Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED:

That Cllr Martin McCarthy be elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

(Cllr McCarthy takes the Chair)

To appoint a Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED:

That Cllr Gail Sleigh be appointed Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

Apologies were received from Cllr G Sleigh, Cllr Feeney attended as her substitute.

To receive declarations of interest from Members.

None received.

To answer any questions, if any asked by any resident of the Borough pursuant to Standing Orders.

None received.

To receive the minutes of the previous meeting held on 14 March 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2022 were submitted for approval.

With regard to minute 5, Suicide Prevention Plan, Cllr Dr Sexton referenced the additional information received following the meeting, and in particular the support given to children, who had been bereaved by suicide. Cllr Dr Sexton reminded the Board that she had proposed a recommendation that this be reviewed as part of the refresh of the Suicide Prevention Plan.

The Chairman referred to the Work Plan on the agenda, where there was an item on Suicide Prevention scheduled.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2022 be approved as a correct record.

For the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Board to note the Cabinet Member priorities for 2022/23.

(The Portfolio Holder for Partnership and Wellbeing will provide a verbal update.)

The Chairman welcomed Cllr Dicicco the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health and Cllr Karen Grinsell Cabinet Member for Partnerships and Wellbeing and Chairman of the Solihull Health and Wellbeing Board, who were in attendance to present their prospective priorities for 2022/23.

Cllr Dicicco advised Members that his Portfolio priorities were aligned with the two relevant directorates - adult care and support directorate and the public health directorate. With regard to the priority areas aligned with the adult social care and support directorate these were detailed in Table 1 and supported five of the strategic themes in the council plan as detailed in the report.

Cllr Dicicco advised that in addition to the work set out in Table 1 there were four enabling priorities as set out in Table 2 that had been agreed for the adult care and support directorate, each of which underpinned the broader work of the directorate and were detailed in table two of the report. In respect to priority areas aligned with public health these were set out in table three of the report.

Having received the Cllr Dicicco’s’ priorities for 2022/23, Members of the Board sought clarification on a number of issues which in summary included: -

Ø  With regard to the Environment Sustainability Plan, it was confirmed that this could be included in the Board’s work programme, prior to it being considered by the Cabinet Member;

Ø  Members requested that they receive a breakdown of public health priority areas broken down by Cabinet Member delegation;

Ø  In relation to the Health Inequalities Strategy a Member commented that reference to adolescents seemed to missing from the priority area and they would have preferred that direct reference to poverty as a factor of inequality was included. Cllr Dicicco referenced the development of family hubs and the positive impact they would have in addressing inequalities;

Ø  With reference to the funding for weight management services Officers confirmed that the funding as detailed in the report was correct;

Ø  Members asked whether the Council engaged with the prison service in relation to supporting prison leavers with mental health needs. Officers advised that this support sat with Solihull Integrated Addiction Service (SIAS), but the Director of Public Health would be happy to discuss this further;

Ø  Cllr Dicicco assured Members that a range of data was presented to his Portfolio decision sessions to ensure performance of the service was measured and monitored;

Ø  Members raised concern over possible digital exclusion and wanted to be reassured that residents who could not engage digitally were not left behind. Both Cabinet Members acknowledged it was an important point and such residents would not be overlooked. Cllr Grinsell provided examples of how the Library service was used to help residents engage digitally;

Ø  Reference was also made to carer leavers who moved into supported accommodation and the support they were given to access the internet. Cllr Dicicco offered to look into this in more detail.

Cllr Grinsell advised the Board  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The on-going impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on the ability of the NHS to restore and deliver some health services that were available prior to 2020. Two papers are presented, on behalf of the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS), which set out a direction of intent in relation to access to GP and urgent care services in Solihull. The reports set out how partners across the ICS are currently responding to on-going operational pressures, in both acute and primary care, whilst working together to develop and improve the services that meet the needs of local people. ICS partners have committed to considering a number of realistic and deliverable options, to ensure that the right services are provided in the borough.

The Chairman welcomed to the meeting external colleagues to the meeting who were in attendance to provide Members with information on Access to Primary Care and Urgent Care Services for Solihull residents.

The Board welcomed:

·  David Melbourne ICS Interim Designate Chief Executive

·  Paul Sherriff – Chief Officer for Primary Care and Integration

·  Jonathan Brotherton- Chief Operating Office UHB

·  Martin Richardson – Medical Director

·  Fiona Alexander – Chief Communications Officer UHB

David Melbourne provided the context for the two reports before the Board and detailed the considerable amount of work which needed to be undertaken to deal with the NHS back log in Birmingham and Solihull, including the plans to achieve this.

Paul Sherriff in presenting his report on primary care covered a number of points which in summary included:

Ø  It was a recognition at national and local level that patients’ needs were not being meet, despite a number of interventions being put in place, some of which had been suggested by the Board on previous occasions;

Ø  It was recognised that GPs’ worked very hard and services provided pre-pandemic were now available. It was acknowledged how the services were now provided was fundamentally different, with not all contact being face to face;

Ø  60% of patients were able to access face to face appointments, with the rest delivered remotely. Contact was not always with a GP, but other professionals working within the surgery such as paramedics, nurse practioners, physios;

Ø  It was acknowledged that public engagement and consultation needed to be better as public perception was low, despite significant investment being made in every single surgery in the Borough to improve, telephony, business processing and websites;

Ø  It was confirmed that there were two sites in the Borough which were causing concern and work was ongoing to improve things and the situation was being monitored. Regular checks were done to see how easy it was to contact a GP;

Ø  Across the Borough the average call waiting time was 8 minutes, however at two sites the average mean time was 30 minutes which not acceptable;

Ø  Members were advised that although GP surgeries were run by private business providing services to the NHS there was a commitment from every surgery in the Borough to improve.

Following Paul Sherriff’s presentation Members asked raised/asked a number of questions which in summary included:

Ø  Paul Sherriff advised Members that data was not currently collected on who the patients saw once they had an appointment, but confirmed that there were no concerns regarding the quality of care once received. GP surgeries in Solihull had committed to work with the ICS and share data, and this would help provide a better understanding of a patients experience;

Ø  Members noted that there was a perception problem as the patients perception was not reflected in data detailed in the report. Paul Sherriff confirmed that a key component going forward was to have the necessary data which the public could understand and support the case he was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider a motion which was referred from Full Council.

Given that Members will be provided with a further update at their meeting on 9 November 2022, on GP Access and Urgent Care the Board agreed to defer consideration of the motion until then.

RESOLVED:

That consideration of the motion be deferred until 9 November 2022.

The purpose of the report is for the Scrutiny Board to consider and comment on the proposed Work Programme for the next municipal year.

The Board was invited to consider their draft work programme for 2022/23.

Attached at Appendix 1 to the report was the draft programme for Members to consider.

Officers reminded Members that the work of the Board needed to align with the Council priorities, which were detailed in Appendix 2 to the report. Members were also reminded that there would be capacity issues in relation to the amount of time the Board could consider an item effectively at any one meeting, as well as managing officer resources which were not unlimited. The Director of Adult Social Care and Support advised that the items within the draft programme had been suggested on the basis of the assurance work the Directorate would be doing in the coming year.

Members were advised that there was already a request to hold an additional meeting in July.

In considering the report Members made a number of comments and suggestions which in summary included:-

Ø  It was suggested that the Board should look at the Autism strategy, specifically for adults which was being developed. However, it was felt that the best arena for this to be scrutinised was the Joint Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee;

Ø  It was proposed that the additional meeting in July would be held on 18 July and include the Priorities report from Cllr Grinsell regarding the Health and Wellbeing Board;

Ø  It was noted that as an update from Health colleagues would be provided on 9 November, this needed to be added to the programme, and they could be asked to comment on work they were doing on the Green agenda as well;

Ø  It was suggested that the following be added to the work programme and assigned dates:-

1 The Adult Care and Support Environmental Sustainability Plan -

2 Supplementary Planning Document (Health)

3 ICS/UHB to be scheduled for 9 November to provide update on the report presented on 8 June with specific reference to:

·  *Update on Minor Injuries Unit & Urgent Care and Communication Plan;

·  Update on GP Access

·  Health Infrastructure (to consider the work undertaken to ensure appropriate health facilities are in place within the Borough.)

(*The motion from Council would be considered following receipt of the above report.)

4 Solihull’s Family Hub Offer and Delivery

Ø  There was some discussion in extending the work programme so it covered 18 months and not just 12 months, but in doing so, Members accepted that elections and decisions made at annual Council could affect this.

RESOLVED:

That work programme be approved subject to the additions referenced above and kept under review.