Agenda and minutes

External Services Select Committee - Tuesday, 11th February, 2020 6.30 pm

Venue: Committee Room 5 - Civic Centre. View directions

Contact: Nikki O'Halloran - 01895 250472  If you are attending the meeting, please enter via main reception and visit the security desk to sign-in and collect a visitors pass. You will then be directed to the Committee Room.

Link: Watch a LIVE or archived broadcast of this meeting here

Items
No. Item

41.

Apologies for absence and to report the presence of any substitute Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Vanessa Hurhangee, Kuldeep Lakhmana (Councillor Lynne Allen was present as her substitute), Ali Milani and June Nelson (Councillor Stuart Mathers was present as her substitute).

42.

Declarations of Interest in matters coming before this meeting

Minutes:

Councillor Lynne Allen declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 5 - SHP Performance Monitoring, as she was a Member of the Independent Advisory Group, and remained in the room during the consideration thereof. 

43.

Exclusion of Press and Public

To confirm that all items marked Part I will be considered in public and that any items marked Part II will be considered in private

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That all items of business be considered in public. 

44.

Minutes of the previous meeting - 14 January 2020 pdf icon PDF 128 KB

Minutes:

Members were disappointed that technical difficulties had meant that the previous meeting had not been broadcast on YouTube.  It was agreed that the minutes did reflect the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) proposal to withdraw payment card accounts and the impact that this might have on residents as well as the small businesses running post offices. 

 

It was suggested that the Committee should ask the relevant Cabinet Member to write to the DWP to relay concerns about the withdrawal of payment card accounts.  As representatives from Post Office Limited had advised that these concerns would be passed on to the Government, and as the Council had no control over this issue, it was agreed that no further action be taken by the Committee in relation to the matter.  It was suggested that, if individual Members felt strongly about the issue, they write to the DWP independently. 

 

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2020 be agreed as a correct record. 

45.

Safer Hillingdon Partnership Performance Monitoring pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting.  Mr Musa McArthur, Hillingdon Youth Councillor and Member of the Youth Parliament, advised that the Youth Council had undertaken a knife crime survey of young people in Hillingdon.  The survey had aimed to identify young people’s concerns as well as solicit suggestions to resolve these.  68 young people had responded to the survey which was a good sample but it was recognised that it was not necessarily representative of all young people in Hillingdon.  It was hoped that the survey could be more widely publicised in schools and then undertaken on an annual basis.  Mr McArthur asked if it would be possible for the Council to help in terms of encouraging schools to work collaboratively with the Youth Council so that the voices of more young people could be represented.  He also welcomed feedback from those present to improve the questions included in the survey. 

 

Members praised Mr McArthur and the Youth Council for the work that they had undertaken regarding the knife crime survey.  Although the result might not be entirely representative, it was recognised that the responses provided partners with an insight into young people’s concerns.  Mr Dan Kennedy, the Council’s Director of Housing, Environment, Education Performance and Health and Wellbeing, advised that he had contact with the head teachers and governing bodies within Hillingdon so would be able to help Mr McArthur to build relationships with the schools to then increase young people’s engagement with Hillingdon Youth Council.  It was suggested that consideration also be given to the involvement of representatives from the Youth Council in training events for school governors on giving young people a voice. 

 

Concern was expressed that knife crime was becoming ‘normal’ for young people.  This was reflected in the survey response from one young person who, in response to a question about what further education or training they would like around knife crime, they said that they would like first aid training.  This reflected a shift from preventative to reactive measures and a sense of inevitability.  It was thought that further action needed to be taken to empower young people.

 

It was suggested that there was a lack of education for young people about knives.  Although Mr McArthur and his peers at school had once received a 5-10 minute presentation about knife crime during an assembly, it had not been engaging and therefore would not have been particularly effective.  He suggested that consideration be given to using one of the weekly one hour personal development lessons to talk to students about knife crime and the implications. 

 

The West Area Basic Command Unit’s (BCU’s) Chief Superintendent (CS) Peter Gardner thanked the Youth Council for its survey.  He noted that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) sometimes found it difficult to reach young people.  However, a dedicated named police officer had been identified to deliver knife crime education at each secondary school in the Borough.  As such, it was concerning that Mr McArthur’s school had not received  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

46.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 69 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the Committee’s Work Programme.  The Chairman advised that he had attended a meeting at Mount Vernon Hospital on Tuesday 4 February 2020 to discuss the review of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC).  Representatives from a range of organisations had been in attendance including Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (HCCG), Healthwatch Hillingdon, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust (ENH), The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (THH), University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) and NHS England (NHSE) & NHS Improvement (NHSI).  Members were advised that, subject to due diligence, UCLH had been appointed as the specialist cancer service provider to take over the cancer services at MVCC from 1 April 2021 (at the earliest).  In the meantime, UCLH would provide management support to ENH from 1 April 2020 until the service was handed over. 

 

Patients attended MVCC from a large geographical area.  As such, consideration would need to be given by the various councils to establishing a Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC).  It was agreed that NHSE/NHSI would be invited to the Committee’s next meeting on 26 March 2020 to provide Members with an update on the next steps in the review. 

 

It was noted that the Quality Account reports from four Trusts (THH, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust) would be considered at the meetings on 29 and 30 April 2020 (two at each meeting).  Other health partners such as Healthwatch Hillingdon and HCCG would be invited to attend both meetings.  Members asked that the Trusts be asked to base their presentations on the assumption that the report had been read in advance of the meeting.  It was hoped that, where possible, the Quality Account reports would be circulated to Members in advance of the meetings. 

 

It was agreed that representatives from THH be invited to attend the Committee’s meeting on 26 March 2020 to update Members on its recovery planning following the Trust’s last CQC inspection and report.

 

RESOLVED:  That:

1.    representatives from NHSE/NHSI be invited to attend the meeting on 26 March 2020 to update the Committee on the MVCC review;

2.    representatives from THH be invited to attend the Committee’s meeting on 26 March 2020 to update Members on the progress of the Trust’s recovery planning following its last CQC report; and

3.    the Work Programme be noted.