Agenda and draft minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 1 May 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 1 May 2025 be 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 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.

To seek a representative from the Health Select Commission (HSC) to sit as a member on the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel.

Meeting dates for 2024-2025:

·       Thursday 10 July 2025

·       Thursday 9 October 2025

·       Thursday 5 February 2026

·       Thursday 24 April 2026

The Chair sought a representative from the Health Select Commission to sit as a member of the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel. It was also suggested that the nominated representative should provide an update on the work conducted during the course of the municipal year.

.

Resolved:-

That the Health Selection Commission appointed Councillor Garnett as its representative on the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel for 2025/26.

To receive a report and presentation which provides an overview of the Adult Contact referral pathways, team structure, and referral routes. The report also outlines service improvements being implemented, based on customer feedback and good practice.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Baker-Rogers, Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health, and Jayne Metcalfe, Head of Service – Access and Prevention to the meeting and invited them to introduce the presentation.

Cllr Baker-Rogers explained that an update on the Adult Social Care Adult Contact Team Referral Process was being shared to advise on the Adult Social Care referral pathway, Adult Contact Team (ACT) structure, ACT referral routes and to provide insight into challenges and planned developments to improve access to Adult Social Care and service users’ satisfaction.

The Head of Service – Access and Prevention thanked the Commission for the invitation.  They provided background information on the Adult Contact Team, previously known as First Contact, created as part of the Adult Social Care operating model in 2019.

They explained that the team's purpose was to receive, triage, and prioritise referrals for assessment, prevention, safeguarding, and Occupational Therapy (OT) .The service underwent redesign which concluded in April 2025 and was in the implementation stage. The Adult Contact Team served as a single point of contact for Adult Social Care, and offered the ability to make referrals 24/7 via an online form, during office hours by telephone, or in person at Riverside House. The team aimed to resolve support requests at the earliest opportunity, linking people to appropriate professionals, prioritising safeguarding concerns. They also supported individuals with no recourse to public funds and administered public health funerals.

The Supporting Independence Team was introduced to strengthen the initial response to contacts and manage demand. That team worked with individuals unlikely to meet the threshold for formal care but who nonetheless needed support to access community resources, reduce isolation, and maintain independence. The team comprised of community connectors, sensory workers who work with visually and hearing impaired and our carer's workers addressed standalone requests for carers assessments which aimed to maximise independence, reduce delay or prevent the need for formal care and support. The team could work with individuals for up to 20 weeks, but often less and began working with individuals from late September 2024. 

Between April and May 2025, sensory workers supported 101 people with visual, hearing or dual impairments. Community connectors worked with 195 people since September 2024, with only 8% needing a Care Act assessment and carers link officers conducted 182 carers assessments since October 2024, which significantly reduced the waiting list. Learning since implementation was still being embedded and data collection improved to better evidence the progress made.

During March 2025, the Adult Contact Team received 2,778 calls and 1,833 emails. They aimed to make a decision on the right pathway within five days of receiving a referral and achieved this in approximately 60% of cases. The team handled 285 monthly referrals for occupational therapy, with about a third of which required an urgent response. They had also supported 25 individuals without recourse to public funds and managed 25 Public Health funerals in the past year. When contact was received, individuals were supported with information and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a report and presentation which provides information concerning the proposed Town Centre Health Hub development and consider the Commission’s position with respect to the recommendations to be made to Cabinet in that regard in July 2025.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Williams, the Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy and Simon Moss, the Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport to the meeting and invited them to introduce the report and presentation.

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy noted that  Lorna Vertigan, Head of Regeneration was present to discuss the health hub plans for the town centre. They provided an overview of the Health Hub Development and highlighted that proposals were due to go before Cabinet for approval on 7 July 2025. They emphasised the Health Hub’s importance in addressing limited health services in the town centre. The project aimed to transform the former Boots building at 42-46 Effingham Street into a Health Hub following its acquisition by the Council in May 2023 and return it to use. The project was divided into two phases: relocating the Abbey Pharmacy from its current location which was essential in order to progress the Library and Markets redevelopment which was underway and establishing a shared Health Hub working with health partners and service providers to explore the feasibility various health services, with the ultimate aim of improving access to health services, taking pressure off GP services and the hospital whilst supporting the wider regeneration ambitions for the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport explained the strategic context, referencing the Town Centre Master Plan from 2017 which aimed to transition from retail reliance to leisure and services, which would see the part of the town centre near Forge Island become more of a leisure and culture quarter and the other side of the town centre anchored by the service sector. They also explained that another big transition in the town centre was around building more housing which meant the town centre needed to serve a growing local community. The council had made several strategic acquisitions, including the former Boots building, to support this transition. The introduction of health-related services was seen as a good fit for the service sector strategy in that part of the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport outlined the need for the project and referenced the term ‘Health on the High Street’, which had become an established intervention which harnessed mutual benefits of locating health services in town centres which were highly accessible. There was also support for this approach in Central Government which from a regeneration perspective, could also contribute significantly to increased footfall and economic activity in the town centre.

The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Transport detailed the two phases of the project:

Phase 1: Relocating the Abbey Pharmacy due to the redevelopment of the markets and library complex.

Phase 2: Working with health partners to develop considered proposals to transform the remainder of the building into a shared Health Hub, giving due regard to the evidence base from a health perspective and considering partners’ and service providers’ asset strategies.

The estimated cost for Phase 1 was £1.3  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the Health Select Commission’s work programme for 2025-2026.

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.

Since the last Health Select Commission meeting no meetings of the South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee have taken place.

The next JHOSC meetings is due to take place on 23 July 2025. Anticipated agenda items for that meeting include:

• Non-emergency Patient Transport Service Update

• Continuing Healthcare Commissioning Arrangements.

JHOSC agenda packs are published 5 working days prior to the meeting taking place. Published agenda packs can be accessed by the following link:

South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members who have comments or queries regarding an item on any JHOSC agenda should refer these to the Health Select Commission Chair and Governance Advisor at the earliest opportunity to ensure they are reflected in debate during the relevant public meeting.

The Chair advised members that there had been no meeting of the South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC) since the last Health Select Commission meeting.

They shared details of items JHOSC were due to consider during the course of the coming municipal year, reiterated the Health Select Commissions representation at that Committee, and requested that members duly notify the Chair or Governance Advisor of anything they would like to be raised on their behalf in relation to items scheduled for consideration during any future JHOSC meetings.

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

The Chair explained that they had received notification that long standing Health Select Commission Co-optee, Robert Parkin was due to retire imminently. They noted that the Commission recognised Mr Parkin’s contributions to the Commission’s work over the years and extended thanks for his commitment to representing Speak Up in that setting.

David Gill, fellow Speak Up Co-optee added that Mr Parkin had been involved with Speak Up for approximately 37 years.  His work enabled many individuals with autism and laid the foundations for current and future participation of neuro-divergent voices in health issues, for which there was considerable gratitude.