Agenda item

-        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 priority in the joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, based on evidence from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

There may be financial implications associated with the some of recommendations, which it was proposed, would need to be considered by the liaison group identified under Recommendation one of the review. 

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.

Cabinet Members welcomed this report and considered it to be a valuable piece of work which had identified some isolated individuals in need of some support.

Clarification was sought on the breadth of the review and the reasons for not including children from birth.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Scrutiny Review of Health Inequalities; BMI >50 and its recommendations be noted and a response be submitted within two months as outlined within the Council’s Constitution.

(2)  That the decision of Cabinet on the report, recommendations and proposed action be reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board in due course.

(3)  That the report be referred to the Health and Wellbeing Board for consideration.

(4)  That all those involved in the Scrutiny Review be thanked for their input.