Agenda item

13:30

The purpose of this report is to support and advise Committee members to determine their work programme for the 2021/22 municipal year.

The Committee is RECOMMENDED to

(a)          Consider the approach to Overview and Scrutiny outlined in Paragraph 8 and provide comments;

(b)          Consider the results of the limited work programme engagement exercise as detailed in Appendix 1;

(c)          Consider suggestions made by Partners, the Cabinet and Senior Officers;

(d)          Consider the methods by which the Committee would like to undertake its Overview and Scrutiny activity;

(e)          Consider and agree the work programme for the Committee for the 2021/22 municipal year;

(f)           Agree on whether to create any task group reviews and appoint membership of that review;

(g)          Identify any specific training and support needs required to deliver the 2021/22 work programme

The Committee considered a report on developing its work programme.  The Chair thanked everyone who sent suggestions.  She noted that they were primarily looking at a programme for the three meetings in the remaining Council Year 2021/22.  A more comprehensive approach was planned to take place in the Spring of 2022 to plan the agenda for 2022/23.

Members of the Committee welcomed the report and the approach outlined in it, including Members being more involved, taking fewer items at meetings to allow more thorough scrutiny of them, prioritising issues, more training, identifying deep dives.  They added the following points:

·         Involve health partners in scrutiny training.

·         Create a map or outline of how the various partners work together and how the three new scrutiny committees will support each other’s work.

·         Examine the role of co-opted members and how to develop that role.

·         Develop biographies for Committee Members outlining their background and experience.

·         There needs to be equal attention given to physical and mental health issues.

·         The work programme should always be flexible enough to accommodate new issues or matters that become more urgent.

·         It might be helpful to break the county down into areas in order to deal with more efficiently with issues that are particularly relevant in local areas.

·         Task and Finish Groups can require a lot of time outside committee meetings for both Members and officers.

·         Select issues where scrutiny can add value, make the biggest impact.

·         There were three main aspects of Covid going forward: deaths, impact on waiting lists, long-term wellbeing.

·         The impact of the Health and Social Care Bill should be examined and it needs to be clear that integrated health and social care falls clearly within the statutory remit of the committee.

·         There needs to be a measure of effectiveness when the Committee examines an issue.

The Chair noted that the health partners had been invited to the recent scrutiny training but accepted that the invitation had been issued very late for them to attend.

The Chair asked Members to identify their top two issues and the following were listed (multiple mentions noted in brackets):

·         Pressures on General Practices (3)

·         Covid recovery

·         Access to services / waiting lists (3)

·         Community Services (2)

·         CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and mental health in general

·         Dental services

·         Covid and women’s services

·         Staff pay, recruitment and retention

·         The link between housing/planning and health services

·         Scrutiny of BOB-ICS (Bucks, Oxon, Berks West – Integrated Care System)

·         Rural deprivation needs to be considered – where people have much less access to services.

·         Voluntary sector

·         Young carers

The Chair noted that the issue of access to services was clearly mentioned most often and suggested that the provision of a dashboard on access to services would be helpful in deciding which areas to focus on.

The Chair invited Members to continue sending in suggestions using the same form as before.  She suggested holding an informal virtual meeting of Members to progress the Work Programme.  This was agreed.

Ansaf Azhar, Corporate Director for Public Health, summarised the issues that system partners and senior officers would suggest:

·         Mental Health and Wellbeing

·         Opening the health care system in a sustainable way

·         Community Services Strategy

*** Note: it was recalled after the meeting that Julie Mabberley should have been invited to speak at the start of the item.  The Chair and officers apologise for the omission.  A copy of Julie Mabberley’s speech was circulated to Members of the Committee afterwards for consideration in further discussion of the work programme. ***

RESOLVED: to

a)            agree the approach to Overview and Scrutiny outlined in Paragraph 8 and provide comments;

b)           consider the results of the limited work programme engagement exercise as detailed in Appendix 1;

c)            consider suggestions made by Partners, the Cabinet and Senior Officers;

d)           consider the methods by which the Committee would like to undertake its Overview and Scrutiny activity;

e)            consider and agree the work programme for the Committee for the

2021/22 municipal year at an informal virtual meeting;

f)             agree to create any task group reviews and appoint membership of that review;

g)           identify any specific training and support needs required to deliver the 2021/22 work programme;

h)           engage in a mapping exercise of the landscape that the Committee operates in.