{Disestablished Committee} - Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting

25 May 2006

Present:

• Councillor Parkinson - In the Chair 
• Councillors Boyes, Chowdhury, Grant, A Khan, Lyons, Morrison and Pritchard 
• Mr M Hargis, Mr K Morley and Mr M Kelly representing PPI

Also Present:

• Councillor Curley, Executive Member for Adult Services
• Councillor M Murphy, Assistant Executive Member for Adults Services

The Chair welcomed the new members to the Committee, Councillors Boyes, Chowdhury, A Khan and Pritchard. He also welcomed Kate Brown the new Scrutiny Support Officer to her first meeting.

HWB/06/18 Minutes

Decision

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 March 2006 as a correct record

HWB/06/19 Application for Foundation Trust Status by South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust

Representatives of South Manchester University Hospitals Trust outlined the proposals for the formation of an NHS Foundation Trust. The Committee noted that a detailed analysis had been undertaken to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and how it would stack up against the new financial regimes associated with Foundation Trust status, together with a rigorous assessment of the marketplace in which the Foundation Trust would operate. 150 formal responses had been received to the consultation process and all of the major issues or concerns raised had been accommodated within the final proposals. In pursuing this approach the hospital was keen to maintain and further develop existing relationships with PCTs and other health colleagues and the Committee was reassured that nothing in the Foundation Trust application would undermine existing areas of collaboration with health partners and other key players.

Challenged by members of the Committee regarding the key benefits to be obtained from Foundation Trust status the representatives of the Trust indicated that they would be in terms of increasing transparency and improved ability to react quicker and more appropriately to new challenges and in a wider context of creating an environment in which to raise the standard of management of available resources.

Alison Norman then highlighted the proposals in relation to Christie Hospital and the outcomes of the public consultation. Headline changes were outlined and in terms of governance arrangements the Committee noted that it was proposed that two governors would represent Manchester's interests in the conurbation-wide scale of the hospitals's operations. The hospital was working towards implementation on 1 April 2007.

In further challenging the proposals in relation to South Manchester University Hospital Trust, members sought assurances in relation to a number of areas of risk in terms of securing and maintaining funding levels, citing examples of Trust Hospitals in other parts of the country which had failed financially. Members also sought to establish the extent to which the business plan for Foundation Trust status was founded on private patients.

The Committee was reassured that the number of private patients would be capped at the current rate which was less that 1% of the total number of patients. In terms of funding risks the Committee was asked to recognize that the hospital was not operating in a risk-free environment at present so far as year on year funding was concerned, whilst there would be an increased element of risk associated with Foundation Trust status the challenge would remain one of operating services within the available tariff and to manage services more effectively. In many ways Foundation Trust regimes would provide a sounder basis of funding based on a 5 year business plan.

Members also challenged the extent to which services would continue to have a strong focus on customer and patient and highlighted the relevance of the governance arrangements as a key driver to ensuring that this strong focus was achieved.

Turning to examine the potential impacts on the relationship between the Foundation Trust and other hospitals, local authorities, schools and other partners, members challenged the capacity of a Foundation Trust in terms of strengthening partnerships. The Committee were reassured that the Trust would have a strong identity as a community resource and that it was hoped that this would be properly reflected in the membership of the Board of Governors, specifically in terms of the representation of women and representatives of BME communities, and that there was also a commitment to work with the education services and Connexions to promote careers in public health, consistent with the aim of creating a Health Academy.

Decision

To note the proposals and the reassurances now received and to agree to revisit the proposals at a future stage in their development.

HWB/06/20 Work Programme

The Committee considered a report from the Director of Adult Social Care and the Director of Manchester Joint Health Unit which highlighted some of the key issues facing the NHS and Social Care over the coming municipal year which may inform the work programme.

Decision

To agree that THE Chair should meet with members further to help plan the Work Programme for 2006/07 taking into account the following suggestions made by members:

• Mental Health Services, in particular (i) CSCI inspection of Mental Health Services (September) and (ii) Causes of mental illness 
• Support to vulnerable older people and carers 
• NHS Dental Services 
• Services for autistic adults 
• Sexual Health 
• Diabetes
• Developments of the Manchester PCT Practice Board Commissioning 
• Retention of health clinicians and support staff
  

HWB/06/21 Pennine Acute Trust Joint Scrutiny Committee

Decision

To appoint Councillors Cooley, Keegan and Parkinson as the Council's representatives on the Pennine Acute Trust for 2006/07.