Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on the Panel’s remit and current work programme.

20 Minutes.

Consideration was given to a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) which provided Members with an opportunity to establish their work priorities for 2013/14. In doing so, Members’ attention was drawn to the functions and responsibilities of the Corporate Governance and Employment Panels.

In noting the outcome of the recent review of the effectiveness of overview and scrutiny, the Panel endorsed the content of an Overview and Scrutiny Protocol which provided a framework for the conduct of overview and scrutiny within the Council and the promotion of closer working with the Executive and senior management.

Having received a brief update on the work of each of the Panel’s Working Groups, Members undertook a review of their memberships and made changes as necessary. It was reported that the study on Social Value was nearing completion and that the findings would be reported to the Panel in due course.

Having considered the addition of new subject areas to the Panel’s work programme, Members agreed to include a review of elderly patient care at Hinchingbrooke Hospital as a future study area. The suggestion for the study had emerged following concerns raised by Members on the basis of their own experiences and feedback received from residents over the level of care provided to elderly patients at the Hospital. It was agreed that a Working Group would be established for this purpose. The Chairman indicated that he currently was liaising with the Franchise Manager at the Hospital with a view to determining the way forward for the study. It was also intended to elicit public views on patient experiences at the Hospital as part of the investigations. Other areas for inclusion within the Panel’s work programme were the receipt of an update on the redesign of mental health services and ambulance services. Having regard to the former, it was confirmed that representatives of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group would be in attendance at the Panel’s September 2013 meeting to deliver the update that had been requested.

Given that the Panel had developed its health scrutiny role over the previous few years and in noting that health data was available from a large range of sources, the Panel requested that a report was submitted to a future meeting on health trends across the District.

Having noted Councillor R J West’s wish to step down from the Voluntary Sector Working Group, it was

RESOLVED

(a)  that the content of the report now submitted be noted;

(b)  that a review of elderly patient care at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and ambulance services be included as new subject areas in the Panel’s programme of studies;

(c)  that Councillor P W G Pethard be appointed to the Equality Working Group;

(d)  that Councillor C R Hyams be appointed to the Joint Hinchingbrooke Hospital Working Group;

(e)  that Councillor R C Carter be appointed to the Voluntary Sector Working Group;

(f)  that Councillors S J Criswell, I C Curtis, C R Hyams, Mrs P A Jordan, P Kadewere, J W G Pethard and R J West together with Mr R Coxhead be appointed to a Working Group tasked with undertaking a review of elderly patient care at Hinchingbrooke Hospital; and

(g)  that the Overview and Scrutiny Protocol as appended to the report now submitted be endorsed.