Agenda item

To consider a report of the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee

In accordance with the procedural motions referred to in minute 46 above, agenda items 12 (Report of Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee) and 14D (Motion on behalf of the Administration) were debated together.

Councillors Paul McGeary and Michael White each declared a personal interest in the matters to be debated.

The Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee reported upon two matters affecting the future of the Queens Hospital.

The Council was first reminded that the Committee and others in the Outer North East London sector had jointly referred proposals for rationalisation of hospital and other health services in the sector to the Secretary of State, who had subsequently requested the Independent Review Panel (IRP) to review the proposals and report upon them. The IRP’s report had now been published and the Secretary of State had accepted its recommendation that the proposals should proceed, but only when it was clear that the Queens Hospital had the capacity to cope with the resultant increased workload.

Secondly, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had, following the raising of significant concerns about standards of care in the maternity, elective vascular surgery and accident & emergency services at the Hospital, carried out an investigation, the report of which had also recently been published. The CQC had found issues in respect of all three services, though the most significant concerns related to maternity services. Investigators had listed a series of long-standing problems in maternity at the hospital, in particular including poor clinical care, a lack of managerial leadership and, perhaps most seriously, abusive behaviour by some staff to patients

The Committee was in the process of holding Topic Group meetings to examine both issues and now invited the Council to note the current position.

Motion on behalf of the Administration

This Council noting with concern the recent report of the investigation by the Care Quality Commission into the A & E and Maternity services at Queens Hospital Romford

(i)                 recognises the fears of Havering residents as to the Hospital’s capacity to cope with the additional demand arising from the transfer of these services from King George’s Hospital Ilford

(ii)               resolves to monitor through Overview and Scrutiny the steps to be taken to address the deficiencies identified and to make further representations to the Secretary of State in response to the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel as to the transfer and

(iii)             resolves wherever appropriate to work with the Hospital Trust as it addresses these matters.      

Amendment on behalf of the Labour Group

Add the following

(iv)       requests the Chief Executive of the Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust that she prepare a monthly report on how the Trust is working towards meeting the targets set out in the CQC Report such report to be published on the Health for NE London website along with waiting list and medical staffing figures

(v)        seeks an assurance that the two month deadline for Caesarian sections to be brought back Into the Trust to prevent women having to travel to Hackney is on track to be met

(vi)       requests that A&E temporary closures be published on the Health for NE London website within 48 hours  and

(vii)      supports the call for a research study into mortality rates for people taken into Urgent Care Units who are then transferred to A&E compared with those who are admitted direct into an A&E

Following debate of the report, motion and amendment, the recommendations of the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee were ADOPTED without division. The Labour Group amendment to the Administration motion was LOST by 20 votes to 27 (see division 1) and the Administration motion was CARRIED as the substantive motion by 47 to 0 (division 2).

It was accordingly RESOLVED that:

1          The Council note the current position with Queen’s Hospital as outlined in the report submitted and the work the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is planning to scrutinise these issues.

2          This Council noting with concern the recent report of the investigation by the Care Quality Commission into the A & E and Maternity services at Queens Hospital Romford

(i)      recognises the fears of Havering residents as to the Hospital’s capacity to cope with the additional demand arising from the transfer of these services from King George’s Hospital Ilford

(ii)     resolves to monitor through Overview and Scrutiny the steps to be taken to address the deficiencies identified and to make further representations to the Secretary of State in response to the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel as to the transfer and

(iii)    resolves wherever appropriate to work with the Hospital Trust as it addresses these matters.