Councillor Anita Schaper was elected Chair of the Committee and Councillor Ian Lewer was elected as Vice-Chair.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Bill Chapman (Surrey CC) , Councillor Nick Darby(Surrey CC) and Councillor Lesley Heap (RB Kingston. Councillor Sushila Abraham (RB Kingston) attended as a substitute.  

Councillor Stears declared that his wife works at Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust.

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as a true and accurate record.

The Joint Programme Director for the Acute Sustainability Programme reported that a draft pre-consultation business case has been submitted to NHS regulators and a stakeholder briefing has been published. This briefing ranks the options to give the public an insight into the direction of travel. They will not confirm a preferred option at this stage as new evidence could influence the final decision. The Improving Healthcare Together (IHT) Programme are not able to publish a Pre-consultation business case nor financial modelling at this stage.

Cllr Stears, Chairman of the IHT sub-committee gave an update. He reported that five meetings of the sub-committee have been held. There have been some concerns around governance arrangements and updates on latest activities. The Sub-committee are keen to see the pre-consultation business case.

Cllr McCabe as a member of the sub-committee reported there was concern amongst his constituents that there is an inevitability within the process.

The committee sought clarification on the consultation process, The Accountable Officer reported that the National regulator will give consent for them to proceed with the consultation. The Programme must also have confirmation from the Treasury that the finances are available to resource each option.  The Programme will then be in a position to set out the timetable for the consultation.

The Committee highlighted that they want to be kept up to date with IHT Programme The Joint Programme Director said they have  run a comprehensive engagement and published information and responded to the concerns of the sub-committee.

Matthew Kershaw, IHT Provider, Chief Executive Officer Lead, gave an overview of the report  which sets out the impact of the outcomes from the IHT Programme will have on the six other providers especially in regards to the flow of patients. It was reported that a well-developed methodology has been used.

A committee member expressed concern that this report stated all options are deliverable and other report showed an Epsom choice not feasible for Croydon. It was reported that Epsom has the biggest impact on Croydon but will be deliverable with a  capital cost.

A committee member sought clarification on the methodology for agreeing the capital costs. The Chief Executive reported that it is not an exact science but gives an indication on how many beds would be required. The Accountable Officer added that the figures will be going through an assurance process.

A committee member said accident and emergency departments are already struggling, therefore we need to increase services not reduce them. There is a concern that future NHS staff may not honour commitments to improve services set out in the current plans. The Chief Executive of Epsom and St Helier Hospital said the Trust do not have sufficient staff to support the current number of services therefore a single acute site is required. The new model includes additional beds.

The chair gave a summary of the discussion and highlighted the importance of  clear communication with NHS colleagues to ensure the committee receive new NHS  reports when they are published. 

There was a brief discussion about the proposals to merge the South West London CCG’s. The Chief Accountable Officer reported that it has been agreed that these discussions will take place with scrutiny Chairs and local scrutiny committees.

The committee had a discussion about the future membership of the sub-committee and agreed to extend the membership to Croydon, Kingston, Richmond and Wandsworth. Each member can review their position when the IHT sub-committee moves into the statutory phase and more information becomes available about the impact on their local Provider.   

RESOLVED

All members of this Committee are invited to join the Improving Healthcare Together sub-committee. The membership will be reviewed by the sub-committee before the statutory consultation phase to ensure the sub-committee comprises of local authorities most affected by the proposals.