5 Nov 2003 | Government responds to Select Committee report |
The Department of Health has published its response to the report of the Health Select Committee's report on Patient and Public Involvement in Health (see below). |
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Health Scrutiny: "further support" announced |
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At a New Local Government Network conference On 30 October 2003, Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State with responsibility for patient and public involvement, announced “further support” for local authority scrutiny of health. This will take the form of a one-off payment of £2,250,000 to the Centre for Public Scrutiny "to help local authorities in their new health scrutiny role.” The press release makes no mention of any direct financial support to individual councils. Also announced was the publication by the Department of Health of A Guide to the NHS for Members and Officers of Health Scrutiny Committees. |
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8 Oct 2003 | Centre for Public Scrutiny: survey results |
The Centre for Public Scrutiny has published the results of a survey it has carried out into local authority scrutiny: 152 councils responded. The results suggest that there are now 5,500 councillors engaged in scrutiny work across England and Wales. |
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22 Sept 2003 | Experiences of joint health scrutiny |
Bedfordshire County Council has published a report on the findings of a joint scrutiny committee of six councils into a substantial development in health services in the Home Counties. The introduction discusses the difficulties that were faced in putting the Department of Health's directions on joint working into practice. |
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18 Sept 2003 | Co-opted members of scrutiny committees |
Under Section 115 of the new Local Government Act which received the Royal Assent on 18 September, co-opted members of overview and scrutiny committees may be given the power to vote if the local authority decides to make a scheme to allow this. |
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8 Sept 2003 | "Scrutiny fails close inspection" |
So says the headline of an article in the Municipal Journal (4 September 2003) dealing with a new report from the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE). The report is quoted as saying: "...much more needs to be done to tap the potential ... so that the scrutiny role becomes a fulfilling one for members and assists in improving the performance of the Authority." |
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4 Sept 2003 | Patient and Public Involvement Forums |
The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is now inviting applications for membership of these forums. There will be 571 forums (one for each Primary Care Trust and NHS Trust) and the Government intends that all of them should be in place by 1 December 2003. It is anticipated that forum members will:
The following link will take you to the online application form. Regulations from the Department of Health govern who may and may not serve on a forum. Among those disqualified are:
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26 Aug 2003 | Research Project |
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is funding a five-year study by Manchester University's Institute for Political and Economic Governance. Its title is "Evaluating Local Governance: New Constitutions and Ethics" and it will look at the working of new council constitutions and the new ethical frameworks and whether the Local Government Act 2000 fulfilled the ambitions of policy makers. Questionnaires are currently being piloted for a sample survey of 40 authorities. There are three questionnaires: for officers, for councillors and for local stakeholders. Information about the questionnaire can be obtained from 0161 275 4895, or b <sty sys-align-left>y email from <WEM ELNK0032>elgnce@man.ac.uk<sty sys-align-left> |
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30 July 2003 | Centre for Public Scrutiny: annual conference |
The Centre's first annual conference was held on 17 June 2003 and a briefing on the event has been added to these pages. |
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17 July 2003 | Health scrutiny: Department of Health criticised |
In a report on Patient and Public Involvement in the NHS the Commons Health Select Committee said yesterday regarding health overview/scrutiny committees that: ... we find it totally unacceptable that the Department [of Health] apparently does not have access to basic information about an element of public involvement in the NHS it clearly views as so crucial, three months after it should have been introduced. This is particularly worrying given the vital statutory function of Overview and Scrutiny Committees with respect to proposed closures and reconfigurations in the NHS. Expressing its concern over progress in establishing other elements of the patient and public involvement structure, the committee recommended that: To try to ensure as smooth a handover process as possible ... the Government extends CHCs’ period of operation from 1 December 2003 to 1 July 2004. |
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15 July 2003 | Member development event |
Following up on that finding, a programme of development events is being organised, the first of which will take place on Tuesday, 5 August 2003 at County Hall, Exeter. It will be led by Julia Wright, a consultant with many years’ experience in development work for elected members and will be based around the “10 Steps to effective scrutiny” identified by the Institute of Local Government Studies and is expected to centre on a variety of practical, workshop-based exercises. In view of the importance of raising the awareness of scrutiny and its purpose, and to change people's perception of its function, all members of the Council are encouraged to attend as well as officers regularly involved with the Overview/Scrutiny process. Beginning at mid-morning, the event is expected to continue until around 4.00 p.m. A detailed programme will be published nearer the event. |
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12 June 2003 | Health Scrutiny in Buckinghamshire |
Buckinghamshire County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Health has completed initial investigations and produced its first report. This addresses a number of considerations fundamental to health scrutiny, including health inequalities. |
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4 June 2003 | Abolition of Community Health Councils postponed |
At 9.30 a.m. today, Health Minister David Lammy MP issued a written statement that although “massive progress has already been made”, ministers have decided to extend the life of CHCs until 1 December “to ensure independent monitoring until all patients forums are set up.” Meanwhile the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is bringing forward its final date for complete Forum coverage to 1 December 2003 where previously it had spoken of completion “by the end of the year.” The original abolition date for CHCs (announced on 31 January this year: see below) was to have been 1 September 2003. The recently issued protocols for concurrent working between Overview/Scrutiny Committees and CHCs (see previous two items) will therefore now be applicable for six months rather than three. |
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30 May 2003 | Department of Health scrutiny guidance |
A report on the guidance has been prepared for the Health Overview/Scrutiny Committee's meeting on 5 June 2003. |
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21 May 2003 | Department of Health scrutiny guidance published |
Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Health published its guidance on local authority overview and scrutiny of health. (Note: councils' power to scrutinise health services became law on 11 May 2001 and took effect on 1 January 2003). |
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14 May 2003 | Young Persons' Scrutiny Forum |
The next meeting of the forum will be held on Wednesday 28 May at 10.30 a.m. at County Hall, Exeter. The following topics will be discussed in informal workshops:
If you or someone you know would like to get involved please& lt;/sty>
contact scrutiny@devon.gov.uk |
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1 May 2003 | First health scrutiny topics chosen |
At its meeting on 15 April 2003, the Council's Health Overview/Scrutiny Committee agreed an initial work programme for 2003/04 based on the contributions made at the Planning Forum. Of the seven topics on the programme it was agreed that the following would be looked at first:
The Committee plans to appoint a Task Group to investigate each topic in detail. If you would like to contribute to either of these investigations by:
Please either send an email or contact: Overview/Scrutiny Unit, Fax: 01392 38 2286 |
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14 April 2003 | Devon advertises new Scrutiny Officer post |
Devon County Council has today advertised for an additional Scrutiny Officer to join our present three-strong Overview/Scrutiny Unit, based in Exeter. The unit is looking to build its capacity to respond to the Council's new role in the scrutiny of health. |
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10 April 2003 | Tackling Health Inequalities: new report |
The Health Development Agency has published a new report: Local government scrutiny of health: Using the new power to tackle health inequalities (pdf, 308kb). The HDA says that the report offers "case studies of local authorities’ emerging approaches to health overview and scrutiny and summarises the challenges identified in taking action." and that it "coincides" with the Department of Health's promised guidance. |
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Health Overview/Scrutiny Planning Forum |
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The Health Overview/Scrutiny Committee held a forum on 19 March 2003 to help plan its programme of work for 2003/04. The following items have been added to this site:
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Southwest Observatory |
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New link added to this organisation whose website publishes information and research on business and the economy; the environment; planning; public health; and learning and skills. The site also includes census data and the South West Barometer which aims to monitor "at a very broad level, whether the South West is moving in the right direction" in a number of policy areas. |
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8 April 2003 | Funding for Health Overview/Scrutiny |
Funding for Health Overview/Scrutiny Hansard reports that, on 3 April, David Amess MP asked the Secretary of State for Health what resources would be made available to health overview and scrutiny committees from funds previously allocated to community health councils. The Department of Health's Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Emergency Care and Public Involvement, David Lammy MP responded that: The £23.5 million previously made available to fund Community Health Councils (CHCs) is contributing to the much wider programme of Government initiatives to support and strengthen patient and public involvement. The functions of CHCs are being picked up by a range of mechanisms which include patient advice and liaison services, independent complaints advocacy services, patients forums, the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and the scrutiny of health services by local authority overview and scrutiny committees. Overall the funding has increased substantially. Funding to support local authority scrutiny of the national health services is currently being considered within the Department and an announcement will be made shortly. |
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7 April 2003 | Support for Overview/Scrutiny in Devon County Council |
In December 2002, the County Council appointed an interim manager to draw up proposals for the development of the scrutiny function and of performance management in the light of Devon's Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The interim manager's work is now complete. In future, Nick Beale will lead Devon's overview/scrutiny team with a reporting line direct to the County Solicitor. The Council's new responsibility for health scrut iny will be recognised by the appointment of an additional scrutiny officer <sty sys-align-left>and this post will be advertised in the near future.<sty sys-align-left> |
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20 Mar 2003 | CIPFA Quality Forum — Network Workshop |
Information has been received from CIPFA of an event to be held in London on 8 April 2003 on the theme of "Scrutiny — Making the Money Follow the Policy". Case studies will come from Maidstone BC, LB Newham, GLA, Barnsley MBC and Redcar & Cleveland. |
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14 Mar 2003 | "Patient Focus" Newsletter |
The Department of Health has published the first edition of this newsletter, covering the many elements of its patient and public involvement strategy. The newsletter is available on the internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/involvingpatients/cnonewsletter_march2003.htm There is also a facility to subscribe by email. The newsletter says about Overview and Scrutiny: The new arrangements address the democratic deficit in local NHS accountability. Democratically elected local government overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) are scrutinising substantial variations and developments in local NHS service provision. The powers for OSCs came into force on 1 January 2003 and their impact will increasingly tell as they develop their powers. OSCs will decide which areas of the NHS they wish to scrutinise. The power of overview and scrutiny of health services builds upon the existing powers of local authorities to promote social, economic and environmental well being, as well as the role of elected councillors as community leaders. Supporting the health scrutiny powers are three key duties on the NHS:
As the statutory consultee for major changes to the NHS OSCs now have the power of referral to the Secretary of State where they contest a proposal - both on the grounds of inadequate consultation and if they believe that the proposal is not in the interests of local people. Guidance on use of the powers is now being finalised and will be circulated to the field shortly. |
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7 Mar 2003 | Health Scrutiny Guidance |
The Local Government Chronicle for today's date has published an article on the continuing absence of the guidance promised by the Department of Health on the exercise of the health scrutiny powers of local authorities. The article suggests that councils "have been left confused" about the new role and that some are delaying making any arrangements until they have the guidance. The Department of Health's website suggests that the guidance will be issued "soon" and a source has indicated to the County Council that it could be before the end of this month. |
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26 Feb 2003 | "Scrutiny should be in the limelight" |
The Local Government Chronicle for 21 February has published an article by its Political Correspondent, Varya Shaw, under the above headline The article begins: "Scrutiny has always been the most confusing aspect of the new political management." After reporting on discussions among councillors attending the Labour Spring Conference, the recent Local Government Information Unit report on executives (see below) and some of the innovations and successes claimed by Maidstone Borough Council, it concludes that: "At its best, scrutiny can transform local politics from an insular activity bogged down in detail into an expert, extrovert activity which sees through the hole in the doughnut." In context, this appears to be meant as a compliment and not to imply that scrutiny will miss the substance of the matter in hand. |
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15 Feb 2003 | "The Effective Executive" |
The Local Government Information Unit has published a new report based on studies of six councils (Hackney, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Tower Hamlets and Welwyn Hatfield). The report looks at impact executive councillors have had in their new role, the implications for the openness and accountability of decision-making and how the role of scrutiny is developing. The report's author is quoted as saying that: "The evidence suggests that the effective executive councillor is emerging as a strategic leader, a corporate player and a person able to respond to both partnership working and scrutiny ... But there are genuine concerns about new structures." According to an article in the Municipal Journal (15 February 2003) the report also found that: "...the accountability of cabinet members to political groups had diminished and that the political process was no clearer to the local community than its predecessor committee structure had been." |
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12 Feb 2003 | Parliament Today </sty> |
Link added to this site which offers "the latest news from Westminster" including the day's Parliamentary business and a diary of forthcoming issues. |
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3 Feb 2003 | Health Overview/Scrutiny Work Programme |
The Council's Health Service Overview/Scrutiny Committee held its first meeting on 15 January 2003. Among the matters discussed was how to draw up a programme of work for 2003/04. The Committee has resolved to convene a "Planning Forum", inviting interested parties from the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector to discuss the possible contents of a work programme for its first year. The first annual forum will be held at County Hall, Exeter at 10.00 a.m. on Wednesday, 19 March 2003. The Committee will then meet on 21 March to consider the ideas put forward at the forum and the agree its programme for the coming year. |
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1 Feb 2003 | Abolition of Community Health Councils |
The Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn MP, has announced that Community Health Councils will be abolished on 1 September 2003. Read the Department of Health's press statement
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13 Jan 2003 | Multimedia Presentations |
An article in Observer Business discusses the drawbacks of multimedia presentations as a method of conveying useful information to an audience. |
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10 Jan 2003 | Guide to Overview and Scrutiny |
Link added to publication "A Guide to Overview and Scrutiny in Buckinghamshire County Council" The guide includes sections on planning work, collecting evidence and conducting meetings as well as checklists for committees and for contributors to investigations |
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7 Jan 2003 | Centre for Public Scrutiny |
The Centre was launched in December 2002 under the auspices of the I&DeA "to meet the new demands scrutiny will make on elected representatives and the professionals who support them." |
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