Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors: Charlie Best, Leanne Buckingham and Peter McEwan. 

Councillor Matt Keane was in attendance, as a substitute.

Councillor Graham Lawman declared a personal interest in agenda items 4 and 5, as a public governor of Kettering General Hospital.

RESOLVED that: The minutes be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

The Committee considered a report by the Chief Nurse of Kettering General Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust, which outlined its Annual Quality Report for 2023/24. 

The Annual Quality Report measured the quality of services provided by Kettering General Hospital through assessing patient safety, the effectiveness of care and treatment provided and feedback received from patients.

RESOLVED that:The Health Scrutiny Committee recommends that:

      i.        The Foundation Trust provides a more detailed narrative around patient incident data in the next scheduled report to Scrutiny, explaining any relevant factors, significant trends, root causes, and the actions taken to address them. This should include information on how patient safety improvements are being implemented across the Trust.

    ii.        The Foundation Trust provides a written update to Scrutiny within a period of six months that contains current levels of staffing; specific steps being taken by the Trust to ensure effective delivery of service; and information detailing steps being taken to ensure timely recruitment in key areas of specialist need, particularly LD&A and Dementia care, and report on progress in meeting these targets in future Quality Reports.

   iii.        The Foundation Trust provides a written update/report that states the current level of capacity of A&E, supplemented with regular updates to Scrutiny on meeting key performance indicators.

The Committee considered a report by the Director of Strategy of Kettering General Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust, which outlined the Kettering New Hospital Programme and provided an update on the Hospital’s plans to develop its estate infrastructure on behalf of its patients and employees.

RESOLVED that: The report be noted.

The Committee considered a report by the Children and Young People’s Transformation Manager of the Integrated Care Board (ICB),  which outlined the service offer of mental health and emotional wellbeing services for children and young people in North Northamptonshire.

The report also provided information regarding demand and waiting times for such services, along with new approaches to supporting young people in the community.

RESOLVED that:The Health Scrutiny Committee:

      i.        Recommends that quarterly/six-monthly written updates be provided on waiting times for CAMHS and other mental health services. This should include a breakdown by service type (e.g. initial assessments, ongoing therapy) to ensure reductions in waiting times are sustained and any potential delays are addressed swiftly.

    ii.        Requests an annual review of the implementation of the THRIVE model in North Northamptonshire, assessing its impact on access to care, quality of services and mental health outcomes for children and young people and present the findings of this review to Scrutiny by September 2025.

   iii.        Recommends continued expansion of community-based initiatives such as the ’Espresso Yourself’ wellbeing cafes, with an emphasis on evaluating their reach and effectiveness, particularly in terms of engagement and mental health outcomes.

   iv.        Requests that the ICB provide further information and feedback, when available, regarding the development of the ‘Digital Front Door’ and forward the ACCESS slide deck.

RESOLVED that: The Committee notes the Scrutiny Work Plan as it relates to Health Scrutiny.

There being no further business, the Chair thanked the Committee for their attendance and closed the meeting at 9:10pm.