Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub Committee

Thursday 4 August 2011

Future Work Programme and Scrutiny Officer Update

Report of: Overview & Scrutiny Officer

1.      Introduction

1.1 To consider the Committee’s future work programme.

2.     Recommendation

2.1 That the Committee considers the Future Work Programme to ensure that it is appropriate and covers all issues Members currently wish to consider within the Committee’s remit. Members are advised that their work programme and meetings are often in response to consultations and decisions made in the areas covered by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

2.2 That the Committee considers the recommendations for their work programme relevant to the Committee and discuss whether these are items requiring further investigation or monitoring by the Committee.

3       Future Work Programme

3.1    Throughout the course of the municipal year the Committee is asked to put forward work programme suggestions.  These suggestions are planned into its annual work programme.  Members are asked to consider the work programme at each meeting to ensure that remains appropriate and covers all issues Members currently wish to consider within the Committee’s remit.

3      Work Programme recommendations from parent      Committees.

4.1     Maidstone Borough Council’s parent Committee for the 2011/12         Municipal year is Communities Overview and Scrutiny.  Tunbridge     Wells Borough Council’s respective Committee is Environment,         Housing & Select Committee.

4.2     The Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Maidstone       Borough Council at their meeting on 25 May 2011 asked that the         following recommendation be passed on to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub Committee to consider as part of their

          work programme:

· Care of the Elderly; Older people in care: How older people are cared for in care homes and hospital during the last years of their life and can be allowed to die with dignity. The review should look at public and private provision. Also see: http://www2.hud.ac.uk/hhs/chscr/Claire_Rayner_Scholarship.php into compassion in nursing and care. This is based on feedback from residents who are members of Maidstone Older Person’s Forum. The Quality Care Commission is quite new; we would like to examine their inspection process and understand who is inspecting care homes and hospitals in the borough and also investigate a suggestion that LINKs are poorly resourced and ineffective. The key concerns are for quality, dignity and compassion and understanding what basic standards people can expect. Identification of the issues – Are people being cared for as individuals? There may be two sides to the story including how to recruit and retain staff in a low pay area.