Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Brodie-Brown, Councillor Brough and Councillor Halsall.

Members are requested at a meeting where a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal interest arises, which is not already included in their Register of Members' Interests, todeclare any interests that relate to an item on the agenda.

Where a Member discloses a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, he/she must withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest, except where he/she is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of a dispensation.

Where a Member discloses a personal interest he/she must seek advice from the Monitoring Officer or staff member representing the Monitoring Officer to determine whether the Member should withdraw from the meeting room, including from the public gallery, during the whole consideration of any item of business in which he/she has an interest or whether the Member can remain in the meeting or remain in the meeting and vote on the relevant decision.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2023.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2023, be confirmed as a correct record.

Carole Hill, Associate Director of Strategy, Integration & Partnerships, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, to attend and update

Further to Minute No. 4 of 20 June 2023, Carole Hill, Associate Director of Strategy, Integration & Partnerships, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, was in attendance and updated on the Liverpool Clinical Services Review.

The review was set up in spring 2022 to consider opportunities for greater collaboration between Liverpool’s hospitals to further improve services and health outcomes for people. The review had identified 12 recommendations for greater collaboration, some of which were already being taken forward with work ongoing to implement others.

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·       If Mersey Care was a part of this review

·       If there would be a reduction of Trusts as a result of the review

·       If the review would make the financial situation of the Liverpool University Foundation Trust any better

·       How long it would take to embed any changes made as a result of the review and how long it would take to decide if the changes made were having a beneficial impact.

RESOLVED:

Report of the Assistant Director of People (Communities)

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Director of People (Communities) that updated on the Sefton’s strategic approach to tackling domestic abuse. The report set out the background to the matter, together with details of the Sefton Domestic Abuse Partnership Board; the Sefton Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2023-2028 and Action Plan; and Cross partnership collaboration. The following Appendices were attached to the report:

·       Appendix 1 - Sefton Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2023-2028

·       Appendix 2 – Domestic Abuse Action Plan 2023-2028.

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·       The education programme for children and if this was only aimed at children who live in households affected by domestic abuse or if it was a wider education programme being delivered to all children in schools.

·       How information passed to school safeguarding leads was picked up and shared with the relevant partners.

·       The level of funding going forward and if this would be sufficient to support the service and achieve its priorities.

·       The importance of including all types of domestic abuse in any staff training, such as coercion and manipulation to include financial abuse.

·       The response times by the Police can sometimes be too slow, especially is cases that do not involve physical violence.

RESOLVED

That the content of the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Public Health

Further to Minute No. 40 (5) of 3 January 2023, the Committee considered the report of the Director of Public Health that provided a range of relevant information about vaping amongst young people in Sefton. The content of the report centred on presentation and discussion of findings from a recent, large survey of young people’s experiences, attitudes, and behaviours towards vaping and smoking in Sefton and the report set out key points to note.

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·       The availability of smoking cessation services.

·       The issue of shops selling vaping products to children and if any enforcement work was being carried out.

·       Difficulties around the public health message around vaping as it was seen as a better option to cigarettes.

·       What approach, if any, were schools taking to discourage vaping

·       Recent media coverage highlighted that school hours were being missed due to illnesses such as chest infections and asthma.

·       If any studies had taken place to consider how the ingredients in vapes interact with other medications in the body.

RESOLVED:

That the content of the report be noted.

Report of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside

The Committee considered the presentation of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, on the Cheshire and Merseyside – GP Survey 2023 Summary by Place. The presentation set out details of the following:

·       Overall experience

·       Making an appointment

·       Local GP services

·       Access to on-line services

Members of the Committee asked questions/commented on the following issues:

·       Concern that practices were moving to online booking systems when many elderly people struggle to use the internet.

·       Waiting times for call-backs can be too long.

·       National data regarding waiting times is poor and patients are generally unhappy with the service they were receiving.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation on the Cheshire and Merseyside – GP Survey 2023 be noted.

Report of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside

The Committee considered the report of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, that provided an update about the work of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, Sefton. The report outlined details of the following:

·       Sefton Plan

·       Women’s Health Hubs

·       New Paddington Community Diagnostic Centre opens.

·       Mersey Care roll out Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs).

·       Making healthcare more accessible to reduce missed appointments.

·       Residents urged to ‘give digital a go’ as part of new campaign.

·       Latest NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Board meeting

RESOLVED:

That the update report submitted by the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Sefton) be noted.

Report of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside

The Committee considered the report of the Sefton Place Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, that provided data on key performance areas for North and South Sefton, together with responses for the Friends and Family Test for both Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust and Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT). Information on the monitoring of the7-day GP extended access scheme, and ambulance response times were also included within the data.

RESOLVED:

That the information on Health Provider Performance be noted; and

 that the Committee be requested to delegate authority to the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, in consultation with the Sefton Place Director, to determine future reporting requirements of performance data to the Committee.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer that sought formal approval of changes to the Executive/Scrutiny Protocol (the Protocol) for submission to Cabinet.

The report advised that the draft protocol was approved by the four Overview and Scrutiny Committees and Cabinet at their meetings in late 2020; and that at its first meeting of the 2023/24 municipal year, held on 20 June 2023, the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board considered the Protocol and suggested two additions in relation to the submission of Plans and Strategies to Overview and Scrutiny Committees and Working Group Reviews/Informal Meetings.

For illustrative purposes, an updated version of the Executive/Scrutiny Protocol was attached to the agenda highlighting the changes if ultimately approved by Overview and Scrutiny and Cabinet.

RESOLVED: That 

the Cabinet be requested to approve changes to the Executive/Scrutiny Protocol in relation to:

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer submitting the most recent update reports from the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care, and the Cabinet Member – Health and Wellbeing, whose portfolios fell within the remit of the Committee.

The Cabinet Member update report – Adult Social Care, attached to the report at Appendix A, outlined information on the following:

·       The National Assurance Update for Adult Social Care

·       Cheshire and Merseyside Integration Update:

o   Integrated Care Teams (ICT) Development

·       Strategic Commissioning:

o   Domiciliary Care

o   Day Opportunities

o   Care Homes

·       Transfer Care of Hubs - ASC involvement in Hospital Discharge

·       Adult Social Care Budget

·       Adult Social Care Complaints, Compliments and MP Enquiries

·       Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

·       Principal Social Worker Update (PSW)

·       Performance and Key Areas of Focus

·       Activity Overview:

o   Admission into care and reablement

o   Self-directed support and direct payments

o   Employment

o   Housing

·       Workforce:

o   Learning and Development

o   Apprenticeships:

The Cabinet Member update report – Health and Wellbeing, attached to the report at Appendix B, outlined information on the following:

Public Health:

·       Living Well Service (LWS) Recommissioning

·       Breastfeeding Update:

o   Volunteer Breastfeeding Peer Support:

o   AbA Project

o   Initiatives to address Inequalities in Breastfeeding Rates

o   Additional Workstreams / Insight

o   Sefton Councils Updated Breastfeeding Policy

·       Health Checks Option Appraisal

·       Staff Flu

·       Public Health Risk Register

Leisure:

·       Leisure Update (July)

·       Procurement of Leisure Management System

The Chair commended the Cabinet Members for their openness and transparency and for working collaboratively with the committee.

RESOLVED:

That the update reports from the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care and the Cabinet Member – Health and Wellbeing be noted.

Report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer that sought to:

·       seek the views of the Committee on the Work Programme for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2023/24;

·       identify any items for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the Key Decision Forward Plan;

·       seek the views of the Committee on the Programme of informal briefings/workshop sessions for the remainder of 2023/24,

·       consider if there are any site visits that Committee Members would wish to undertake during 2023/24;

·       note the intention for the Local Government Association to provide training from Members and Substitutes of the Committee;

·       receive an update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

·       receive an update on the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System Joint Health Scrutiny Committee; and

·       note the update by Healthwatch Sefton.

The following appendices were attached to the report:

·       Appendix A – Work Programme for 2023/24;

·       Appendix B – Latest key decision forward plan items relating to this overview and scrutiny committee.

·       Appendix C – Draft programme of informal briefings/workshop sessions for 2023/24

·       Appendix D – Update of recent activities taken by Healthwatch Sefton.

RESOLVED: That

1)    the  Work Programme for 2023/24, as set out in Appendix A to the report be agreed, along with any additional items to be included and thereon agreed;

2)    items for pre-scrutiny from the Key Decision Forward Plan which fall under the remit of the Committee, as set out in Appendix B to the report, be considered;the contents of the Key Decision Forward Plan for the period 1 September – 31 December 2023, be noted;

3)    the Programme of informal briefings/workshop sessions for 2023/24, as set out at Appendix C to the report, be noted, along with any additional informal items to be included and thereon be agreed;

4)    the intention for the Local Government Association to provide training from Members and Substitutes of the Committee be noted;

5)    the update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted;

6)    the update on the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System Joint Health Scrutiny Committee be noted; and

7)    the recent activities undertaken by Healthwatch Sefton, as outlined in Appendix D to the report, be noted.