Agenda item

Councillor Steven Kelly, Cabinet Member for Individuals and the Deputy Leader of the Council, introduced the report.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 placed a duty on the Council (all councils with Social Service responsibilities) to commission a fully operational Healthwatch by April 2013.

It was reported that Healthwatch was to be the new local Health and Social Care consumer champion and watchdog and would be required to represent the views of local residents of all ages, advocating and influencing the delivery and commissioning of Health and Social Care services.

The local representative of Healthwatch would have a statutory role on the new Health and Wellbeing Board from April 2013, ensuring that the voices of patients, users and the wider public are heard, and that the vision and objectives of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy reflected the priorities of local people. 

The Council was keen to embrace the opportunities offered by the reconfiguration of health services locally and had been working closely with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for Havering to develop an ambitious set of priorities targeted on improving outcomes for patients and carers locally. The Council was therefore particularly keen to commission a Healthwatch function that would champion the views of patients, users and carers and improve public health and wellbeing as these new priorities were pushed forward.

It was noted that Healthwatch would replace LINk (Local Involvement Network) and would have additional responsibilities.

A consultation paper had been issued which covered the commissioning options facing the Council with regard to the new Healthwatch function as the Council had to decide how it wished to commission Healthwatch in order for it to be in place in Havering by March 2013. The report put forward three possible models, subject to the consultation and legacy analysis. 

MODEL A - Havering Healthwatch evolving from either the current LINk steering group or the host organisation

MODEL B - Havering stand-alone organisation procured by Havering Council

MODEL C - Shared Healthwatch ‘Hub and Spoke’ model, with joint commissioning led by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham but with added local specification reflecting local priorities.

The closing date for the 21 day consultation was Friday 17 August 2012.

It was stressed during the discussion that despite reports to the contrary, no agreement had been reached with the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham for the creation of a shared Healthwatch model. The consultation process would provide an opportunity for the Council to gauge the views of various stakeholders and interested parties on the proposed options, which the Cabinet Member for Individuals would consider as part of the selection process for the appropriate commissioning route, should Cabinet delegate authority to him.

Reasons and Options for the decision:

Consultation was taking place on three options. The reasons for and against each of them were detailed in an appendix to the report and which is appended to these minutes.

It was recognised that the timescales were short, but this had to be balanced with the need for local people to influence the future shape of Healthwatch and ensure that the legacy of LINk forms a firm foundation to build upon.  It was recommended to delegate the final decision on the arrangements for commissioning a local Healthwatch to the Lead Member for Individuals and Deputy Leader. This would allow the Lead Member to undertake further detailed work in relation to a detailed specification for future Healthwatch services.

Cabinet AGREED:

1.      To note the consultation on models for the commissioning of a local Healthwatch service.

2.      To confirm the inclusion of the Independent Complaints’ Advisory Service in the function to be carried out by Healthwatch.

3.      To delegate the consideration of consultation responses, the LINks legacy analysis, consultation with the host organisation and current chair/vice chair of LINk and selection of the appropriate commissioning route to the Cabinet Member for Individuals and Deputy Leader.

4.   To note that further work would be undertaken to draw up the specification and proposed operating model for Healthwatch in Havering once the procurement route has been established.