Contact : Graham Linecar, Ext: 7390

1 Seminar 19 June on Health Overview & Scrutiny

1.1 This one-day event on health overview and scrutiny, organised and funded by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority, took place on 19 June. It was attended by representatives of all health organisations (Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts) of Community Health Councils and of local authorities (unitaries, district councils and a representative each of the Association of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Authorities and of the Hampshire Association of Parish and Town Councils).

1.2 A list of Members of the County Council who attended is attached. The Executive Member, Social Care and the Chairman of this Committee made presentations to the seminar.

1.3 The seminar was a useful opportunity to make personal contact with representatives from the new health organisations, complementing the contact being established by Social Services Department Partnership Managers. It provided a useful basis of shared knowledge and a first step toward a consensus about how to prepare for and organise health overview and scrutiny.

1.4 It also provided up-to-date information from the Department of Health. It is still the intention that arrangements should be in place in January 2003. Publication of draft guidance has slipped to September or October, to be followed by a curtailed consultation period before the necessary regulations are laid late in the year and final guidance issued.

1 County Council preparations for health scrutiny

2.1 This Committee has the task of developing and putting in place the County Council's arrangements for health scrutiny.

2.2 The Chairman explained to the seminar how it was intended to go about developing those arrangements in consultation with the many partners involved. He said:

2.2.1 `The County Council will need to use this power of scrutiny in conjunction with the other social service authorities in the HIOWHA area. There already exists a strong record of partnership working between health and local government, and we look forward to the opportunity of developing these relationships further. We must develop arrangements which bring in the voice of district councils, and build on the successful partnerships District and Borough Council have developed with the previous health authorities and the emerging PCTs.

2.2.2 The County Council does not have fixed and firm ideas about how it should establish and develop health scrutiny framework within Hampshire. Today has been a welcome opportunity to meet with those we will need to talk to as ideas begin to emerge and develop. Can I ask you all to let me have you individual thoughts that might come to you over the coming weeks? For our part, my committee will, in the autumn, consider some draft proposals on which we would like your views, and indeed the views of the wider public. We would then propose to consider the comments we receive and have arrangements in place to commence the first reviews next year.

2.2.3 An important early task will be to identify the sort of issues we shall want to review and to think about how we should set priorities and draw up a programme of reviews. I suspect that several of the issues we may want to consider are likely to be thematic and not focused on a single NHS organisation or district council area. It will be important for the organisational arrangements we put in place to reflect that. But arrangements must also be flexible to allow us to bring together for an individual review the right people, and enable them to go about the review in whatever seems the best way. We will be fortunate if we hit on the right arrangements first time out, so we must be prepared to examine our arrangements, drawing on experience gained from early reviews.'

2 Proposed arrangements

3.1 It is proposed that those Members who attended the seminar be invited to an informal meeting in July to develop the County Council's proposals for consultation with partner organisations. The Committee may wish to extend an invitation to attend that informal meeting to members of other policy review committees. The intention would be to bring a draft consultation document to the Committee at its meeting on 5 September or 11 October, depending on when draft guidance is published by the Department of Health. Although it would be desirable to wait until draft guidance is available, if it seems this will be delayed until later in October, it may be preferable to proceed with consultation on the basis of what is understood to be Government proposals rather than wait until after publication and be forced into constrained consultation.

3.2 It is proposed that the Committee considers in-depth consultation with organisations represented at the seminar - the partner organisations with whom the County Council will work in undertaking health overview and scrutiny. That in-depth consultation could take the form of individual Members visiting some of the partner organisations (particularly PCTs) in the autumn to discuss the County Council's proposals. Such an approach is, of course, in line with the intended style of working of health overview and scrutiny committees - of individual members undertaking visits and investigations.

3 Recommendations

It is recommended.

4.1. That the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority be thanked for organising the seminar on health overview and scrutiny on 19 June.

4.2. That an informal meeting be arranged for those Members who attended the seminar to discuss options for arrangements for health overview and scrutiny to be put forward in a draft consultation document for consideration by this Committee at its meeting on 5 September or 11 October.

4.3. That an invitation to attend that informal meeting be extended to other Members of the County Council who did not have the opportunity to attend the seminar.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

File Location

County Councillors who attended health scrutiny seminar

Councillors: Mrs P Banks

Mrs Barron

A Collett

B Dash

C Davidovitz

R Ellis

S Hayes

F Hindson

M Kendal

M Roberts

M Sheehan

J West

Mrs P West