NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL
17 May 2023
STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN OF THE SCRUTINY OF HEALTH COMMITTEE
The Scrutiny of Health Committee has a responsibility to review any matter relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services within the County, including Ambulance Trusts and the policies of the Strategic Health Authority. A key part of that responsibility is requiring NHS bodies to consult health scrutiny on proposals for substantial developments or variations to local health service provision. The Committee contributes to annual health checks by providing commentaries to the Health Care Commission on the performance of NHS Trusts serving North Yorkshire and on the experiences that the Committee has had with those Trusts.
Committee Meeting on 10th March 2023.
The Committee last met on 10th March 2023, in person in The Brierley Room at County Hall. At that meeting, Members received detailed presentations on: The Annual Report of the Director of Public Health; An Update on the Changes to Sexual Health Services in North Yorkshire; Details on Mental Health Enhanced Community Services. There were no public questions or statements at the committee meeting.
Outlined below are further details in relation to some of the areas that the committee has been looking at.
Director of Public Health Annual Report
The Committee received an update on the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health. Some specific points raised and discussed were ;
• deprivation in coastal areas makes attracting staff problematic.
• access to dental services is still very much in focus and the public health department are working hard to help educate and develop in this area
• a Public Health Consultant is now in post with a specific remit around young people
• indoor air quality is a key area of focus and there is work to do but plans are in place to achieve this
• several health issues were heightened during lockdown including obesity, more specifically in children
• there is a need to analyse the current data and work with communities and link to education, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle
• there is also a need to link with the housing strategy and provide input
Changes to Sexual Health Services in North Yorkshire
The Committee were updated on the changes to Sexual Health Services in North Yorkshire by Emma Davis, Public Health Manager, HAS. The main points covered were;
• NYCC and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (YSTHFT) entered into a Section 75 on the 1st April 2022
• a delegated budget from the Public Health Grant was to provide an open access, all age integrated sexual health service for the population of North Yorkshire
initially for a period of 4 years with the option to extend for a further 6 years, subject to mutual agreement
• a reminder that the service delivers, sexual health promotion and information, contraceptive services (full range), sexually transmitted infections (testing and treatments), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), clinical and community outreach service and counselling services
• a review of the service performance and data.
• The key areas of development for 2022/2023.
There then followed a discussion around the following points;
Key elements cover sex workers, migrants, homelessness and other vulnerable groups with certain areas of the county who are more in need of the service than others. It was however concerning that Chlamydia cases in North Yorkshire were higher than the average in England.
The suspension of the queue and wait clinic in Scarborough and how this has been resolved in varying formats within the area to allow services to continue. It was confirmed that there are drop-in services at
· Monkgate Health Centre, Monkgate YO31 7PB. Every Thursday at 4 pm until 7pm
· Harewood Medical practice Northallerton (42 Richmond Rd, Catterick Garrison
DL9 3JD) Every Wednesday at 4pm - 5pm
· The Mulberry Unit at Northway Scarborough YO12 7AF. Every Tuesday
4pm- 6:30pm
In support and review of the service, a friends and family survey has been completed monthly, with no concerns raised as yet. Walk in centre services would continue as these have been particularly successful. Counselling service is also popular and remote appointments are working equally as well as face to face with both options being offered. There is an opportunity to refine work around sexual history and individual risk, in order to test the right people at the right time.
Mental Health Enhanced Community Services
The Committee were presented with the updated situation regarding Mental Health Enhanced Community Services within the County. The key points covered were;
· Details of the services covered by the Trust including Community Mental Health
Teams, Mental Health Support Teams in Schools, Specialist Eating Disorder Team,
Crisis Team, Single Point of Access Team and Psychologically Informed Partnership
Approach Team
· details on the current number of referrals and the timescales involved highlighting the
service has received almost 9000 referrals over the last 12 months, with 5000 young
people currently in the service
· referrals are usually seen by community teams within 8 weeks and by mental health
support teams within 4 weeks, and by the crisis team on the same day
· an experienced lived in director is now in post
· “I Thrive”, a stronger more robust system of pathway for 16-25 year olds is now in
place
· recruitment remains challenging and there are currently vacancies for Consultant
Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Registered Nurses and Administration Staff
· plans for the immediate future and the key messages of the Trust going
forward.
Submission to the Health and Social Care Committee
The Scrutiny of Health Committee still awaits publication of the results of its submission to Steve Brine, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee in relation to their call for evidence in support of an enquiry into the struggle to access NHS dentistry services.
Committee Workplan
Having previously discussed at length the challenges facing healthcare across the County generally and in particular the areas the Committee felt would be a priority in terms of Scrutiny over the next 18-24 months, the workplan has been updated to reflect this.
The Committee is keen to work collaboratively and will therefore continue to link in with the Council’s Area Constituency Committees (ACC’s) to ensure focus is maintained at a local level. The committee will also continue to work closely with the Care and Independence Overview and Scrutiny Committee allowing continued joint working around social care.
The next meeting of the committee will be at 10am on 16 June 2023.
COUNCILLOR ANDREW LEE
Chairman of the Scrutiny of Health Committee
19 April 2023