Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 7 – Update on GP Access Centres in the Borough

During consideration of this item, the following Councillors declared interests:

Councillor Vina Mithani, a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she was a patient at the Belmont Health Centre.  She would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

Councillor Chris Mote, a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he was a patient at the Pinn Medical Centre.  He would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

Councillor John Hinkley, who was not a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non pecuniary interest in that he was a patient at the Pinn Medical Centre.  He would remain in the room to listen to the discussion on this item.

Councillor Jean Lammiman, who was not a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non pecuniary interest in that she was a patient at the Pinn Medical Centre.  She would remain in the room to listen to the discussion on this item.

CouncillorKairul Karima Marikar, who was not a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non pecuniary interest in that she worked for the Hertfordshire PartnershipUniversity NHS Foundation Trust.  She would remain in the room to ask question(s) and listen to the discussion on this item.

Councillor Janet Mote, who was not a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non pecuniary interest in that she was a patient at the Pinn Medical Centre.  She would remain in the room to ask questions(s) and listen to the discussion on this item.

Agenda Item 8 – Consultation on Draft Harrow Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Councillor Vina Mithani, a member of the Sub-Committee, declared a non-pecuniary interest in that in that she worked for Public Health England.  She would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2020 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2020 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive any public questions received in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 17 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

Questions will be asked in the order in which they were received.  There will be a time limit of 15 minutes for the asking and answering of public questions.

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, Thursday 27 February 2020.  Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk  

No person may submit more than one question].

None received.

Report of the Managing Director, NHS Harrow CCG.

The Sub-Committee received a verbal report on the Pinn Medical Centre from representatives of Harrow CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) present at the meeting. Members were informed that:

-               the direction of travel for all health services was set by NHS England and in order to adhere to the guidance, the CCG had changed two of the three Walk-In Centres in Harrow to GP Access Centres.  The Alexandra Avenue Health and Social Care Centre had changed in November 2018 and the Belmont Health Centre in November 2019;

-               the CCG had recently decided to retain the Walk-In Services at the Pinn Medical Centre.  The decision had been based on the volume of representations received.

Prior to the consideration of the report, in accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 4.1 of the Council’s Constitution, Members had agreed that Councillors who were not members of the Sub-Committee be allowed to address the meeting in respect of this item.  A number of Councillors had indicated their wish to speak on this item.  The Chair initially invited Members of the Sub-Committee to ask questions.

Q1 – How would the Pinn Medical Centre be funded?  Would the money that would have been saved as a result of changing the Centre to a GP Access Centre been distributed amongst Harrow GP Practices?

A representative of the CCG stated that there were two elements to the funding.  Funding was available for patients registered with the Pinn Medical Centre and a separate element available for those not registered with this Centre.  The Walk-In services would be available to all, including non-Harrow residents.  Central to the proposals for change to GP Access Centres was to give local residents better access to services and provide continuity of care.  It was not intended to be a money saving exercise.

Q2 - Would the Walk-In Service at the Pinn Medical Centre remain open indefinitely or for a fixed period? 

A representative of the CCG replied that discussions between the CCG and the Pinn Medical Centre had not yet concluded, including how the services would be reviewed.  To ensure flexibility, the CCG was working to a 5-year plan but it was recognised that the situation might alter due to changes in legislation and government plans.

Q3 – What had changed between the decisions made in 2018/19 and the recent decision in respect of the Pinn Medical Centre?   

A representative of the CCG explained that representations received from and in relation to the Pinn Medical Centre, by way of patient engagement, had resulted in the decision to retain the premises as a Walk-In Centre. The changes to Alexandra and Belmont had been achieved through collaboration.

Q3 – Did the maintaining of Walk-In services in one part of the borough yet removing them from other parts mean a postcode lottery in local healthcare? 

A representative of the CCG stated that it was too early to provide a response to this question.  It was important to recognise that all patients in Harrow and elsewhere would have access to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

Report of the Director of Public Health.

The Sub-Committee noted that the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy was a statutory requirement, which set the strategic objectives and focus for the Joint Health and Wellbeing Board to address the health and wellbeing needs of the population of Harrow.  The Strategy was for a five year period from 2020 – 2025 and would be signed off by the Board in March 2020. 

The Director of Public Health introduced the report and reported that there was a statutory requirement for local partnerships to prepare a Strategy to help improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Harrow.  The Strategy was jointly owned by the Council and Harrow CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group).  She added that the issues were complex and explained how the environment contributed to the health and wellbeing of people.

The Director added that whilst Harrow was relatively affluent and healthy, inequalities existed between Wards where there was a need for more focus.  As a result, broad areas with overarching concepts and themes, such as Start Well, Live Well, Work Well and Age Well had been worked up.  The Strategy was aligned to the strategic direction set through other strategies, including the Borough Plan, to maximise opportunities and strengthen delivery plans.  She added that:

-               feedback had been received from various stakeholders, including the police, acute hospitals, primary care centres and the voluntary sector;

-               through the workshops across partners, priorities and challenges for Harrow were discussed and these were reflected in the Strategy.

Members asked the following questions:

Q1 – How would the Council support children and young adults who were suffering from mental health problems?

In response, the Director of Public Health reported that, as part of wellbeing, mental health featured significantly.  The Council and the CCG were working on a Mental Health Strategy to ensure that the tools available were suitable for teenagers, young people and children of pre-school age.  Both organisations already worked in partnership to commission some mental health services. However, in addition, resilience was key and the Council was actively supporting schools to gain the London Healthy Schools Award, which recognised the achievements of schools in supporting the health and wellbeing of their pupils.

Q2 -How did the five-year Strategy fit with the 10-year Borough Plan?  Both were multi-agency.  Joint commissioning between the CCG and local authority was included as part of the Borough Plan – how did the partners determine what areas or services to focus upon?

The Director of Public Health reported that officers across Directorates had worked closely on both documents.  She was pleased that the Borough Plan had a focus on addressing poverty, inequalities and health inequalities; all of which were factors identified in the Strategy.  In terms of prioritising, the main categories of the Strategy could encompass many topics.  Evidence had been presented at the workshops with stakeholders which had helped to highlight major issues and allowed them to identify the priorities for the initial action plan.

Q3 - A relatively high proportion of Harrow adults  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

Report of the Director of Strategy and Partnerships.

The Sub-Committee received a report, which set out the discussions held at the meeting of the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) on 27 January 2020 at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Members noted that the next JHOSC meeting would be held on 9 March 2020 at Richmond Council and would include an item on patient transport.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

24 June 2020 (moved from 23 June 2020) – 7.30pm

19 November 2020 – 7.30pm

23 February 2021 – 7.30pm

RESOLVED:  To note the dates of meetings for the Municipal Year 2020/21:

24 June 2020 at 7.30 pm

19 November 2020 at 7.30 pm

23 February 2021 at 7.30 pm.