Meeting documents

Also present at the invitation of the Chairman

Ms Amanda Brown (Locality Director, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group) – for Item 4

Ms Shirley Collier (Chief Executive, Scarborough Museums Trust) – for Item 5

Prof. Peter Rawson (Chairman of Trustees, Scarborough Museums Trust) – for Item 5

Members are reminded of the need to consider whether they have a personal or prejudicial interest to declare in any of the items on this agenda.  If so, the nature of the interest must be declared at the start of the meeting, or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.  In addition, the attached form must be completed and passed to the Committee Administrator.  The Officers will be pleased to advise, if necessary, and any request for assistance should be made, in the first instance, to the Committee Administrator whose name appears at the end of this agenda.  Ideally, such advice should be sought before the day of the meeting so that time is available to consider any uncertainty that might arise.

Councillor Jeffels declared a personal interest in agenda item 5, Monitoring of the Scarborough Museums Trust Service Level Agreement and report for 2011/12, in his capacity as the Council representative on the Scarborough Museums Trust Board.

Councillor Jeffels declared a personal interest in agenda item 6, Monitoring of the Welcome to Yorkshire Partnership in his capacity as the Council representative on the Welcome to Yorkshire Partnership Advisory Board.

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 30 May 2012.  (Minutes attached).

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 30 May 2012 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Public questions of which due notice has been given and which are relevant to the business of the Scrutiny Committee.

The Chairman reported that no public questions had been submitted.

To receive a presentation by the Locality Director (Hambleton, Richmond and Whitby), NHS North Yorkshire and York

The Committee received a presentation by Amanda Brown, Locality Director, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (HRWCCG), on progress in developing a vision for healthcare services in Whitby.  Members were advised that the HRWCCG had developed a draft vision with GPs which had been circulated to a few stakeholders for comment and then had formed the basis of the stakeholder event held in June.  The vision had established some guiding principles for healthcare in and around Whitby, whilst identifying opportunities to make improvements.  The guiding principles were that: care needs to be patient centred, led by clinicians, safe and sustainable, delivered close to home, and integrated.  The new opportunities centred on: reducing the need for patients to travel; making better use of the latest technology; more effective use of facilities which are expensive; continuing to develop services from GP surgeries; and increasing the joint delivery of care with other agencies.  Early consultations showed that stakeholders accepted that some things would have to change, and that the hospital remained important to the community, although a more modern facility may need to be smaller.  Ms Brown then outlined the key elements in the draft vision:

·        Shift from acute care that serves a minority to a healthcare service for the whole community

·        Respond to the needs of an elderly population

·        Step up and Step down services (intermediate care)

·        Multi-disciplinary teams offering coordinated care

·        Care delivered locally and as close to home as possible

·        Choices in the way care is delivered

·        Opportunity to develop a resource centre which builds on local resources, skills and knowledge

Central to the vision was the role of ‘Whitby Hospital-Hub’ which could enable the co-location of staff, and serve as a bridge between specialist hospital and home care.  This could include a range of services: step up beds (anticipatory care integrated with urgent care), step down beds (discharge planning), diagnostic services, and more flexible use of beds encompassing both health and social care.  This Community Health and Social Care Hub could play a pivotal role in helping to integrate the four types of services: care people can administer at home with support; healthcare delivered in the community such as community nursing and adult social care; primary care services such as GP referrals and long term condition management; and care delivered in the hospital. Feedback had indicated support for better inter agency working with local authorities and the third sector, the One Stop Shop community focus, the use of technology such as telemedicine, and the earlier transfer from acute care into a local setting.  However, there remained concerns about how the vision could be achieved, how the Hub could support isolated rural communities, and that the CCG’s thinking should take into account the high number of visitors and the poor digital and mobile services in the area.  To make the vision happen, Ms Brown highlighted several steps: ownership of the vision and the support of key organisations involved; closer working between organisations to plan integrated delivery;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider a report by the Head of Tourism and Culture (Reference 12/391 attached)

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Tourism and Culture (Reference 12/391) which provided an update on the Scarborough Museums Trust (SMT)’s activities in 2011/12 and monitored progress in respect of the terms of the service level agreement.  The Head of Tourism and Culture, Brian Bennett introduced the report, reminding Members that the Council awarded the SMT an annual contract fee based on the terms of a 30 year service level agreement.  Councillor Jeffels remained the Council’s representative on the Trust’s Board, although he was no longer the Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Culture.  After a succession of changes, for which he apologised, Mr Bennett was now the Council’s responsible officer for the Trust.  He commended the SMT’s quality product and service, although noting a 12.5% decrease in visitor numbers in 2011/12 compared to the previous year.  This he attributed in the main to the economic climate.  It was the challenging economic conditions which had prompted the Council to seek a reduction in the contract fee to the Trust.  He was pleased to report that the SMT Board had agreed a £33K reduction in the cost to the Council for 2012/13, and a similar in principle offer for the subsequent two years, subject to this not affecting the sustainability of the Trust.  He thanked the Trust for this gesture of goodwill.  The SMT Chief Executive, Shirley Collier then delivered a presentation to the Committee, highlighting key events in 2011/12 and other developments.  Part of the Trust’s Visitor Strategy which helped mitigate the effects of the recession was a focus on large events such as the Rotunda Big Draw involving four days of drawing and five different artists.  Another highlight was the Trust’s acquisition of a significant collection of locally obtained dinosaur footprints from the University of Sheffield, some of which were already on display.  The new Scarborough’s Lost Dinosaurs exhibition at the Rotunda – the beginning of a regular changing programme -  had contributed to a 27% increase in visitor numbers in the first quarter of 2012/13 compared to the same period the previous year.  Preparation for the new exhibition had uncovered damp on the back wall of the building which would need to be addressed properly after the exhibition ended in September 2013.  Turning to the Art Gallery, major exhibitions have been the ongoing Cultural Olympiad ‘Fears, Foes and Faeries’ and the renowned abstract artist Howard Hodgkin’s prints.  Ms Collier also reported on new back lit signage at the Art Gallery, improvements to the SMT’s storage space at Wareham Road, and a successful fundraising dinner held in March.  The Chairman thanked Ms Collier for her presentation and, noting that she would shortly be leaving the Trust, he paid tribute to her work.  This was echoed by the Committee.  The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Professor Pete Rawson then addressed the Committee.  He referred to the Trust’s aspirations to develop a new gallery which would have greater flexibility of space and more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider a report by the Head of Tourism and Culture (Reference 12/392 attached)

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Tourism and Culture (Reference 12/392) which outlined the progress of the Council’s partnership with Welcome to Yorkshire during 2011/12.  The partnership is governed at a regional level by a Public/Private Sector Board and at a local level through a newly established Public/Private Sector Advisory Board.  The key aim of the partnership is to increase visitor numbers and visitor spend through the development of marketing campaigns, events and festivals, and in general to raise the profile of the Coast to new and existing markets.  In presenting the report, the Head of Tourism and Culture, Brian Bennett noted one correction in paragraph 3.5: Councillor David Jeffels, not the Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Culture as stated, sits on the Board alongside the Area Tourism Director for Scarborough Borough Council, Janet Deacon.  Mr Bennett added that, unlike its predecessor, the Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership, there is much more private sector involvement in the new partnership.  Since the cessation of funding from Yorkshire Forward in April 2012, the Welcome To Yorkshire Partnership has had to rely increasingly on private sector support; in fact its membership scheme is leading the way across the region, reflecting a more dynamic and fruitful relationship between the two sectors.  The Tourism Advisory Boards have been actively involved in the development of the 2011/12 promotional plan, the new Borough Tourism Strategy 2011-2014, as well as providing guidance and support to Welcome to Yorkshire in respect of new regional campaigns and initiatives, suggestions for website development and increasing membership.  After showing two promotional DVDs to the Committee, Ms Deacon then commented on the report.  She referred to a range of local marketing activity, including the publication of the Scarborough, Whitby and Filey Holiday Guide, two successful marketing campaigns on walking/cycling and food, and the development of the award-winning Discover Yorkshire Coast website, as well as to the regional marketing activity which brings the Borough’s three coastal resorts to a much wider audience – one result was the coverage of Whitby by Chinese media.  It was this connection between the regional and local through the partnership which enabled a vintage Leyland Tiger bus, renovated by apprentices at Scarborough’s Bluebird Vehicles to represent Yorkshire in the London Lord Mayor’s Show in 2011.  In reply to Members’ questions, Ms Deacon commented that the Council’s current financial contribution to the partnership was £1800 per year, but she expected this to increase with the loss of funding from Yorkshire Forward.  Membership subscriptions ranged from £225 to £650 (plus VAT) depending on the size and revenue of the business. Councillors then asked how the Council could assess the impact of the partnership without detailed visitor figures for the three coastal resorts.  Ms Deacon responded that previously Yorkshire Forward had undertaken a regional visitor survey which was broken down by area.  One of the recommendations of the new Tourism Strategy was that the Council procure a minimum three year model to obtain visitor figures at a destination  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider a report by the Strategic Director (Hilary Jones) (Reference 12/377 attached)

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Environmental Services (Reference 12/377) in respect of progress with the implementation of the Council’s Safeguarding Adults and Children and Young People’s Policy and Procedure.  The Community Health and Safeguarding Officer, Sandra Rees reported a much improved position in relation to the Council fulfilling its safeguarding responsibilities.  She noted an increased awareness amongst staff leading to improved communication between service areas and other areas, in particular in Leisure Services, Licensing and Customer First whose staff had been instrumental in identifying concerns and acting upon them.  Ms Rees also referred to the ongoing training she delivered to community groups and the work to ensure that commissioned services were supported by safeguarding policies.  Training of licensees had led to the creation of Taxi Watch, which facilitated communication between taxi drivers and the police about potentially vulnerable people.  She was pleased to report that the Taxi Watch, Night Marshals and Street Angels schemes had now started in Whitby.  Members then discussed the report and asked questions.  Ms Rees explained that through the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Board, the Borough Council had a statutory responsibility to ensure safeguarding policies and procedures were in place for its own and commissioned services, for organisations it funded, and also for activities carried out on its premises.  In addition, the Council had a role to promote safeguarding among the wider community.  However, there was no ‘masterlist’ of organisations and their safeguarding arrangements; instead the Council would continue to undertake awareness raising events with community groups, and ask councillors to suggest areas and groups where training may be beneficial.  The Strategic Director, Hilary Jones, who represented the Council on the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Board, further explained that it was for the County Council to investigate suspected breaches, but the Borough Council acted as an important conduit of information.  The Chairman congratulated Ms Rees on the progress she had made and thanked her for her report.

RESOLVED that the report be received.

To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Support Services (Reference 12/312 attached)

The Committee considered a report by the Head of Legal and Support Services (Reference 12/312) to assist Members in planning the Committee’s work for 2012/13.  Further to the briefing for Members of the Committee which had taken place earlier that day on the new Health Service Framework, the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWBS), the Chairman invited nominations to undertake a review of the draft JHWBS when it was issued for consultation at the end of September.

RESOLVED that:

(i)                 the report be received; and

(ii)               Councillors Abbott, Billing, Backhouse, Evans and Jeffels be nominated to serve on a Task Group to undertake a one-off review of the draft JHWBS.