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:

Agenda Item 9 – Harrow PCT Chlamydia and Immunisations Update

Councillor B E Gate declared a personal interest in that his wife worked in a General Practice and his daughter occasionally worked in another.  He would remain in the room to take part in the discussion and decision relating to this item.

Councillor Janet Mote declared a personal interest in that her daughter was a paediatric nurse.  She would remain in the room to take part in the discussion and decision relating to this item.

Councillor Mark Versallion declared a personal interest in that he was a non?executive Director of the North West London NHS Hospitals Trust.  He would remain in the room to take part in the discussion and decision relating to this item.

Councillor Stanley Sheinwald declared a personal interest in that he was the Chairman of  the Carers’ Partnership Group and an out?patient of a hospital that served Harrow.  He would remain in the room to take part in the discussion and decision relating to this item.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

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, petitions or deputations were put at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules 8, 9 and 10 (Part 4B of the Constitution) respectively.

To receive any references from Council and/or other Committees or Panels.

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

In accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, this item was admitted late to the agenda in order that the Sub?Committee could agree any actions arising for implementation.  The report had not been available at the time the agenda was dispatched and circulated as it was being consulted on.

The Chairman introduced the report, which set out issues considered by him since the last meeting of the Sub?Committee.  The Vice?Chairman commented that if Members felt there were certain areas in need of scrutiny then these could be added to the agenda.  A Member requested that the results of the customer satisfaction survey from the Tenants’ and Leaseholders’ Consultative Forum be analysed, particularly as the forthcoming Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) would be informed by how residents perceived the Council’s services.  The Chairman replied that the issues were relevant, and formed part of the ongoing assessments carried out by the Sub?Committee.

RESOLVED: That (1) the report be endorsed;

(2)  the following issues be investigated by the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Sub?Committee at its meeting scheduled to be held on 20 July 2009:

·                     6 Month Update on Obesity Review;

·                     3 Month Update on the Right to Manage;

·                     Decent Homes;

·                     Percentage of urgent repairs to Council Housing completed within government time limits;

(3)  the Chairman submit a summary of Harrow-wide performance issues, as identified through the Chairman’s meetings and the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Sub?Committee, to the next available meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Report of the Head of Performance and Information, Harrow Primary Care Trust.

The Head of Performance and Information, Harrow Primary Care Trust (PCT), introduced the report which provided an update on chlamydia screening, immunisations, and the Accident and Emergency 4?Hour waiting times targets.

Regarding chlamydia screening, it was noted that:

·                     the PCT were some way off achieving the targets set.  It had been slow to commission screenings at the beginning of the project and as a result the Public Health Team had been increased.  A different package had since been rolled out, with a reported increase in the uptake;

·                     screenings undertaken at the Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) Clinics were not included in the national target assessment.  Approximately 2,000 screenings had not been included in the figures;

·                     the PCT expected to finish the current year (2008/2009) with 10% of the population of Harrow, between the ages of 15 and 24, having been screened, with an increase to 25% the following year (2009/10).  The PCT were confident of achieving its targets;

·                     the PCT would be working with the laboratories to try and include the screenings undertaken by the GUM clinics in future so as to provide an accurate and true representation of the number of tests carried out.

Regarding immunisations, it was noted that:

·                     the PCT had been set target levels by the Department of Health for the proportion of children that should be immunised against a series of illnesses by a particular age.  The PCT was measured against both the target and the information held by the Child Health System.  The analysis was overseen by the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust;

·                     the review of the figures produced by the Child Health System showed that the numbers of immunised children were lower than expected when compared to the PCT system which recorded the number of immunisations undertaken in each GP practice.  Therefore the performance issue was predominately a data issue;

·                     since the review, the Child Health Service and GP practices had seen a considerable improvement in the figures.  The results would be reported in full at the end of May 2009;

·                     the PCT had worked with GPs and the Child Health Service to validate the lists held on the Child Health System.  The validation had increased the reported immunisation rates to above the target levels;

·                     as a side issue, work had been carried out on the number of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccinations, particularly after the media reported claims of dangers associated with the vaccination.  These claims had since been disproved by the scientific community;

·                     a significant proportion of the under-18 population were not immunised against MMR.  A catch?up programme was being undertaken.

Regarding the Accident and Emergency 4-hour waiting time target, it was noted that:

·                     the 4-hour waiting time target was missed for the year 2008/2009 by 0.5%;

·                     the 2008/09 winter had been particularly unpleasant, and had led to an increase in the numbers of patients, which included a proportion of NHS staff.  Work had been carried out by the PCT to make more staff available to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 119.

Report of the Corporate Director of Children’s Services.

An officer introduced a report of the Director of Children’s Services, which provided an update on the work carried out in gaining National Healthy School Status since the previous ‘by exception’ update in October 2008.  Gaining the National Healthy Schools Status was not a statutory requirement on schools or the local authority, but was seen as an example of good practice, and was in line with the ‘be healthy’ agenda.  Officers engaged in persuading schools to apply for the Status acknowledged that schools currently had other support?intensive and time-consuming priorities.  As such, officers felt that the impetus for gaining the status often slipped down the schools’ list of priorities.

An officer reported that schools had been offered supply cover to attend the support sessions provided in the spring term, with further funding for ‘well being’ provided on successful completion of the audit.  The supply cover would allow the Healthy Schools coordinator time to complete the audit.  The Local Authority also had a consultant on hand, funded by the national programme, to offer support to schools in Harrow.

In response to questions, officers confirmed that:

·                     there could be some slippage in the number of schools expected to gain the Status. Taking this into account, the final figure would be 93% of Harrow schools gaining the Status.  This was in excess of the national target of 75%;

·                     the evidence required for the Healthy Schools Status would help with the ‘Be Healthy’ element of Ofsted inspections, regardless of whether the Status had been awarded or not.  It was hoped that the inclusion of this evidence would support some schools in moving towards an “outstanding” judgement by OFSTEDl;

·                     gaining Healthy Schools Status required meeting 41 criteria points across four themes: Personal, Social and Health and Economic Education; Healthy Eating; Physical Activity; and Emotional Health and Wellbeing;

·                     to gain the Status, a summary of evidence had to be submitted online.  This information was examined by a group of assessors and followed by a validation visit to the school.  In addition, quality assurance members talked to adults and children at the school;

·                     the length of time taken to gain the Status varied from school to school, with some taking up to three or four terms;

·                     some schools found it difficult to find the time to capture the evidence and complete the audit.  It was a process that should be ongoing, but in reality was often hard to achieve.  The evidence required for the Status was something that could be used for the Ofsted self-evaluation;

·                     schools that had amalgamated and had hitherto gained the Status would have to re?submit their evidence and face assessment before being awarded the status again;

·                     issues of obesity and the promotion of healthy diets were being captured by the healthy eating and physical activity themes programmes;

·                     gaining Healthy Schools Status did not detract from time spent teaching, as it required evidence of effective learning.  Schools had reported that gaining the Status was a positive experience and helpful as it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

The Assistant Chief Executive and the Portfolio Holder for Performance, Communication and Corporate Services presented a report, which set out the progress against the Council Improvement Programme (CIP) 2008?2011 and provided an update on the outcomes of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

The Portfolio Holder for Performance, Communication and Corporate Services commented that he, and the Assistant Chief Executive, had asked to present their report to the Committee rather than be asked to appear on a ‘by exception’ basis.  The Scrutiny Challenge Panel involved with the CIP had requested that there be a progress report on the CIP be bought to Scrutiny.

During the presentation on the CIP, it was noted that:

·                     external judgements, such as the IDeA Peer Review, the March 2007 Corporate Assessment, the May 2008 Access to Services Inspection and the December 2007 Use of Resources had all contributed to the list of challenges faced by Harrow Council, and provide assessment a context for improvement;

·                     the Improvement Programme mapped out the Chief Executive’s ‘Nine Step Plan’.  The Plan aimed to understand the links between focus, accountability, sequencing and synergy required for success.  The Programme was monitored monthly by the Chief Executive and project sponsors in order to assess its progress against plotted milestones, the challenges faced, and how these challenges could be resolved;

·                     no high-performing organisation in any sector could succeed without the areas covered in the ‘Nine Step Plan’, and as such it formed an excellent foundation for success;

·                     Capital Ambition had provided in excess of £500,000 funding for the Programme and its progress was assessed at quarterly meetings.  It was felt that Capital Ambition viewed Harrow Council as an excellent target for investment, and that the Council’s standing had improved as it had met the required targets;

·                     clear methods of communication had been employed across the Council, including the staff newsletter, and the Chief Executive’s Newsletters and staff forums;

·                     as of March 2009 no projects were ‘red’ The majority of projects were ‘’green’, with the remainder ‘amber’ – which identified the challenges, but that the projects were still expected to be delivered;

·                     many projects had been completed successfully, including reducing sickness absence, maximising income to the Council and establishing a Culture Change Programme;

·                     regarding the Council’s ‘vision and priorities’, progress had been made with a refreshed Sustainable Community Strategy launch, a Community Consultation Strategy which had been launched in October 2008, an elected Member Development Programme launch, and a revised and simplified set of Corporate Priorities giving a clear view of what was achievable;

·                     there had been detailed work on financial management across the Council rather than emphasis being placed on specific problem areas. The Efficiency and Improvement Board had been established to manage the programme effectively;

·                     the Financial Effectiveness Review and subsequent action plan had been an important piece of work.  Financial monitoring was carried out on a monthly basis, and refresher training had been offered to budget holders and management teams.  The measures had resulted in successful outcomes in both the Use  ...  view the full minutes text for item 121.

In accordance with the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 6.6 (ii) (Part 4F of the Constitution) it was:

RESOLVED:  At (1) 10.00 pm to continue until 10.30 pm;

(2)  10.30 pm to continue until 10.45 pm.