This meeting was about scrutinising the council's plans and progress on its work on a number of topics. The agenda included a presentation by West London NHS Trust about their plans for the delivery of NHS community services in Hounslow, the consultation on changes to Hounslow's Local Council Tax Support scheme, an update on the performance of Adult Social Care, monitoring of the Delivery Plan for Q1 2024/25, the work of the Scrutiny Panels, and a review of both the Forward Plan and the Work Programme.

Transfer of NHS Community Healthcare Services in Hounslow

The report pack contained a presentation by West London NHS Trust about the transfer of NHS Community Healthcare services in Hounslow to the Trust, which took place on 1 July 2024. The report stated that previously these services had been provided by Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust.

The report pack stated that NHS North West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust agreed to end their contractual arrangement because Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust plan to merge with Kingston Community Hospital. Because Kingston Community Hospital sits within a South West London NHS footprint, it was decided that the delivery of NHS Community services in Hounslow would transfer to West London NHS Trust. The transfer involved all staff who had previously delivered these services transferring to the new provider.

According to the report pack, the transfer included services such as:

• District Nursing
• Musculoskeletal (MSK) services
• Wheelchairs
• Rapid Response
• Diabetes
• Children's services including School Nursing and Health Visiting.

The presentation contained information on the performance and workforce of the service since it was taken over by West London NHS Trust.

The report pack also suggested that the transfer is supported by Hounslow Council, who see it as aligning with their [Healthier Hounslow](https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20128/health_and_adult_social_care/1536/our_healthier_hounslow_vision) commitment.

Consultation on changes to Hounslow's Local Council Tax Support Scheme

The report pack contained information about a consultation that was scheduled to take place on changes to the Local Council Tax Support scheme in Hounslow. The report pack stated that this would only apply to working age households, as Council Tax Support for pensioners is administered nationally by the government.

The report pack stated that the consultation was scheduled to take place from 23 September to 22 November 2024.

The report pack listed the following reasons for the proposed changes:

• The need to save money
• The increasing number of residents being transferred to Universal Credit
• The need to better target support at residents who need it most. >The existing income bands are fixed with no option to apply inflation annually - as wages increase with inflation, households can find they lose entitlement to support. > > Changes to Hounslows Local Council Tax Support scheme consultation and engagement

The report pack suggested that the council was going to move to a banded scheme that would define the level of support based on a combination of net earnings and household size. In the proposed scheme, all working age households would have to pay a minimum of 25% of their Council Tax bill, with the exception of carers (those in receipt of Carer's Allowance), who would only have to pay a minimum of 10%.

CQC Local Authority Assessment of Adult Social Care: Outcome

The report pack contained a report about the outcome of an inspection of Hounslow's Adult Social Care Services carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The report stated that the CQC carried out their inspection on 17 May 2024, and had rated the service as Good.

The inspection assessed Hounslow Council's performance across the following four key areas:

• Working with people
• Providing support
• Ensuring safety
• Leadership.

The report pack stated that the CQC had highlighted several areas of strength for Hounslow Adult Social Care, including:

• Making the safety of people who use the service a priority
• Robust assessment and management of risk
• Effective partnership working
• A proud workforce who are passionate about serving Hounslow's residents.

The report pack also stated that the CQC identified some areas for improvement, including:

• Improving the level of support given to unpaid carers
• Increasing the number of reviews that take place
• Improving the timeliness of Occupational Therapy assessments and the provision of equipment to support residents in their homes.
• Increasing the uptake of Direct Payments

The report pack stated that Hounslow Council had produced an improvement plan to address these issues.

Delivery Plan Monitoring Q1 2024/25

The report pack contained a report about the progress of the Delivery Plan during the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, covering April to June 2024.

People Portfolio

The report pack stated that there are 13 programmes in the People Portfolio, 6 of which were assessed as green, 6 of which were assessed as amber, and 1 which was closed. No programmes were assessed as red.

The report pack stated that the most significant achievements during the period included:

• The approval of a proposal to relocate Cranford Library to Meadowbank to create a new Community Hub as part of the Transforming Community Experience (TCE) programme.
• The completion of the Radical Overhaul of Consultation and Engagement Full Business Case.

The report pack also stated that the following areas were scheduled for discussion:

• The progress of the Adult Social Care System Reform programme, and the development of its Strategic Business Case.
• The progress of the SEND and Alternative Provision programme, and the challenges presented by the need to reduce the reliance on agency staff and the development of its safety valve.
• The progress of the Youth Skills and Employment Guarantee (YSEG) programme.

Place Portfolio

The report pack stated that the Place Portfolio was made up of all of the development activity taking place in the borough.

The report pack stated that the following development schemes were assessed as red, and scheduled for discussion:

• Hanworth Park House
• Convent Way
• Waterman’s Centre (the former police station)
• Land adjacent to Bellevue Court on Staines Road in Hounslow.

The report pack stated that the key achievements during the quarter included:

• The completion of the Character, Sustainability and Design Codes, and the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Supplementary Planning Documents.
• The first public engagement event about the Hounslow Public Realm Design Guidance.

The report pack stated that some of the significant planned activity to be discussed for the next quarter included:

• The completion of the Feltham EcoCabin as part of the Feltham Town Centre regeneration programme.
• Commencing works on Gunnersbury Triangle in association with the London Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre.
• Continuing works to deliver 48 new homes at Clements Court.

Capital Portfolio

The report pack stated that the Capital Portfolio is made up of capital funded projects and programmes that are not part of the People or Place Portfolios.

The report pack stated that no projects in the Capital Portfolio were assessed as red.

The report pack stated that the following were the most significant achievements in this period:

• The installation of bug hotels at wildflower meadow locations across the borough as part of its urban greening programme.
• Commencing works to caretakers' houses as part of the Small Sites Programme.
• Completion of the project to build 35 homes at Manor Lane.

The report pack stated that the key activity scheduled to be discussed during the next quarter included:

• Completing a feasibility study of Clifton Gardens to identify opportunities to improve Adult Social Care services delivered from there.
• Opening the new pedestrian improvements on Park Road in Isleworth.
• Awarding the contract to install 16 cycle repair stations in parks across the borough.

Digital Portfolio

The report pack stated that the Digital Portfolio was made up of all of the work being done to deliver the Digital Strategy.

The report pack stated that there are two projects in the portfolio assessed as red, and scheduled for discussion:

• Property, Assets, Planning & Spatial
• Waste Wizard.

The report pack stated that the Property, Assets, Planning & Spatial project had gone live in May 2024, but that there were several issues and requested changes that are yet to be addressed.

The report pack stated that the Waste Wizard project is scheduled to provide recycling advice and information to residents through a website and mobile phone app, and that the mobile phone app is not yet working.

The report pack stated that the key achievements in the period included:

• Going live with the new Property, Assets, Planning & Spatial system, which will involve migrating data from the previous system to the new one.
• The completion of two projects – Digital Cemeteries, and Legal Case Management.

The report pack stated that the key priorities for the next quarter were:

• Continuing the work to address the remaining issues with the planning system.
• Commencing the migration of the Finance System to the cloud.
• Continuing with the work to improve the Housing system.

The report pack stated that two key challenges affecting the portfolio were staff retention and the availability of subject matter experts within services to participate in project delivery.

Scrutiny Panel and Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee updates

The report pack contained an update about the work being carried out by the three Overview and Scrutiny Panels: the Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel, the Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Panel, and the Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel.

Children and Young People Scrutiny Panel

The report pack stated that this panel would be looking at disadvantage and school performance in primary aged children, and would be holding its first meeting on 30 September 2024.

Health and Adult Care Scrutiny Panel

The report pack stated that this panel was looking at the commissioning and contract management of adult social care providers in Hounslow. The panel had already held its first meeting on 8 July 2024, during which its draft terms of reference were agreed. The next meeting was scheduled to take place on 11 November 2024.

Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel

The report pack stated that this panel would be looking at flood resilience across the borough. The first meeting of this panel was scheduled for 10 October 2024.

Forward Plan Review

The report pack stated that the Forward Plan listed all of the key decisions scheduled to be made by the Cabinet, the Leader, Cabinet Members and officers, and contained details of 46 key decisions between September and December 2024.

Work Programme Review

The report pack contained a list of items that were scheduled to be discussed during the committee's meetings until the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

The report pack listed the following fixed-date items:

• Mid-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)
• The council's budget
• Delivery Plan updates.

The report pack listed the following items, which have been discussed at previous meetings, as scheduled for discussion:

• A new provider for NHS Community services in Hounslow
• Changes to the Council Tax Support scheme
• The outcome of the CQC's Adult Social Care inspection
• The performance of the Delivery Plan
• Progress of SEND and Safety Valve arrangements.
• The work of the Scrutiny Panels
• The Forward Plan.
• Community Enforcement and Regulatory Services.

The report pack also contained information about the items that are scheduled to be discussed by the Scrutiny Panels.