Issue - meetings

-        Strategic Director of Resources to report.

Further to Minute No. 172 of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 13th April, 2012, Councillor Steele, Chair of the Review Group, introduced a report which detailed how Rotherham had been involved in a programme of work with the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) to look at the way in which scrutiny could be used to help tackle health inequalities at a local level. 

The Centre for Public Scrutiny recognised the potential of scrutiny in better understanding local health concerns and set out to demonstrate the active and vital role that it could have in helping Councils and their partners narrow the gaps and improve the health of local people through a programme of work looking at doing scrutiny reviews.

Following an initial phase of the programme, a document called ‘Peeling the Onion’ was published, which explored scrutiny as an important and effective public health tool and presented a practical toolkit for development areas to use and test out in the second phase of the programme.  Six local authority areas were involved in the second phase, including Rotherham.

A review group made up of Members and Co-optees from the Health Select Commission agreed to undertake their review to look at people with a BMI over 50.  The overarching aims of the review were:-

·              To improve the lives of people with a BMI over 50, ensuring they have dignity and respect and effective, equitable access to services.

·              To make recommendations for multi-agency consistency in relation to how people with a BMI over 50 and considered housebound were supported and cared for.

Full details of the activity which took place, the findings and recommendations were set out in detail as part of the report and which were developed around three main themes:-

·              Service Improvement

         To establish a negotiation session to create an action plan to implement the recommendations of the review, including timescales, lead roles and reporting mechanisms, to report back to the Health Select Commission. The role of this group session would be to consider the following sub-recommendations:-

Ø            Develop a one-page tick-box form to obtain consent from individuals to share information and ensure professionals receive appropriate training on how to use this.

Ø            Develop protocols for joint working and local data-sharing which will ensure more integrated service provision.

Ø            Consider options for centrally coordinating this agenda, either through an appropriate central coordinator post or central database/or way of sharing information.

Ø            Briefings for professionals to raise awareness of the range of services available locally for this target group of people.

·              Securing Commitment

For Cabinet and the Health and Wellbeing Board to take a lead in securing commitment to action on recommendations and receive monitoring of implementation reports through an appropriate forum, i.e. NHS Rotherham led obesity group.

·              Prevention

To agree a joined-up approach to tackling obesity in Rotherham through the Health and Wellbeing Board, acknowledging that treatment and prevention need to work together and recommending that this features as a high  ...  view the full minutes text for item 195

Consideration was given to a report presented by Councillor Steele and Kate Green, Scrutiny Officer, which set out how Rotherham had been involved in a programme of work with the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) to look at the way in which scrutiny could be used to help tackle health inequalities at a local level. 

Being part of this project involved undertaking a scrutiny review looking at an issue in relation to health inequalities; Rotherham chose to look at the quality of life and services provided for people with a BMI > 50.

As identified by the review findings, services in relation to people with a BMI >50 were not always as fully co-ordinated as they could be and there were issues with the sharing of data and information.  If some of these issues could be addressed through simple measures, there could be a positive outcome and improved quality of life for people out in the community, as well as potential efficiency savings for organisations.

The Management Board welcomed this report, key findings and its contents and the data and information that had been obtained from various organisations and suggested that this also be submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board for their information and the relevant Elected Members kept fully informed.  The Health Select Commission would continue to monitor the outcome of this review, some of which had already commenced.

The Review Group developed a set of recommendations to address some of the issues that have been presented and which were divided into three elements.  One of the issues arising from this review was around the sharing of data across organisations, which was resulting in protocols being worked on with the various organisations.

The Management Board asked a range of questions, which were answered, relating to the movement and handling of people with a BMI>50 and the negative press this review had received.

Resolved:- (1)  That all those involved in the review be thanked for their input.

(2)  That the report and the findings of the review as well as the evaluation of the review methodology used be noted.

(3) That the report be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.