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 the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Members:-

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:

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following item be admitted late to the agenda by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency detailed below:-

(2)  all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 2008 be taken as read and signed as a correct record when published in the Bound Minute Volume.

Arising from Minute 296 a Member advised that she had received a response from the Leader which she read out and requested be circulated to all Members of the Committee.  She suggested that consideration be given in future to consultation with the relevant Members prior to any decision to overturn a resolution of Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

With reference to Minute 295 it was noted that this minute should be attached as an appendix to the relevant Cabinet report to enable full consideration of this Committee’s views by Cabinet.

A Member noted that with respect to Minute 292 the information requested remained outstanding and asked that officers ensure this was made available in the near future.

A Member advised that the two questions she had submitted directly to the Head of Scrutiny were not contained within the minutes and it was noted that these had been passed to the relevant Department for response.  The questions related to the Council’s social care criteria and social care policy and decision-making/judicial review.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 April 2008, be taken as read and signed as a correct record when published in the Bound Minute Volume.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

(if any).

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no references from Cabinet or Council.

(if any).

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no reports from Scrutiny Lead Members.

[The Director of Nursing, Northwick Park Hospital, will be attending the meeting for this item.]

The Chairman welcomed Liz Robb, Director of Nursing Northwick Park Hospital and John Oater, Harrow PCT to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance to respond to the recent tragic occurrences at Northwick Park Hospital.

Liz Robb gave a brief overview of the history of the Hospital, including the circumstances that placed it in “special measures”, the Action Plan that had been drawn up and implemented and noted that the Hospital had now been out of special measures for 18 months.  She referred to the three recent maternity related deaths at the hospital, stating that all were subject to investigation as to “cause and circumstances” and that this was being combined with an overarching review of all the Hospitals services to ensure that the Action Plan implemented meant all services remained “fit for purpose” and exceeded acceptable clinical practice.  The Review Panel would include five external experts including experts within the medical field and an independent non-professional person, all of whom were independent of Northwick  Park Hospital to ensure fairness and transparency of the proceedings.

In response to a question from the Chairman, Ms Robb advised that following the Hospital’s emergence from “special measures” the Hospital remained subject to external scrutiny by Harrow PCT and other health bodies until September 2007 and additional practices such as monthly performance reports to the Trust Board had been put in place.   She further advised that, since the completion of the Action Plan aims, external assessment had improved the hospitals standing from a Level 1 to a Level 2 status.  Further the Hospital had been involved in the recent overall review of all maternal services country-wide and had achieved a rating of “fair”, one of only eight London hospitals to achieve this level.

A Member queried whether the hospital held comparative data with regard to how its service was performing on average, particularly in view of ten deaths within a three year period.  Ms Robb responded that the national average remained six deaths in 100,000.  She further noted that the incidences at Northwick Park had all arisen due to rare but recognised childbirth complications.

A Member requested further information concerning what structure was in place to improve the maternity unit and referred to the opening of the Brent Birthing Centre, suggesting that the cost of removing Northwick Park Hospital from “special measures” together with opening a further Unit in the near vicinity indicated a lack of management overview in the provision of service to the community.  Ms Robb responded that a significant amount of the expenditure undertaken with regard to Northwick Park Hospital had been utilised for improving the physical environment as this had been identified in the investigation of the original maternal deaths as an area that was not fit for purpose.  The other main area of spending had been in relation to staffing with an additional 40 midwives being employed and agreement in place for a further 20 positions.  She noted that the maternity service’s vacancy rate at 11% was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 307.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chairman welcomed the Portfolio Holder for Strategy and Business Support, Interim Divisional Director of Human Resources and Development and Interim Divisional Director of Strategy and Improvement to the meeting. 

The session and questions were based around the Strategy for People, Cultural Change within the Organisation and Results of the Staff Survey.  Members were invited to put their questions to the Portfolio Holder and Officers relating the areas under discussion.  Members also asked supplemental questions, which were duly answered.

Communications Section Performance

In response to questions about the service, the Portfolio Holder advised as follows:-

·                     the service had experienced a marked improvement from a service which was overspending in all areas and in all performance measures was regarded as a lower quartile service.  The service was now on target to achieve a “good performer” in the IDeA ratings and, as an example, had achieved

o           127 articles in the local papers

o           2 BBC / ITV coverage articles

o           8 National newspapers articles

o           32 Website articles.

·                     the service continued to significantly exceed all the targets set for it.

·                     it was recognised that challenges continued with regard to internal communication however, these were being proactively addressed.

·                     it was agreed that the cost relating to the provision of the service, operated by Westminster Council, be circulated to all Committee Members.

Use of Agency Staff

·                     The Portfolio Holder stated that since 2006 the budget in relation to agency staff costs had been reduced over a two year period from £14.5million to £7.45 million.  He considered this had been achieved by reaching an understanding of the role of such staff within the organisation and an awareness of the service provision needed.

·                     It was advised that the main departmental users of agency staff remained the Community and Environment and Social Care Services departments however, aspects of this use were driven by the need to retain service provision at a certain staffing level to maintain service delivery to clients.

·                     The Portfolio Holder noted that officers continued to seek efficiencies in respect of agency staff costs.  However, it was also recognised that there was a minimum level of use that was required to be maintained and he considered that usage had almost reached this point.

Culture Change

In response to questions, the Portfolio Holder briefed Members on the initiative of the Chief Executive stating that the key areas were:

Performance Management – he advised that Performance Boards met regularly and this area was also reported upon to the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  A quarterly report submitted to Cabinet which embedded ownership and understanding of the budgetary culture the authority was operating within.

Consistency Across the Organisation – noted that this area was still subject to further examination as there remained pockets of good and bad practice within the authority that needed to be addressed. 

Customer Focus – advised that a recent Cabinet item recognised that Harrow was not fully focussed on the needs of its customers and sought to address  ...  view the full minutes text for item 308.

Report of the Corporate Director of Strategy and Business Support

[The Portfolio Holder for Strategy and Business Support will be present for this item.]

The Portfolio Holder for Strategy and Business Support and the Interim Divisional Director of Strategy and Improvement gave a detailed presentation on the outcome of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) 2007, prospects for 2008 and outlined the implications of the new Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA).  The report set out the Council’s result for 2007 and how this was achieved through the Corporate Assessment, Service Block Assessments and Use of Resources areas.

The Portfolio Holder outlined the prospects for 2008 which again anticipated an overall achievement of a two-star rating and explained that no obvious improvements would be forthcoming due to the backward looking nature of the assessment.  He then outlined the nine step programme the Chief Executive had put in place with the aim of the Council becoming an excellent authority and addressed each of the priority areas.  A recent IDeA Peer Review undertaken in December 2007 gave considerable recognition to the progress the Council had made during the past year, noting there was a clear sense of momentum in the organisation and greater stability than before.

The Portfolio Holder then briefly went through the requirements of the Comprehensive Area Assessment which would replace the CPA with effect from 2009 and was intended to focus on geographical areas rather than Councils and was aimed to provide annually:

The Council was already working on its preparations for CAA and detailed plans were in place for measuring the new national indicator set from 1 April 2008.

A Member expressed her dissatisfaction that the presentation had not been formally notified to the Committee and that there was no opportunity to ask questions regarding its content.  The Chairman agreed that a Question & Answer session should be held at a future Committee.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

Report of the Interim Divisional Director of Strategy and Improvement

The Committee received a report proposing minor amendments to the agreed Scope for the Review of the Town Centre.  The proposed amendments were aimed to reflect the fact that the Review Group would be taking the long term view rather than concentrating on current developments, although it was accepted that some consideration of current issues would need to be included to allow an effective judgement on the long term vision.

A Member queried whether peripheral issues such as attendance at a recent Development Conference would form part of the considerations and it was advised that this matter would be subject to consideration by the appropriate Portfolio Holder rather than the Review Group.  The Chairman of the Review Group emphasised that its focus would be upon the Town Centre, with issues relating to planning remaining with the relevant Planning Committees.

RESOLVED:  That the amended Scope for the Review of the Town Centre, as submitted, be agreed.

Report of the Interim Divisional Director of Strategy and Improvement

The Committee were informed that the Review had commenced.  However, it had been advised that the timetable concerning schooling and lobbying for funding for the future had been revised and that bids would actually be lodged during May 2008, earlier than originally anticipated.  This had resulted in a proposed change of focus to undertake a light touch review during the autumn, which would look at the extended schools service where it was considered the scrutiny review could add value.

RESOLVED:  That a change to the rationale of the Future of Schools In-Depth Review be agreed as detailed above.

Report of the Corporate Director of Strategy and Business Support

The Scrutiny Manager introduced a report setting out proposals in relation to a Challenge Panel to consider the Byron Centre proposals and identified three options for consideration.  She noted the Strategic Planning Committee would be considering the proposals on 7 May 2008 and suggested that this did not permit sufficient opportunity to allow a Challenge Panel to be effective.  She also informed Members that advice received indicated that any Challenge Panel held during the period of “political purdah” might be considered inappropriate.  It was therefore her recommendation that the Challenge Panel be postponed at this time and appropriate Lead Scrutiny Members be requested to continue monitoring the situation.  A return to the Challenge Panel option could then be undertaken in the future if further issues arose that made it appropriate for scrutiny.

A Member noted that the available timescale did not appear to permit any other course of action other than that suggested by the Scrutiny Manager and expressed regret that the opportunity for User Groups of the Centre to feed into a Scrutiny Review would be unavailable at this time.  Several Members of the Committee expressed the view that the Council did need to give further consideration to how committees approached Council’s own development and noted that there were associated work areas that scrutiny could undertake in relation to issues such as the level of sporting provision in the borough.  A Member reminded the Committee that the public had received opportunity on two separate occasions to date to feed into consultation arrangements regarding the Byron Leisure Centre proposals.    

RESOLVED:  That, in view of the further consultation undertaken as part of the planning process, a Challenge Panel concerning the Byron Leisure Centre proposals be postponed and the Lead Scrutiny Members for Sustainable Development and Enterprise be requested to monitor the situation and return to the option of a more detailed investigation if further issues arose in the future.

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

The Chairman noted that this was the final meeting of the current municipal year and thanked his colleagues for their work over that period.  He also expressed his good wishes to those Members who would be serving on other Committees in the coming year.

In accordance with the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 14 (Part 4B of the Constitution) it was

RESOLVED:  At 9.59 pm to continue until 10.30 pm.