Meeting documents

Also present at the invitation of the Chairman

Ms Sarah Ferguson, Senior Delivery Manager, NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group – for Item 6

Ms Debbie Newton, Chief Operating and Financial Officer, NHS Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group –for Item 6

No declarations of interest were received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 30 April 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman reported that no public questions had been submitted.

The committee considered a report by the Chair, Councillor Jeffels which highlighted the Borough’s social and economic problems evidenced in two documents – Scarborough Borough Health Profile (July 2014) and report on Young People’s Homelessness Prevention Pathway – and the impact of these problems on the Borough’s public health indicators.  Among the key findings in both documents were that: while deprivation was lower than average, 20.9 % of children lived in poverty; life expectancy for both men and women was lower than the England average; rates of violent crime, long term unemployment and early deaths from cardiovascular disease were worse than average; and the Borough had the highest proportion of youth unemployment, and young people failing to achieve qualifications in North Yorkshire.  Since the matter of health and its wider social, economic and environmental determinants cut across all the scrutiny committees, the report proposed that a Member briefing be arranged to provide an overarching view of the breadth of the Borough Council’s initiatives (with partner agencies) to tackle social deprivation and health inequalities in the Borough, together with some of the key challenges.  Secondly, the report recommended that the County Council’s Director of Public Health be invited to the next meeting of the committee on 29 October to outline his strategy and action plan for improving the Borough’s public health indicators.  Members then discussed the report.  The good example of the multi-agency team working in Castle ward was cited where a specific geographical area was targeted.  Could this model be used with the NHS and other agencies to tackle health issues?  The importance of access to health services in deprived areas was emphasised.   Reference was made to the pilot lifestyle referral programme in Hambleton designed to reduce obesity and encourage healthier lifestyles which the County Council intended to roll out across all the districts.  The Council’s Sports Development Manager, Mr Hewison referred to the Council’s imminent bid to Sport England’s Community Activation Fund – a multi-million pound Lottery funded programme to encourage participation in sport and other physical activity, particularly in deprived areas.  Mr Hewison would be working with key partners including the NHS and Regeneration Services to evidence the need for this initiative in certain areas of the Borough.  The bid was endorsed by the committee and by the Senior Delivery Manager of Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group, Sarah Ferguson, also present at the meeting.  It was suggested that North York Moors National Park Authority also be approached since the authority was well placed to encourage young people to take up exercise.

RESOLVED that:

(i)            The report be received;

(ii)          a Member briefing be requested for all councillors to give them an overarching view of the breadth of the Borough Council’s initiatives (with partner agencies) to tackle social deprivation and health inequalities in the Borough, together with some of the key challenges;

(iii)         the Director of Public Health be invited to address the next meeting of the scrutiny committee on 29 October 2014 to outline his  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The committee considered a report by the Chair, Councillor Jeffels which highlighted widespread concerns about the future of the Pain Clinic at Scarborough Hospital (and Bridlington Hospital), and the Ophthalmology Clinic at Whitby Hospital, for possible action by the committee.  Members were advised that both services had been abruptly terminated by York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust without prior consultation.  North Yorkshire Healthwatch had raised objections about both closures.  Sarah Ferguson, Senior Delivery Manager at Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Clinical Commissioning Group (HRWCCG) did not support the changes, raising concerns about the lack of communication and that the proper service reconfiguration assurance process had not been followed.  In terms of the Ophthalmology Clinic, a replacement service at Whitby Hospital was now being explored with an alternative provider, but there needed to be sufficient consultant capacity to support the new service.  Although not in the Chair’s report, that Whitby Hospital did not have a Pain Clinic was also mentioned. Ms Ferguson undertook to take this issue back to the CGG to see if a service could be developed now, and if not, then included in a future specification for outpatient services at Whitby Hospital.

RESOLVED that:

(i)            the report be received;

(ii)          a letter be sent by the Chair on behalf of the committee to York Hospital NHS Foundation Trustto ascertain, as Healthwatch had requested, the rationale behind the decision to discontinue both the Ophthalmology and Pain Clinics, and how the NHS Trust intended to mitigate the inevitable adverse consequences of the changes on certain patients.

The committee received an update by Sarah Ferguson, Senior Delivery Manager, HRWCCG, on the CCG’s plans (i) to tender for new community and out of hours services in Whitby (Phase1) and (ii) to develop a new hospital and the existing site (Phase 2).  Members were advised that the new community and out of hours services contract was one integrated contract (delivered in partnership by different providers) which would follow the patient pathway, rather than organisational pathways.  The contract was worth £6.4m annually over a seven year period and would deliver significant service improvements such as 24/7 community nursing; increased patient facing time and use of technology; a new community urgent care centre and GP out of hours service; a health and wellbeing hub; a new day service model with more home visits; a team of community agents and health trainers; and a single point of access and integrated health records across the different providers.  The recent bidders’ engagement event had attracted much interest which augured well for when the CCG went out to tender on 19 August.    The real transformation would take place when the contract started in July 2015.  In respect of Phase 2, the Whitby Hospital Strategic Options Appraisal conducted by Community Ventures had identified a preferred option of remodelling and refurbishing the four storey block at the rear of the existing hospital site to provide 3,500m² of new healthcare facilities, providing a focus for a new service model for both health and social care.  This left a residual site area of some 0.77 hectares.  The CCG would be consulting on two options: (i) redevelop the hospital and sell off the residual space for commercial development, or, the CCG’s preferred option (ii) use the residual space to help integrate the hospital with County Council social care services through the provision of extra care housing and other facilities on the site.  Members then questioned Ms Ferguson about her presentation.  In response, Ms Ferguson explained that the recent bidders’ event had also been opened up to Healthwatch, union representatives, and some voluntary organisations.  Staff currently employed by York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust had responded well to the prospect of TUPE transfer when the site transferred, but staff would also be able to opt out of TUPE if they wished and apply for an alternative position still within the York Trust.  Members congratulated Ms Ferguson on the CCG’s continuing efforts to engage with the public and stakeholders as their plans developed, and the Chairman thanked her for attending today’s meeting.

RESOLVED that the presentation be received.

The committee considered a report by the Director of Democratic and Legal Services (Reference 14/224) in relation to the Committee’s work programme for the current year.  Two issues were raised:

(i)            the current controversy surrounding Botton village in the Esk valley.  The Camphill Village Trust which ran the community was seeking to reform the governance of the charity and the operation of the community by replacing the co-worker/ resident communal way of living with paid care workers.  The Action for Botton group which opposed the changes had organised a public meeting on 24 July, and the matter had been discussed at the Northern Area Committee on 29 July.  Northern Area Committee referred the issue to the County Council and Borough Council to undertake a joint scrutiny exercise.  There was particular concern about the lack of consultation.  The Chairman agreed to raise the matter through the County Council scrutiny function and to write to local GP, Dr Marcus Van Dam and to the trustees of Camphill Village Trust, voicing the committee’s concerns and seeking further information.

(ii)          a report on gulls and nuisance issues had been added to the work programme of the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee.  The Chairman requested that this committee also be involved in any scrutiny around this matter.

The Overview and Scrutiny Manager reported that following the public question at the Cabinet in May which was heavily critical of Seafest, an evaluation and review of this year’s event would be submitted to the committee later in the year.  In respect of the Council’s Safeguarding Policy which the committee had previously monitored, a new policy updated following legislative changes, would be presented to the Cabinet in the autumn.   

RESOLVED that, subject to the above amendments, the report be received.