Agenda and minutes

Cllr Champken-Woods tendered apologies for the meeting. No substitutes present.

Cllr Haywood declared the fact that he had been offered a job within an NHS commissioning organisation: South, Central and West.

Cllr Hanna reiterated her ongoing interest as Chair of SUDEP Action.

Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting can attend the meeting in person or ‘virtually’ through an online connection.

To facilitate ‘hybrid’ meetings we are asking that requests to speak or present a petition are submitted by no later than 9am four working days before the meeting i.e., 9am on 05 May.  Requests to speak should be sent to scrutiny@oxfordshire.gov.uk

If you are speaking ‘virtually’, you may submit a written statement of your presentation to ensure that your views are taken into account. A written copy of your statement can be provided no later than 9am 2 working days before the meeting. Written submissions should be no longer than 1 A4 sheet.

None

Appointed members of the HOSC met on 20 April 2023 with Dan Leveson, Place Director for BOB HOSC, Ben Riley, Executive Director for Oxford Health NHS Trust, Kerry Rodgers, Director of Corporate Affairs, Oxford Health NHS Trust, Karen Fuller, Corporate Director of Adults and Housing, Oxfordshire County Council to discuss the substantial change form submitted in relation to the loss of community hospital beds. The agreed outcome of the meeting was that the planned process for engaging with the community in Wantage around how the hospital will be used in the future be made available to HOSC members prior to any further decision being made.

Dan Leveson, Ben Riley, Kerry Rogers and Karen Fuller are invited to present this item. Having listened to the presentation and discussion the Committee is recommended to AGREE its next steps.

NB This document is still currently in draft and publication will be delayed to allow greater coordination between stakeholders. A supplement to the agenda is to follow and is expected to be issued on Friday 05 May.

Following the meeting held by the Wantage Hospital Substantial Change sub-group on 20 April 2022 Dan Leveson, Place Director for BOB HOSC, Ben Riley, Executive Director for Oxford Health NHS Trust, Kerry Rodgers, Director of Corporate Affairs, Oxford Health NHS Trust, and Karen Fuller, Corporate Director of Adults and Housing, Oxfordshire County Council attended the meeting to present the agreed outcome of the Working Group meeting – a planned process for engaging with the community in Wantage around how the hospital will be used in the future.

Dan Leveson introduced the plan, which represented a process to re-engage the local community and stakeholders in order to resolve the future provision of services at Wantage Hospital. The process would be based on co-production, with an aim to develop a report based on consensus views across stakeholders developed primarily through an all-day co-production workshop. Details of the timing and membership of this workshop were still under discussion. The HOSC would have an opportunity for comment formally on the proposals in the report over the summer, following which public consultation would occur, with the expectation of a final report being put forward in November. The need to work with communities and avoidance of NHS commissioners presenting a fait accompli was reiterated. Resources to support this work were already in place, with Transformation Director Susannah Butler heading up a team with responsibility for this.

In response, the Chair summarised key points agreed from the discussion at the Wantage Hospital Substantial Change sub-group.

-        It was recognised by all present that, approaching seven years after the announcement of the temporary closure of hospital beds at Wantage Hospital, the closure had ceased to be temporary. It was important for members of the public to have a clear understanding around timelines over what would be happening next.

-        That there is a reconfiguration of the way services are delivered in Oxfordshire generally, which goes beyond Wantage on its own

-        That it is necessary to match up the fact that people in Wantage should be able to have their say on how services are delivered locally, but that must also feed in to the broader strategy. Consequently, engagement and co-production between system representatives and the local community is vital in achieving this balance.

-        The working group requested a timeline for that engagement and co-production be put to the Committee.

-        No decision was taken in relation to whether to make a referral to the Secretary of State.

The Chair also requested that the timeline presented to members of the HOSC also be shared with Wantage Town Council, which was agreed.

Issues addressed by the Committee and discussions held included the following:

-        The importance of ensuring a broad section of the community who made use of Wantage Hospital were involved in the co-production exercise, including those in the villages beyond the town of Wantage who would nevertheless be using Wantage Hospital. It was committed that, when agreed, the list of stakeholders would be circulated to HOSC  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4/23

The agreed at its meeting on 20 April 2023 to undertake a recruitment exercise for one of the vacant co-optee posts on the Committee, whilst delaying the other following feedback from organisations representing diverse communities around the payment of co-optees and pending the Council’s review of this issue. Following the completion of this recruitment the Committee is asked to formalise the proposed appointee.

The Committee is asked to AGREE the recommendations of the report.

NB This report is to follow and will be issued as part of the supplement to the agenda.

Members of the Committee were reminded of the contents of the report before them, that it had been agreed Cllrs Hanna and Dallimore, as well as the Scrutiny Manager, Tom Hudson, would undertake interviews for the vacant co-optee position arising in light of Barbara Shaw’s term ending. The Committee was updated that these interviews had been undertaken the day before, and informed that the interviewing panel had unanimously agreed that two positions should be offered from the pool of candidates for the two vacant co-optee positions: the reappointment of Barbara Shaw for a further term, and the appointment of Siama Ahmed.

It was AGREED that Barbara Shaw and Siama Ahmed be appointed as co-optees to the Committee, subject to their fulfilling the requirements of the Councillor Code of Conduct as it relates to co-opted members. Both were welcomed by the Chair and the Committee.

At its meeting on 20 April the Committee agreed that officers would draft an action based on the conversation held at the Committee for agreement by the Committee at its next meeting.

The Committee is recommended to AGREE the proposed action, having made any necessary amendments.

NB This item will be issued alongside the others as part of the supplement to follow in order to keep all relevant papers together.

Members of the Committee were reminded by the Chair that at the meeting on 20 April 2022 the Committee had decided as part of its item on dentistry to defer agreeing the final wording of the recommendations to the following meeting. It was noted that the suggested wording contained a clerical error and one recommendation was missing.  It was asked that this be corrected. The Committee also shared its wish that greater emphasis of underspends arising from Oxfordshire be used for the benefit of Oxfordshire residents.

Including the originally-omitted recommendation, it was AGREED in relation to the dentistry item on 20 April 2022 that:

1)    The following recommendations be made to NHS England and the Integrated Care Board:

a.     To collaborate with the Place Based Partnership, Public Health and providers with view to creating a base line dentistry data set that will mean local improvements to poor dental health of residents can be achieved and clearly communicated.

b.     To resolve any remaining uncertainty regarding the local flexibilities available to the ICB at and to consider investment of the underspend in Oxfordshire in targeted action to improve access to health and better serve Oxfordshire’s children and residents with the greatest need.

2)    The Committee: i) Delegates to Cllr Hanna in consultation with Cllr Barrow and Scrutiny Manager the drafting of a letter to the Secretary of State to: a) Provide local evidence concerning access to and the affordability of dentistry b) Identify the feedback provided on barriers and enablers, to include tackling delays in new dental trainees registering for NHS practice, further reform necessary to the NHS Dental Contract to enable prevention work supporting Public Health, and enabling local systems to deliver the improvements needed for Oxfordshire residents. c) State the committee’s recognition of the clinical benefit for oral health of fluoridation of drinking water in the county, recommending that the Secretary of State undertake a consultation to determine the level of local support or opposition to the fluoridation of the county’s drinking water. ii) Agrees that a copy of the draft letter be sent to Leaders and Chief Executives of the District, City and County Councils in Oxfordshire before sending to the Secretary of State.