Agenda and draft minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Mckee.

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.

In accordance with Paragraph 9 of the Council’s Code of Conduct, the following declaration of personal interest was made and the Member concerned remained in the room during the consideration of the item:

Minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2024

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 3 September 2024, be confirmed as a correct record

Report of the North West Ambulance Service

Further to Minute Number 4 of the meeting held on 18^th June, Ian Moses, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS), attended the meeting, to present an update report on the North West Ambulance Service.

The report described to the Committee the way North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Paramedic Emergency Services (PES) are delivered in Sefton, including 999 demand, call prioritisation and sorting, response time performance and operational challenges affecting these functions.

Members of the Committee asked questions/raised matters on the following issues:

·       Response times data

·       The number of mental health calls and the impact these have on the service in terms of hours spent on a call and the number of incidents attended by the Mental Health Car.

·       Clarification on the data for category 2, 3 and 4 calls

·       The likely impact of winter on the ambulance service

·       The Patient Transport Service

·       Work to reduce handover waiting times at hospitals

·       Calls to falls patients and the details of any work being done with care homes and carers to prevent falls and to lift people who have fallen.

·       Appreciation and thanks to the staff and service.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the report be noted, and Ian Moses be thanked for his attendance.

(2)  That the Committee would like to receive a report annually from the North West Ambulance Service

(3)  That a Committee visit to the North West Ambulance Service headquarters be arranged.

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:

• Southport major incident recovery
• Womens Hospital Services in Liverpool Programme
• Closure of Lincoln House GP Surgery
• GP Collective Action
• GP Workforce Data

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

·       The pyscholigical impact of the Southport incident

·       The work with schools following the Southport incident

·       Breakdown of GP workforce data between the North and South of the Borough would be useful.

·       The learning taken from the Lincold House Surgery closure in terms of communications to patients

·       When the case for change document would be published for the Liverpool Womens Hopsital

RESOLVED: That

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

(2)  That an update on the pyschological impact of the Southport incident be brought to the next Committee meeting;

(3)  Than an informal session on the work with Schools following the Southport incident be arranged and members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Childrens Services and Safeguarding) be invited.

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. Ambulance response times were also included within the data.

The Healthwatch representative queried if the friends and family data could be provided at a level which shows more detail by local area, instead of ‘Place wide’ data. It was confirmed this would be looked into.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the information on Health Provider Performance be noted.

(2)  That the Place Director would investigate the issue of data being provided at a local area level.

Report of the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director)

Consideration was given to a report which provided an overview of Adult Social Care’s performance against a number of required national and local metrics. The report was part of the regular cycle of reporting to the Committee and key information in terms of the preparation for Sefton’s upcoming Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment.

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

• It was noted that the reablement and quality of life figures were good, putting Sefton in the top quartile in England.
• The “Better at Home” programme and the work to reduce admissions in to care.
• Safeguarding data and the need to monitor under-reporting and ensure the quality team look at care homes which had not been inspected recently.
• Information about National Safeguarding Week between 18^th-22^nd November.

RESOLVED:

(1)  That the contents of the report be noted;

(2)  That it be agreed that regular updates continue to be provided to the Committee regarding the performance of Adult Social Care.

(3)  That an informal session on safeguarding data be arranged.

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 – Public Health and Wellbeing, attached to the report at Appendix A, outlined information on the following:

• Public Health Quarterly Dashboard
• Public Health Annual Report 2023
• Recommissioning of the Kooth Service
• Leisure Update

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

• Preparation for the The Care Quality Commission (CQC) Assurance and Assessment
• Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board update
• Better at Home Transformation Programme
• Strategic Commissioning
• New Directions
• Carers Strategy
• Falls Strategy
• Quality Assurance
• Work of the Learning Disability and Autism Team
• Adult Social Care Budget
• Adult Social Care Complaints, Compliments and MP Enquiries

Councillor Doyle, Cabinet Member – Public Health and Wellbeing and Councillor Moncur, Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care were in attendance to respond to any questions/comments by Members of the Committee.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member update reports 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:

• Invite the views of the Committee on the Work Programme for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2024/25;
• identify any items for pre-scrutiny by the Committee from the Key Decision Forward Plan;
• invite Committee Members to participate in informal briefing sessions during 2024/25;
• invite the views of the Committee on the draft Programme of informal briefings/workshop sessions for 2024/25;
• consider if there were any site visits that Committee Members would wish to undertake during 2024/25;
• receive an update on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and
• receive an update on the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System Joint Health Scrutiny Committee. 

RESOLVED  That

(1)  the  Work Programme for 2024/25, as set out in Appendix A to the report, be noted, along with any additional items to be included and thereon be agreed;

(2)  the contents of the Key Decision Forward Plan for the period 1 September to 31 December 2024 be noted;

(3)  all Members of the Committee be invited to participate in informal briefing sessions;

(4)  the  Programme of informal briefings/workshop sessions for 2024/25, as set out at Appendix B to the report, be noted;

(5)  the following site visits for Committee Members be arranged to take place during 2024/25:

• Visit to Aintree Hospital or Royal Liverpool Hospital
• Visit to North West Ambulance Service Headquarters

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

(7)  the update on the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System Joint Health Scrutiny Committee be noted.