Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 7 - Pinner Village Surgery Challenge Panel

Agenda Item 8 - Impact of Housing on Health

Agenda Item 9 - Update on Health Reforms

Agenda Item 10 - Draft Health and Social Care Scrutiny Sub-Committee Section of Scrutiny Annual Report 2010/11

Councillor Ann Gate declared a personal interest in that she worked in a General Practitioner Surgery in Harrow.  She was also an appointed observer on the Harrow Local Medical Committee.  She would remain in the room whilst these items were considered and voted upon.

Councillor Simon Williams declared a personal interest in that his wife was a Community Psychiatric Nurse for North West London Mental Health Trust.  He would remain in the room whilst these items were considered and voted upon.

CouncillorMrs Vina Mithani declared a personal interest in that she worked for the Health Protection Agency.  She would remain in the room whilst these items were considered and voted upon.

That the minutes of the Health Sub-Committee meeting held on 7 December 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)               the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2010 be taken as read and signed as a correct record;

(2)               Members be provided with a copy of the response from NHS Harrow in relation to GP out-of-hours services.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 17 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received.

Report of the Divisional Director Partnership Development and Performance.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Divisional Director of Partnership Development and Performance which enclosed the final report of the Pinner Village Surgery Challenge Panel.  The report also included the formal response from NHS Harrow and its final decision.

An officer stated that whilst NHS Harrow maintained that the decision to close Pinner Village Surgery was correct, they acknowledged that there were issues in the way the matter had been dealt with, particularly the sharing of information with stakeholders and engagement with the former patients.  The Chairman stated that the Challenge Panel and resulting report was an example of good scrutiny and that Members of the Panel deserved credit for their work.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Divisional Director Partnership Development and Performance.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Divisional Director of Partnership Development and Performance which provided a briefing on the possible remit for a review to address the impact of housing on health.  The report also detailed a briefing currently being carried out by the Greater London Assembly and the changes and developments in national housing policy as a result of the Localism Bill.

An officer stated that at the Scrutiny Leadership Group meeting on 27 October 2010, Members had suggested that the Sub-Committee address the impact of housing on health and wellbeing.  The Chairman of the Sub-Committee and the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Lead Members had subsequently met with the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing to decide upon a potential focus for such an investigation.  It had been decided that an exploration of the changes in government policy and the effects of this on residents in different parts of the borough could be a way forward.  Members of the Sub-Committee were asked to consider the potential remit and scope for any further work and whether it was the right time to pursue such a project.

A Member stated the issue of housing and health was complicated and that any investigation would need to be highly focussed and be of direct benefit to the local area.  He suggested that any potential investigation link in with the Council’s Local Development Framework in order to help guide any decisions in relation to development options.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)               the report be noted;

(2)               officers look at the feasibility of linking a potential investigation into health and housing with the Council’s Local Development Framework.

Report of the Divisional Director Partnership Development and Performance.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Divisional Director of Partnership Development and Performance which provided an update on developments in relation to health, public health and social care.  An officer stated that a briefing paper was being prepared to enable the Scrutiny Leadership Group to consider the role and duties of Scrutiny over the coming years.

Members queried why the Health and Social Care Bill had indicated that the power of Scrutiny would be vested with the Local Authority and not the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The officer stated that the authors of the Bill had accepted that they had not fully understood the role and function of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and that this had, to some extent, resulted in ambiguous phrasing.  The authors had, however, also indicated that they had not wished to dictate to local authorities how their Scrutiny arrangements should operate in view of the fact that local authorities would be able to go back to the old committee system, should they wish to.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)               the report be noted;

(2)               Members be sent the draft response to the Health White Paper consultation for comment.

Report of the Divisional Director Partnership Development and Performance.

The Sub-Committee agreed to receive a report of the Divisional Director of Partnership Development and Performance, as a matter of urgency, which enclosed an early draft of the Sub-Committees section of the Scrutiny Annual Report 2010/11.  An officer stated that additional information was still to be included and that she would circulate a final draft to Members in due course.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Which the Chairman has decided is urgent and cannot otherwise be dealt with.

Neonatal Death Data

The Chairman informed the Sub-Committee that an agenda item relating to neonatal care at Northwick Park Hospital had been scheduled for the next meeting of the Sub-Committee.  The Chairman informed Members that the Director of Public Health for Harrow had been invited to attend.

Proposed merger of Northwest London Hospital NHS Trust and Ealing NHS Trust

The Chairman informed the Sub-Committee that the Chief Executive of North West London Hospital NHS Trust (NWLH)would be invited to the next meeting to discuss the proposals to merge NWLH with Ealing NHS Trust.

Members raised concern that the Integrated Care Organisation business case had been approved on the basis that NWLH would become a foundation trust but the merger suggested that the organisation could not achieve this alone.