The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission meeting included two presentations from external organisations and the annual interview with the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing. The Commission also considered the work programme for the coming year.

Empowering Voices: Examining Healthcare Access for Adults with Learning Disabilities and Autistic Adults in Southwark

Healthwatch Southwark's report, Empowering Voices: Examining Healthcare Access for Adults with Learning Disabilities and Autistic Adults in Southwark was presented to the committee. The report examines the accessibility of healthcare services for adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults in Southwark, based on feedback from 104 service users, carers and healthcare professionals.

The report found that:

The people we spoke to did not believe there was consistent equity of access to local healthcare services.

It identifies a range of barriers to access, including:

• Poor staff attitude
• Inaccessible medical environments. For example the report states that: > “There is no lift in my local GP surgery, only a stair lift which my son can’t access.”
• Difficulties communicating with healthcare professionals, for example because: > “The appointment times are too short (to discuss everything), especially when you have to explain your problems to someone who isn’t familiar with your medical history.”
• A lack of information about what support is available. For example, 81% of respondents were unaware of their entitlement to double appointments at their GP.
• A lack of suitable aftercare following diagnosis. One respondent reported: > “They simply gave a diagnosis and that is it. No support for my child once he was diagnosed, especially (transitioning to adult services), there was no follow up care.”

The report concludes that:

adults with learning disabilities face notably poorer health outcomes compared to adults who do not have a learning disability

and makes a number of recommendations to improve healthcare access, including:

• Providing training about learning disabilities and autism to all healthcare staff.
• Implementing a centralised directory of services and information for adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults in Southwark.
• Improving communication with service users and carers, including offering more flexible appointment times and providing clear and accessible information about available services.

Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis

The Committee received a presentation from Samantha Lewis and Nikki McFarlane from the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA), and Dr Nancy Küchemann from the South East London Integrated Care Board (SEL ICB) ¹ about cancer prevention and early diagnosis. The presentation included:

• An overview of SELCA and the NHS England Cancer Programme.
• A summary of cancer screening uptake and primary care pathways in Southwark.
• Details of projects to raise awareness of cancer and encourage early diagnosis among residents.
• Future plans to support cancer awareness and early diagnosis, for example: > Increasing earlier diagnosis of Breast and Prostate Cancer amongst our Black African and Caribbean communities. A SELCA led campaign building on Campaign activity in January 2024. Launching in November 2024 the campaign will focus on reaching communities via plac3es of workship this will include an event at Old Kent Road Mosque & House of Bread Church.

Primary Care Access

The Committee received a report about access to primary care services in Southwark. The report explained that:

Access to general practice care is an ongoing concern for the general public and NHS England (NHSE) and patients report difficulties getting appointments in a timely way, and in seeing their preferred healthcare professional when they do attend.

The report provided an update on the work the council is doing with local NHS services to improve access to primary care, including:

• Increasing the availability of appointments.
• Making it easier for patients to book appointments.
• Providing more information about local health services.
• Expanding the role of pharmacists, for example by enabling pharmacists to provide treatment for a wider range of conditions.
• The rollout of the NHS app.

Healthwatch Southwark - Annual Report

Healthwatch Southwark presented their annual report 2023-2024 which summarises their activities and impact over the previous year. The report states that Healthwatch:

make sure NHS leaders and decision-makers hear your voice and use your feedback to improve care.

Highlights from the report include:

• Engaging with 4,792 people about their experiences with health and social care services.
• Publishing a report about access to health and social care for Latin American communities in Southwark.
• Working with the council's public health team on a community health ambassador programme, which supports Southwark residents to get involved in health promotion activities.

Work Programme

The Committee considered the draft work programme for the coming year. Councillors noted that:

This draft work programme sets out the proposed areas of focus for the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission for the 2024/25 municipal year.

The draft work programme included proposals to:

• Scrutinise the implementation of the recommendations arising from the Southwark Autism Spectrum Conditions Vision and Action Plan
• Review the council's support for unpaid carers.
• Examine the causes of health inequalities in Southwark.
• Review the definition of 'adult safeguarding' used by the council in line with the updated national definition.