which would replace Patient and Public Involvement Forums from April 2008.

·        Consider the work of the PCT’s referral policies and individual case panel before they embarked on a scrutiny review. 

·        The long-term conditions which they would focus on would be mental health and musculo-skeletal conditions, although resources would not be likely to permit both areas to be focused on at one time.

It was reported that some scoping work had been carried out on mental health provision which was potentially a large area and would require scoping of a potential topic to a manageable size.

The Director of Housing and Adult Social Services had advised that dementia care was both a local and national priority for attention in view of anticipated demographic changes. The Council were undertaking a jointly commissioned study  with the NYYPCT on the strategic and resource issues around dementia care.

Members were asked whether they wished to carry out further scoping work on one or both of the above areas or whether they wished to focus on one area, mental health (dementia care) or on musculo-skeletal pathways. 

Members confirmed that the PCT were undertaking a lot of work around mental health issues and they suggested that a complimentary piece of work the Committee could undertake was to examine how people with dementia accessed secondary care and how their needs were being met. Members agreed that this could be a large area of work which could include day cases and problems experienced with care and by carers.

Mike Proctor confirmed that around 20/30% of people in hospital had dementia related illnesses.

Members also referred to the falls programme and suggested the examination of alternative care pathways. Graham Purdy confirmed that the PCT were preparing a report over the next 3-6 months which would examine prevention at the front end, alternative approaches and he agreed to prepared details of what the Local Authority could do to assist in the prevention of falls.

Fiona Howell, confirmed that Dr Lethem, Chair of the York Health Group was also undertaking work in this area and was using practice data and details of emergency admissions to examine whether some falls were preventable.

Members also agreed to undertake some exploratory work in this area either visiting the York Health Group or for a representative of the Group to attend a future Committee meeting.

RESOLVED:            i) That approval be given to the draft work plan for Health Scrutiny work for 2008 as set out at Annex A of the report. ^1.

ii)                  That further investigation and scoping work be undertaken into other aspects of dementia care, particularly older people with dementia who are accessing secondary care at York District Hospital. ^2.

iii)                That arrangements be made with the practiced based commissioners to either visit them or for their representatives to attend a future committee meeting. ^3.

iv)                That further examination of local authority involvement in the prevention of falls be undertaken following receipt of the report by Graham Purdy. ^4.

v)                  That the Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee attend the next meeting of the Scrutiny Management Committee on 21 April 2008 to report on the Health Scrutiny Committees work. ^5.