Meeting documents

Also present at the invitation of the Chairman

Mr Simon Cox, Chief Officer, Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group –for Item 4

Mr Alex Trewhitt, Corporate Communications Service Manager, Yorkshire and Humber Commissioning Support – for Item 4

Councillor Colling declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in agenda item 4, Health priorities for 2015/16 and Five Year Commissioning Plan, since she was the remunerated Chair of Community Pharmacy North Yorkshire which was working with the CCG towards commissioning services from the community pharmacy network.

Councillor Jeffels declared a personal interest in agenda item 5, Welcome to Yorkshire Partnership - monitoring report, since he represented the North York Moors National Park Authority on the Welcome to Yorkshire Partnership.

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 February 2015.  (Minutes attached).

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 4 February 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman reported that no public questions had been submitted.

To receive a presentation by the Chief Officer, Scarborough and Ryedale NHS Clinical Commissioning Group.

The committee considered a presentation by Simon Cox, Chief Officer of Scarborough and Ryedale CCG which provided an update on the development of the CCG over the last 12months, and its priorities and plans for the future.  Members were advised that since taking over General Medical Services from NHS England in April 2015, the CCG now commissioned the majority of health services in Scarborough and Ryedale.  Integral to its approach was changing the tradition of putting physical health before mental health by giving both parity of esteem.  Typically, a third of presentations to GPs related to mental health issues.  The CCG also placed great value on customer engagement, reflected in obtaining the Customer Service Excellence Award.  The CCG’s financial allocation for 2014/15 was £154.4m.  It underspent this by £1.9m, slightly better than the 1% target of £1.54m.  Its reserves constituted funding which had not yet been committed to specific investments, such as winter pressures funding, which would be allocated nearer the time.  There was a £1m contingency which would be called upon later this financial year.  Turning to specific projects, the new Urgent Care Centre was launched on 1 April 2015.  Over 3000 patients accessed the service per month (by both telephoning 111 and walk in), but it was still not working to full capacity, and would take another 6-8 months to become fully embedded.  The CCG was working on a number of fronts to improve mental health services: improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT), introducing liaison psychiatry into hospital wards and the Emergency Department, reducing children’s waiting times to be assessed for autism and ADHD (aiming for three months by the end of 15/16), and moving to integrate the different elements of urgent care mental health services – crisis response, street triage to support the Police, and the suite for vulnerable adults detained by the Police under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.  The CCG was also developing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services by improving access to specialist CAMHS care and supporting in-reach work in schools.  Another priority for the CCG was improving services for stroke patients.  There were ongoing challenges in recruiting stroke consultants at Scarborough Hospital and delivering complex specialist stroke services in a relatively small hospital.  Since 1 July, all hyper acute stroke patients had been diverted to York Hospital.  There had been 26 patients diverted in this way so far, with most only needing to stay 4-5 days before being transferred back to Scarborough Hospital or to home.  Raising awareness of stroke symptoms amongst the public, for example, through the Act F.A.S.T. campaign remained a key issue.  Mr Cox assured the committee that this triage and assessment model for stroke patients at Scarborough Hospital was not part of a programme to wind down the hospital.  Mr Cox then outlined the three key principles which underpinned the CCG’s ambitions and programme of work: (i) integrated community services (ii) networked hospital care, and (iii) healthier lifestyle choices.  The overarching aim was to establish  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider a report by the Chief Executive (Reference 15/214 attached)

The committee considered a report by the Chief Executive (Reference 15/214) which outlined Welcome to Yorkshire Partnership’s progress and activities during 2013/14 and 2014/15.  The report had been referred to scrutiny by the Cabinet because of uncertainties around the future funding of the partnership.  Members were reminded that the key aim of the partnership was to increase visitor numbers and visitor spend through the development of marketing campaigns, events and festivals and in general raise the profile of the Yorkshire Coast and North York Moors to new and existing markets.  During the two years covered in the report the partnership was funded through local authority contributions and private sector income from member advertising and sponsorship.  From 2015/16, it had been agreed to provide some funding for the partnership from the North Yorkshire Authorities and West Yorkshire Combined Authorities Business Rates Pool for the next five years.  50% of the central allocation from Welcome to Yorkshire was still to be confirmed, pending confirmation of the funding from the Business Rates Pool.  The Area Tourism Manager was confident that the remaining allocation would be provided for the current year; however, longer term, the partnership was looking at alternative funding models.  Local private sector businesses had funded a feasibility study into establishing a local Destination Business Improvement District which if successful would enable an additional percentage on business rates to be levied to invest in improving the trading environment of the local area.  Other potential sources of funding for marketing the area were Section 106 monies from the new potash mine development and the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund.  The council would wish to retain its linkage with the Welcome to Yorkshire regional office to continue to access national and international markets and much wider media coverage.  Members were advised that collaborative working and complementary tourism activity were essential if the council and its partners were to continue to grow the visitor economy against a backdrop of zero direct Government funding and ongoing public sector cuts.  The successful collaboration with East Riding Council since 2014 in producing a single Yorkshire Coast Holiday Guide was cited as an example of securing added value of money.  Figures published the previous week indicated that visitor spend in the Borough had increased by 5% in 2014/15, building on a 4% increase the year before.  The Grand Depart of the Tour de France in July 2014 and its legacy event, the Tour de Yorkshire in May 2015 had both generated huge publicity for the Borough.  Members then asked the Area Tourism Manager questions about her report.  In response, Ms Deacon confirmed that the Borough’s heritage including Scarborough’s status as the first seaside resort in the UK formed a key component of the partnership’s marketing activity and the local tourism offer.  The partnership was collaborating with Scarborough Museums Trust to make use of the trust’s research to help promote the Borough’s cultural assets, and a multi-organisation working group had been formed to promote Scarborough’s Cultural Quarter.  The partnership’s private sector  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To consider a report by the Director (LD) (Reference 15/181 attached)

The committee considered a report by the Director (LD) (Reference 15/181) in respect of the committee’s work programme for the current year.  Councillor Colling reported on her work with the Customers, Communities and Partnerships Manager to train Customer First staff to become dementia-friendly, and then to extend this awareness training across the organisation, with a view to becoming the first dementia-friendly coast.  The Chairman had also discussed this initiative with the County Council’s Older People’s Champion, Councillor Shelagh Marshall, and referred to opportunities to broaden the initiative’s focus in partnership with the County Council to the whole Borough.  Progress reports would be brought back to the committee.  Reference was also made to the County Council’s current consultation on the new, updated draft Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  The Chairman, with Councillors Billing, Coulson, Dodds and Mortimer all volunteered to serve on a sub-group of the committee to meet to formulate a response to the consultation on behalf of the committee.   

RESOLVED that the report be received.