There were no apologies for absence from the meeting.

The following councillors declared interests as indicated:

(a)        Councillors T Harp, A Jones and M Terry (Cabinet Members) - Interest in the called-in item; attended pursuant to the dispensation agreed at Council on 19 July 2012, under S.33 of the Localism Act 2011;

(b)        Cllr L Salter - Minute 131 (East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Shoeburyness Ambulance Station) and Minute 132 (Changes to Clinical Commissioning Groups in Mid & South-Essex) - Husband is consultant surgeon at Southend Hospital; daughter is a consultant at Basildon Hospital; son-in-law is GP in the borough - Non-pecuniary interest:

(c)        Cllr A Jones - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) - Parent of child in Key Stage 4 education and the Council’s representative on governing body of Southend Adult Community College - Non-pecuniary interest;

(d)        Cllr K Mitchell - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) – Involvement with local schools though employment as a family worker and family member due to start school in September 2020;

(e)        Cllr K Mitchell - Minute 132 (Changes to Clinical Commissioning Groups in Mid & South-Essex) – Involvement with local health services through employment as a family worker - Non-pecuniary interests;

(f)         Cllr M Borton - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) - Governor at Milton Hall School - Non-pecuniary interest;

(g)        Cllr B Hooper - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) - Director of Blade Education (a not-for-profit company) and parent of child attending secondary school in Borough - Non-pecuniary interest;

(h)        Cllr M Kelly - Minute 132 (Changes to Clinical Commissioning Groups in Mid & South-Essex) - Employed by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust - Non-pecuniary interest;

(i)          Cllr C Nevin - Minute 131 (East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Shoeburyness Ambulance Station) and Minute 132 (Changes to Clinical Commissioning Groups in Mid & South-Essex) - Employed at external NHS Trust; family members employed at Mid and South-Essex Trust hospitals - Non-pecuniary interests:

(j)          Cllr T Harp - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) - Friend employed by ‘A Better Start Southend’; Volunteer with Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) that delivers services for Better Start and wife is an employee of SAVS - Non-pecuniary interest;

(k)        Cllr T Harp - Minute 131 (East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Shoeburyness Ambulance Station) - Friend and future relative employed by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust - Non-pecuniary interest;

(l)          Cllr F Evans - Minute 130 (Annual Education Report) - Director of Belfairs Academy - Non-pecuniary interest; and

(m)      Cllr N Folkard - Minute 132 (Changes to Clinical Commissioning Groups in Mid & South-Essex) - Ambassador for Fund Raising Team at Southend Hospital; relative works at Broomfield Hospital; on the Reading Panel at Southend Hospital - Non-pecuniary interest.

There were no questions from members of the public relating to the responsibilities of the Committee.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 20 and 29 January 2020 be confirmed as a correct record and signed.

Minute 869 (Cabinet Book 2, Agenda Item No. 16 refers)

Called in by Councillors Cox & Davidson

The Committee considered Minute 869 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 25 February 2020, which had been called in to the People Scrutiny Committee, together with a report of the Director of Education and Early Years that presented the Annual Education Report (AER) for 2018/19.

Resolved:

That the following decisions of the Cabinet be noted:

1.          “That the new digital format for the AER, be approved.

2.          That the Annual Education Report, recognising the very positive outcomes for learners across all Key Stages, be approved.

3.          That the AER in future years forms part of the normal annual reporting framework.”

Note: This is an Executive Function

Cabinet Member: Cllr A Jones

To note the attached update on the progress of the modelling review currently being undertaken by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, that was originally intended to be made to the Committee at its meeting on 17 March 2020.

The Trust has recently advised that slippage in the modelling exercise has occurred since March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has moved the timescale for the preparation of the draft report to the end of July 2020 and the finalised report to August 2020.

The Trust has also advised that during the period of the pandemic, it has continued to maintain the level of resources described in the attached progress report of March 2020, as a minimum for supporting local residents.

As part of its COVID-19 response, the Trust has also increased the amount of ambulance hours in Essex (along with the whole Trust area), which has seen an improvement in responses to patients.

The Committee received an update on the progress of the modelling review being undertaken by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust and was advised that slippage in the modelling exercise has occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to questions raised by councillors that couldn’t be answered at the meeting, the Chair requested that details be provided to the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, in order that written responses to all such matters could be sought from the Trust.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

To note the attached update on the progress of the merger of the Clinical Commissioning Groups, that was originally intended to be made to the Committee at its meeting on 17 March 2020.

Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) has recently advised that NHS England has paused all work on the merger of CCGs, following guidance issued on 28 March 2020 aimed at reducing burdens and releasing NHS capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further work on the merger within the CCGs is therefore currently in abeyance. The Merger Project Board (CCG Chairs, Accountable Officer and CCG Lay Members) has not met since March and all CCG staff working on the merger have been re-deployed to other tasks.

The engagement survey with member of the public closed just after lockdown and a number of scheduled public meetings were cancelled as a result of the social distancing guidelines. Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups have not yet been able to analyse the results of the survey as priorities for the Communications and Engagement Teams shifted to help with incident management. Depending on NHS England guidance regarding the re-starting of merger work, it is hoped to be able to provide an analysis and use the results as soon as possible.

The update intended to be made to the Committee in March 2020 advised on the position of the Joint Accountable Officer. Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups has confirmed that the recruitment process to appoint a substantive Joint Accountable Officer across all five mid and south Essex CCGs and the executive lead of the Integrated Care System has re-started and that an update on progress in will be provided due course. 

A briefing for the relevant Scrutiny Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Southend Borough Council, Thurrock Borough Council and Essex County Council was held with Clare Panniker (Joint Chief Executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust) and Anthony McKeever (Interim Joint Accountable Officer for Mid and South Essex CCGs) in early July 2020.

The Committee received an update on the progress of the merger of the Clinical Commissioning Groups and was advised that NHS England had paused all work on the merger of CCGs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to questions raised by councillors that couldn’t be answered at the meeting, the Chair requested that details be provided to the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, in order that written responses to all such matters could be sought from Mid and South Essex Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Resolved:

That the report be noted.

Report of Executive Director (Legal and Democratic Services) attached.

The Committee received a report of the Executive Director (Legal and Democratic Services), which provided an update on progress with regard to the in-depth scrutiny projects due to have been completed during the 2019/20 municipal year.  The report also provided information about the work that had been carried out by each of the scrutiny committees during the previous year.

Resolved:

1.          That the Committee note progress with regard to its in-depth scrutiny project due to have been undertaken during the 2019/20 municipal year.

2.          That the completion of the in-depth scrutiny project be carried forward into the 2020/21 municipal year.

3.          That no further topic(s) be selected by the Committee for additional in-depth review during 2020/21.

4.          That the Committee note the summary of the work undertaken by each of the Scrutiny Committees during 2019/20.

Note:  This is a Scrutiny function.