The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Shropshire Council met on Monday 29 June 2026. The meeting's agenda included an update on the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme, a discussion on the future of Healthwatch, and updates from various joint committees and boards.

0-19 Healthy Child Programme

A significant portion of the meeting was scheduled to focus on the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme in Shropshire. This programme is a mandated public health service funded by the ringfenced public health grant, with approximately one-third of the total grant, £4.9 million annually, allocated to it. The programme's framework is defined by the Healthy Child Programme guidance.

The service encompasses Health Visiting for children aged 0-5, supporting around 13,000 children and over 2,400 births each year. The School Nursing offer extends to children and young people aged 5-19, and up to 25 for those with SEND, covering approximately 34,000 children across 164 educational settings. Additionally, the Family Nurse Partnership provides intensive support for eligible young parents. Core delivery includes mandated contacts, open access clinics, the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), health education, safeguarding, and targeted early help, all aligned with local needs and statutory public health responsibilities. The service model is locality-based to ensure accessibility across both rural and urban communities and to facilitate links with wider partners, schools, early years settings, and family support services.

The report pack detailed the steps taken towards recommissioning the service for 2025/26. This included a strategic review and options appraisal to determine the most appropriate and sustainable route for continued delivery. The options appraisal was presented to and endorsed by the Joint Commissioning Development Group (JCDG) on 10 February 2025, which recommended proceeding via the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Direct Award Process C. The proposal was subsequently presented to the Leadership Board on 10 June 2025, given the contract's significance in terms of service delivery, financial value, system expectations, and member interest, and received their support.

A formal PSR assessment was completed for the service's current provider, Shropshire Community Health Trust (SCHT), with supporting evidence and a summary document provided. This assessment underwent independent review and quality assurance from colleagues not directly involved in commissioning the service, as well as wider system input.

The initial decision in February 2026 was to use Direct Award, Process C under the PSR to award the Public Health Nursing Service Contract to SCHT for three years. However, following a review of updated PSR guidance in November 2025, it was determined that the lifetime value of a contract could not exceed a 25% increase. Consequently, an 18-month contract, effective from 1 April 2026, was awarded to SCHT. The value of this contract is £4,923,716 per annum.

The report highlighted that the direct award was made to support continuity amidst rising demand, national pressures, and limited funding, with increased expectations from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and recognised pressure to meet guidance within budget. The route followed an established governance and assurance process, based on a full options appraisal, endorsed by the JCDG, and supported by the Leadership Board.

Next steps outlined in the report included planning for the recommissioning of PHNS for a longer contract term beyond October 2027. This will involve provider market engagement to test the market and inform the best approach, discussions with the current provider, the establishment of a PHNS Re-commissioning Oversight Panel, and co-design with partners. A timeline for these next steps is to be agreed.

Risks identified included workforce pressures impacting delivery, national reform expectations affecting resources, and the limitations of a short-term contract. Mitigations proposed include contract monitoring, priority area improvement plans, and the recommissioning programme. The key messages emphasised that this is a critical statutory service under pressure, the PSR ensured safe continuity, and recommissioning is a key opportunity.

Update on the Future of Healthwatch

An update on the future of Healthwatch was scheduled to be received from Lynn Cawley. Healthwatch is the national network of local Healthwatch organisations, established to ensure that the views and experiences of people who use health and social care services are heard and taken into account by those who commission and provide them.

Updates from Joint Committees and Boards

The committee was scheduled to receive a verbal update from Councillor Bernie Bentick, Chair of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, regarding the activities of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JHOSC). The JHOSC focuses on health scrutiny issues that affect both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Additionally, a verbal update was expected from Councillor Rosie Radford and Rachel Robinson concerning the Health and Wellbeing Board. The Health and Wellbeing Board is a statutory committee of Shropshire Council, bringing together health and social care leaders to improve the health and wellbeing of local people.

Work Programme

Sophie Foster, Overview & Scrutiny Officer, was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the committee's work programme. The report pack included a draft of identified topics for discussion, such as the recommissioning of the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme, the Healthwatch Shropshire update, and future considerations including neighbourhoods, frailty, mental health, SEND, cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic health. The work programme also noted potential future scrutiny of discharge delays, progress updates on recommissioned services, the development of a refreshed Statutory Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Director of Public Health Annual Report, updates on CYPS mental health contracts, system performance, patient voice, excess deaths, and women's health.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 20 April 2026 were also to be confirmed. These minutes noted discussions on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, an update on the Drug and Alcohol Service, and updates from the JHOSC and Health and Wellbeing Board. The minutes also detailed the appointment of Councillor Colin Stanford to the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee. A separate set of minutes from a meeting on 14 May 2026 confirmed the election of Councillor Bernie Bentick as Chair and Councillor Dawn Husemann as Vice-Chair of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.