To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Tracey Huffer.  Councillor Bernie Bentick substituted for her.

Members are reminded that they must declare their disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable or non-registrable interests in any matter being considered at the meeting as set out in Appendix B of the Members’ Code of Conduct and consider if they should leave the room prior to the item being considered. Further advice can be sought from the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting

None declared.

To consider the minutes of the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 11^th July 2022 (To follow).

Minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2022 were confirmed as a correct record.

To receive any questions, statements or petitions from the public, notice of which has been given in accordance with Procedure Rule 14. The deadline for this meeting is 5pm on Tuesday 25^th October 2022.

There were no public questions.

To receive any questions of which Members of the Council have given notice. The deadline for this meeting is 5pm on Tuesday 25^th October 2022.

Councillor Kate Halliday confirmed that she would raise the question she had recently submitted to Cabinet during discussion of the next item, as suggested at the Cabinet meeting.

The Scrutiny Manager reported that the next meeting of the Joint HOSC would include an update on progress following the Ockenden Report.  Findings of the Task and Finish Group on Urgent and Emergency Care would also be considered by the Committee and it would have an opportunity to comment on the content of the Integrated Care Strategy. 

To formally appoint co-optees to the Joint HOSC.

The Committee resolved to approve the following as voting co-optees to the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

Ms Lynn Cawley - Healthwatch

Mr David Sandbach – Professional knowledge/experience

Ms Louise Price – Patient Group representative

To receive an update on the development of the Shrewsbury Health and Wellbeing Hub. Report to Follow

Gareth Robinson, Director of Delivery and Transformation and Jackie Robinson, Associate Director of Communication, NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin were welcomed to the meeting and thanked for attending.

Mr Robinson gave a presentation explaining the progress and the response made to feedback received at the last Committee meeting.

Responding to questions, he said the Phase 1 listening exercise had seen a response rate of 2.5%, and anything over 1% was seen as a positive response.  He described the appraisal process for options other than the hub whereby 14 scenarios had been tested against 9 essential criteria – the only option compliant with all of the essential criteria within the financial context was a single new building site.  He also explained the site options appraisal process.

The public consultation had been put back to April 2023 from November 2022 in order to allow the revisit of the options appraisals process in response to feedback from public and members.  The Integrated Impact Assessment would specifically include travel impact resulting from movement of six practices to one site.  He felt that much concern and anxiety in the community was driven by the belief that decisions had already been made that had not yet been taken. 

NHSE had been very clear that availability of funding was only for a single site option in Shrewsbury; this was part of a national programme in which six systems had been allocated funding. Although there were many examples of co-location of services, he confirmed this would be the first example of this type of hub.

Providing services from a hub site in this way would remove barriers to recruitment of GPs as the vast majority of practices were individual businesses into which substantial investment was required to become a partner. The hub removed financial risks and estates issues. 

Committee members raised further questions, issues and concerns including:

·         Had information provided so far been fair and evidence based; the Project Initiation Document of February 2021 only being released in September 2022;

·         Those who had participated in the engagement exercise had done so principally online, representing mostly IT literate patients.  40% of those respondents walked to their current surgery;

·         Engagement to date did not appear to adequately have included those without transport, eg frail and elderly patients; how would the view of hard to reach groups be obtained independently, especially those not digitally enabled?

·         Had proposals taken into account the climate emergency and impact of additional journeys on road safety and parking;

·         It appeared that neither the NHS or Shropshire Council would provide funding for a bus service if there was no existing provision;

·         The issue of estates appeared to be driving the case for change but it was understood that of 470 practices closing across the UK in the previous year, only 4% of these had been related to inadequate premises; there were also concerns that some GPs may resign if the hub went ahead;

·         The plans were being presented as the only viable model but represented an unproven  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

To confirm the topics for the committee’s work programme identified at the work programming session on Friday 24 June 2022 and Wednesday 3 August 2022, and a briefing on the Shropshire Inequalities Plan (21 October 2022), and the agenda for the next meeting(s). Report to Follow.

The Scrutiny Manager said the report of the Task and Finish Group on the Ambulance Service would report to the next meting and the comments of the Committee could then be fed into the work of the Joint HOSC. 

Other suggestions for the work programme included access to step down beds, and the future of community hospital.  Some had heard that there was a plan to sell Ludlow Hospital and this was impacting on recruitment and retention.  A request was made for Shropshire Community Healthtrust to attend a meeting and present on future plans, so the committee was cited on any plans for closure before they happened. 

Another suggested work programme item was what SC was doing to facilitate the discharge guidance issued on 31 march. 

To note that the next meeting of the Health & Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be held at 10am on Monday 21^st November 2022.