Agenda and draft minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 October 2025 as a true and correct record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

Resolved:-

That the minutes of the meeting held on 2 October 2025 were approved as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

There were no questions from members of the public or the press.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

There were no items on the agenda that required the exclusion of the press or members of the public.

This item is to receive a presentation in relation to the Draft Adult Social Care Mental Health Strategy 2026-2029 and its development, giving Health Select Commission Members and opportunity to consider the Strategy and make recommendations ahead of its presentation to Cabinet in December 2025.

The Chair welcomed Scott Matthewman, Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning and Holly Smith, Change Lead for Service Improvement and Governance to the meeting and invited them to introduce the draft Strategy and supporting presentation.

The Assistant Director of Strategic Commissioning explained that the purpose of the session was to provide members with an overview of the draft Strategy, its development, and its proposed priorities ahead of submission to Cabinet in December 2025.

They described that the strategy had been co-designed over an extended period with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure it reflected local needs and aspirations. They confirmed that the document set out a clear strategic vision for adult mental health services in Rotherham and identified priorities for delivery over the next three years. The priorities included:

·       Establishing a Mental Health Partnership Board to oversee implementation.

·       Expanding the mental health enablement offer.

·       Improving access to services and reducing waiting times.

·       Enhancing support for carers and families.

·       Strengthening crisis pathways.

·       Developing the workforce to meet future needs.

They noted that a detailed action plan would accompany the Strategy to ensure accountability and measurable progress, with governance arrangements in place to monitor delivery.

The Change Lead for Service Improvement and Governance outlined the background and development process to the Strategy. They reported that Cabinet had approved recommendations from the Adult Social Care Mental Health Review in December 2023, which included the requirement to produce a co-designed borough-wide mental health Strategy. The draft Strategy aimed to achieve parity for mental health services across Rotherham and had been shaped by contributions from Public Health, Housing, NHS colleagues, and Voluntary and Community sector partners. They highlighted the critical role of Housing in Adult Social Care, supporting mental health recovery and continuity of care and acknowledged that mental ill health was a growing public health concern which ranged from everyday stresses to long term conditions and recognised that higher levels of wellbeing were linked to lower levels of illness.

The Strategy had been informed by robust data sources, including the Rotherham’s Mental Health Needs Assessment (RHNA), loneliness engagement data, the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), and insights from the Rotherham Parent Carers Forum. To ensure the strategy reflected community priorities, a 12 week formal consultation had been undertaken between May and July 2025. This consultation involved 26 bespoke engagement events across the borough, delivered in partnership with organisations such as Voluntary Action Rotherham, South Yorkshire Housing, and Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance (REMA). Engagement activities included drop-in sessions at venues such as Wellgate Court and the Unity Centre, workshops with staff networks and cultural groups, and attendance at promotional events including Women of the World and Shared Lives. The consultation generated 227 responses, with 95 individuals supported to complete surveys. All findings were analysed and directly informed the strategy’s vision, values, and priorities.

Feedback gathered throughout consultation was crucial to informing how this alignment with other strategies could be achieved. It was important to ensure that we referenced those existing areas of focus in order  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

To receive a presentation setting out the Rotherham Place Partners Winter Plan for 2025-26.

The Chair welcomed Steph Watt, Portfolio Lead for Transformation and Delivery in Urgent and Community Care, SYICB, Jodie Roberts, Director of Operations and Bob Kirton, Managing Director, TRFT and Scott Matthewman, deputising for Emily Parry-Harries, Director of Public Health, RMBC to the meeting and invited Steph Watt to introduce the Place Partners Winter Plan presentation.

The Portfolio Lead for Transformation and Delivery began by emphasising that the Winter Plan was not only a national requirement but also a priority locally, reflecting Rotherham’s long-standing commitment to robust winter planning. They explained that the plan had been developed collaboratively with all place partners including the Council, Primary Care Networks, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust (TRFT), Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust (RDaSH), and Voluntary Action Rotherham.

The plan had undergone rigorous assurance processes and was formally signed off by the TRFT Board, the Place Board, and the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SYICB). The plan had also been stress-tested through scenario planning at both regional and local levels and aligned with national urgent and emergency care standards, particularly the four-hour emergency department target, ambulance response times, and discharge delays.

The Portfolio Lead for Transformation and Delivery reflected on last year’s approach, which had focused on expanding out-of-hospital pathways. Additional funding from the Better Care Fund and Section 75 agreements, alongside organisational investment, had supported several schemes. Learning from these initiatives had informed this year’s plan, recognising that post-COVID demand remained consistently high throughout the year, with winter pressures exacerbated by flu and other infectious diseases.

They outlined significant developments over the past year, including the creation of a new medical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit, which had utilised £7 million national funding, and the establishment of a Transfer of Care Hub (ToCH). This hub brought together a multi-disciplinary team comprising Yorkshire Ambulance Service, health professionals, social care staff, and voluntary sector representatives. Its purpose was to co-locate specialists to manage referrals from both acute hospital and community settings, enabling real time decision making to avoid unnecessary admissions and ensure only those requiring hospital care were conveyed. They highlighted the benefits of co-location, which allowed immediate professional consultation and faster resolution of complex cases, particularly as patient acuity and complexity continued to rise.

Members heard that high impact activities had targeted frequent attenders with respiratory conditions, diabetes, and frailty. Capacity on the Virtual Ward had been increased to support admission avoidance and discharge for high-acuity patients who would otherwise require hospital care. Led by nurse consultants and urgent care specialists, the Virtual Ward now included new pathways for heart failure, alongside existing frailty and respiratory pathways. Remote monitoring technology had also been introduced, enabling clinicians to observe patients at home using wearable devices, a development being tested with potential for future expansion.

The Portfolio Lead for Transformation and Delivery reported that service redesign within social care, particularly in enablement services, had significantly reduced waiting lists from a peak of 66 last winter to just nine in August, creating additional capacity. New  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

To consider the Health Select Commission’s work programme for 2025/26.

Members were advised that the start time of the 22 January 2026 Health Select Commission meeting had been brough forward to 4.00 pm to accommodate the addition of anticipated Adult Social Care CQC inspection feedback. 

Resolved:-

That the Health Select Commission:

1.    Approved the work programme.

2.    Agreed that the Governance Advisor was authorised to make any required changes to the work programme in consultation with the Chair/Vice Chair and report any such changes back to the next meeting.

The most recent South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee took place on 21 October 2025.  The minutes of this meeting have not yet been published.

At the Chair’s request, the Governance Advisor shared that the South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) had taken place on 21 October 2025, and noted that Stroke Emergency Care and Aftercare had been added to the Committees work programme following suggestion by the Rotherham Member with support from the Barnsley Member.

Members were advised that the next JHOSC meeting was due to take place on 7 January 2026, and that the minutes of the previous meeting would be shared with members once available. 

The Chair requested that members reviewed the agenda for the January 2026 meeting once published, and contacted the Chair and Governance Advisor regarding any questions or comments to be raised during that meeting.

This item is to receive a copy of the Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report as approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board in July 2025 for information purposes.

The Chair requested that Health Select Commission Members who had comments, queries or questions they would like to discuss further in relation to the Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report channel these via the Chair and Governance Advisor.

To consider any item(s) which the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business to discuss.