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Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday, 12th June, 2012 7.00 pm

Date:
Tuesday, 12th June, 2012
Time:
7.00pm
Place:
Meeting Room A & B, Bury Town Hall
 

Attendance Details

Present:
Councillor M Hankey(in the Chair);
Councillors D Cassidy; A J Cummings; M James; S Haroon; P Heneghan; L Fitzwalter; A Matthews; R E Walker and M Wiseman
Co-opted:
Public in attendance: 1 member of the public was present at the
meeting.

Also in attendance: Councillor Campbell- Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration
Apologies for absence:
Councillor Carter and Councillor O’Hanlon
Buttons
Item Description Decision
Open
OSC.97 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Preamble for item OSC.97
 
OSC.98 PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Preamble for item OSC.98
 
OSC.99 MINUTES
 It was agreed:

That the Minutes of the last meeting of the Internal Scrutiny Committee, held on 27 March 2012, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
OSC.100 CARE STANDARDS OVERVIEW PROJECT GROUP - FINAL REPORT
Preamble for item OSC.100
It was agreed:

1. That this Committee recognises the thorough and robust quality assurance measures and safeguards in place in respect of care standards across the borough.

2. That the Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Board be invited to report to the Health Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis.

3. That, as a means of monitoring care standards, the Health Scrutiny Committee be appraised of the findings of the Care Quality Commission in respect of care standards and be updated on the Council’s in-house Quality Assurance Framework.

4. That the Health Scrutiny Committee be requested to examine the issue of Care Standards further, in respect of unannounced visits; procuring care services; and self assessment as set out above.

5. That the role and responsibilities of Councillors in respect of safeguarding be suggested as an area for Elected Member Training.
OSC.101 DEVELOPMENT OF A WORK PROGRAMME 2012-2013
Preamble for item OSC.101
It was agreed:

1. That the following Performance Monitoring items be included as part of this Committee’s Work Programme for 2012/13:

• Corporate Financial Monitoring Reports
• Corporate Plan Progress Reports
• Managing Attendance
• Plan for Change (Cabinet Update reports)

2. That Task and Finish Scrutiny Panels be set up to look at the following topics:

• Anti-Social Behaviour - (outline scope to look at current initiatives; partnership working arrangements; and the implications of upcoming national legislation)
• Recycling (outline scope to include a review of the new collection arrangements; examination of problems encountered by residents; and the arrangement for dealing with issues via the customer contact centre)

3. That arrangements for the engagement with, and scrutiny of, the Plan for Change process be agreed following the notification of a timeline for the service reviews.

4. That the following additional issues be considered by the full Committee as part of the Work Programme for 2012/2013:

• Youth unemployment (an initial report is requested setting out the destination of school leavers in Bury)
• Township Forums (with particular reference to engagement with the public and attendance numbers at meetings.)
• Children’s Centre Charging (Item carried over - see Minute ISC.752)
• Emergency Planning (the Councils Major Incident Plan and partnership working across AGMA).



The meeting started at 7.00 pm and ended at 9.00pm

Preamble

Preamble
ItemPreamble
OSC.97There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.
OSC.98No questions were asked by members of the public present at the meeting.
OSC.100Councillor Campbell, Chair of the Care Standards Overview Project Group, submitted the final report of the Group setting out the findings and recommendations arising from the review. The Group had been asked to review the work undertaken by the Authority in relation to care provision, both domiciliary and in residential accommodation. The review had examined the way that provision was procured, monitored and maintained and the procedures that were in place to ensure that any safeguarding issues were dealt with appropriately. It was reported that the research undertaken involved a large amount of technical information and required in-depth explanation from the officers working in these areas.

Questions and comments were invited and the following issues were raised:

• Members enquired about the use of unannounced visits as a quality assurance tool.

• With regard to the issue of the quality of care providers, Members highlighted the issues relating to levels of training provided; turnover of staff and career progression opportunities. It was suggested that these issues should be considered when the Council procures care services from outside organisations.

• With regard to caring for residents in their own homes, Members sought re-assurance that self assessment was not the main focus of the quality assurance measures.

• Members of the Committee highlighted the importance of scrutiny maintaining a watching brief in respect of care agencies and standards of care provision within the borough
OSC.101Leigh Webb, Principal Democratic Services Officer, submitted a report setting out the terms of reference for the Committee along with a Work Programme Prioritisation Protocol to assist members in the development of a Work Programme for 2012/2013. The report included a brief summary of the new Overview and Scrutiny structures along with the remit of the Committee, which allows for the setting up of task and finish Scrutiny Panels to carry out in depth reviews into specific topics.

Dionne Brandon, Head of Policy and Improvement, provided an overview of the Plan for Change service reviews and the proposed engagement with the Committee as an integral part of the process.

Members of the Committee suggested and discussed potential items for the coming year. In response to a suggestion from Councillor James, to continue with
the ongoing work of the Engagement Overview Project Group, the Chair, Councillor Hankey, undertook to look into the work outstanding from the review.