Agenda item

·           Question received from a member of the public (Page 9)

·           Peer Support Offer for Local Systems

A.  The following question had been received from a member of the public on 29^th July, 2018, submitted to all South Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Boards.  A South Yorkshire response had been provided.  The question was:-

“The organisation in charge of the Health and Wellbeing Board i.e. the council must take these questions and statements and have them answered by the board under the Public Sector Equality Act.  Circumventing any relevant policy that is not law, that would block these questions or statements, any non-compliance of this request will be subject to a legal challenge by myself (name removed) and any relevant persons or peoples to whom the issue applies.

Statement:

JSNA does not provide the full waiting list for primary care and secondary care services for assessment and diagnosis.  Given that it is up to the statutory authority to deal with making sure that public sector equality is upheld will they do the following:

Question 1)  Will the chair including all associated bodies that commission local services, now ask or provide waiting lists for each contract in place for assessment and diagnosis, in the NHS and provide the total cost of clearing each waiting list?

Question 2)  Will the chair request that the waiting list for all Social Care services are published on a monthly basis for review emergency or otherwise, and the first assessment and provide a cost for each month to clear that waiting list?

Question 3)  Will the board then provide the list to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to make sure they are aware of the waiting list and hold them to account on funding the clearing of such waiting list under the health and social care act and the care act?”

A response was provided via email from the Chair which stated:-

“Thank you for your email.  Unfortunately the Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board cannot accept your request as it is not within the remit of the Board to do so.

The Health and Wellbeing Board is a strategic body whose role is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in its area by encouraging integrated commissioning between health, social care and public health.  It does not have a role in monitoring performance or waiting times, which are operational matters.  You should, therefore, direct your request for information on waiting lists and the cost of clearing these lists to each individual provider of commissioned services.”

B.  Peer Support Offer for Local Systems

An offer of Peer Support had been received from the Local Government Association for local systems, which included LGA NHS providers, NHS Clinical Commissioner and NHS Confederation, to provide a group of people to visit and work locally looking at what the Board was doing and how it was progressing. 

However, a condition of the impending restoration of powers to the Council on 24^th September, 2018, by the Secretary of State was that the Council undergo a health check in January/February, 2019.

It was felt that the Board may wish to consider the Peer Support Offer towards the end of 2019.