Agenda item

(To receive a report by Nigel West (Head of Democratic Services and Statutory Scrutiny Officer), which enables the Committee to consider both its own work programme and the scrutiny committee work programmes for 2016/17)

Consideration was given to a report which enabled the Committee to consider its own work programme and the work programmes from the scrutiny committees for 2016/17.

 

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

Further to Minute 53 – 'Review of Financial Risk Assessment', a report on the possible creation of a Reputation Risk Register be added to the work programme in the New Year.

 

Members were reminded that the Brexit Working Group would be holding its first meeting during the afternoon of 24 November 2016.  Further to this, Councillor Mrs C A Talbot requested to sit on the Working Group, as the membership had been appointed in her absence.

 

Adults Scrutiny Committee

 

There were no changes to the published work programme.

 

Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee

 

There was one change to the work programme.  A report on Department for Education Innovation Bid, which would be for pre-decision scrutiny, had been added to the agenda for the meeting on 20 January 2017.

 

It was queried whether the Committee would be considering the impact of asylum seeking children on County Council services.  The Vice-Chairman agreed to raise this at the Committee's next pre-meeting.

 

Community and Public Safety Scrutiny Committee

 

There was one change to the work programme.  A report on Citizen's Advice Lincolnshire, which would be for pre-decision scrutiny, had been added to the agenda for the meeting on 14 December 2016. The report would seek approval of a new Grant Funding Agreement.

 

Economic Scrutiny Committee

 

There was one amendment to the work programme.  A report on Progress on international trade relationship with Hunan, China had been added to the agenda for the meeting on 21 February 2017.

 

Environmental Scrutiny Committee / Flood and Drainage Management Committee

 

There were two changes to the work programme. A report on the Water Recycling Centres Update scheduled for the meeting of the Flood and Drainage Management Committee on 9 December 2016, would now be considered by the Environmental Scrutiny Committee on 2 December 2016.

 

The meeting of the Environmental Scrutiny Committee on 17 February 2017 had been rearranged to 3 March 2017, following the meeting of the Flood and Drainage Management Committee.

 

A Councillor queried whether or not all of the household waste that was sent to waste transfer centres was sent to the Energy from Waste facility, or if it was shipped elsewhere.  It was agreed that the Councillor would contact the Executive Councillor for Waste and Recycling for clarification.

 

Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire

 

i)           Grantham Accident and Emergency Department

 

The Chairman advised that on 23 November 2016, the Committee had considered an item on the temporary overnight closure of Grantham Hospital Accident and Emergency Department.  After consideration of the information presented by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, the Committee had made a determination that the closure represented a substantial variation in local health care provision.  Furthermore, the Committee was not satisfied that overnight Accident and Emergency Services would be reinstated at Grantham Hospital by 17 February 2017 and concluded that the closure was in effect permanent.  The Committee had further determined to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health on the basis that the overnight closure would not be in the interest of the residents of Grantham and the surrounding area. 

 

ii)          Changes to the Work Programme

 

The Chairman advised that there was one change to the work programme.  A report on the Lincolnshire Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) had been provisionally added to the agenda for the meeting on 21 December 2016.  The Chairman advised that, subject to the relevant approvals from NHS England, the Lincolnshire STP would be published on or around 12 December 2016.  It was noted that as of 23 November 2016, 30 of the 44 STPs had been published.  STPs were not consultation documents in their own right, but strategy documents from which consultations would be derived on substantial service changes, as and when required.  The Chairman speculated whether the publication date of the Lincolnshire STP would be achieved.

 

iii)         Working Group Activity

 

The Committee had decided to establish a working group to consider delayed transfers of care.  The Committee had also agreed to invite Members of the Adults Scrutiny Committee to participate in the working group.  In addition to the Chairman, Councillors J Kirk (City of Lincoln Council), Mrs J Renshaw, S L W Palmer and Mrs S Wray had expressed an interest participating in the working group. 

 

The Committee had also established a working group to consider the development of the Five Year Strategy and Change Programme of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.  Subject to availability, Councillors Mrs J Renshaw, S L W Palmer, Mrs S Ransome and Mrs S Wray had expressed an interest in participating in the working group, together with a representative from Healthwatch Lincolnshire.

 

iv)           Wainfleet GP Surgery – Temporary Suspension of Registration

 

On 10 November 2016 the Care Quality Commission had temporarily suspended its registration of Wainfleet Surgery for a period of three months, because of its concerns about patient safety.  The 2,200 patients on the Wainfleet list had been advised to register temporarily with other local GP practices, such as the Hawthorn Medical Practice in Skegness. 

 

v)            Proving Entitlement to NHS Treatment

 

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee had been looking at how the NHS could recover costs from overseas patients, who used its services. On 21 November 2016, Chris Wormald, the Permanent Secretary to the Department of Health, as part of his evidence to the Public Accounts Committee, had cited Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as an example of a trust where patients attending certain clinics needed to bring a passport and another form of identity in order to be treated. 

 

It was highlighted that the Regional Director of Specialised Commissioning (London), Congenital Heart Disease Programme Implementation, NHS England, would be attending the meeting on 21 December 2016 to present information on the Congenital Heart Disease – Consultation.  Staff from Glenfield Hospital had also been invited to attend.

 

Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee

 

There were no changes to the work programme.

 

A number of concerns were raised regarding the timings of traffic signals.  It was noted that in some areas, the timings did not allow traffic to adequately clear resulting in long tail backs forming.  It was suggested that timings should be reviewed in order to reflect the volume of traffic.

 

The Yarborough Road, The Avenue, West Parade junction in Lincoln was cited as an example.

 

A Councillor raised a concern in relation to the call answer time for the Highways Customer Services telephone number.  A concern was also raised regarding changes to the relevant Key Performance Indicator, which would mean that only calls abandoned after 15 seconds wait time would now be counted from December 2016.

 

Value for Money Scrutiny Committee

 

There were no changes to the work programme.  However, it had been agreed to consider an item on the provision of agency workers and hard to recruit and retain staffing areas at a future meeting.

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  That the content of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee Work programme, as set out at Appendix A to the report, be approved.

 

(2)  That the work programmes from overview and scrutiny committees, as set out at Appendix B to the report, be approved.

 

(3)  That the Working Group activity, set out at Appendix C to the report, be noted.

 

(4)  That the work programmes, in light of the Executive Forward Plan, as set   out in Appendix D to the report, be noted.