The North Northamptonshire Council Health Scrutiny Committee met to discuss winter preparedness, and safeguarding adults, and to review the committee's work plan. The committee approved recommendations related to winter preparedness, the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board annual report, and the health scrutiny work plan.

Health Protection - Winter Preparedness

The committee approved recommendations regarding winter preparedness, focusing on receiving updates and enhancing resilience. The Health Scrutiny Committee recommended that:

• It receives a joint update from Public Health and system partners outlining outcomes of the 2025/26 winter period, including lessons learned and key improvements in multi-agency coordination.
• An update be provided to the Committee by June 2026 on progress made in addressing low vaccination uptake among high-risk or underserved populations, including evidence of outreach activity and impact.
• The Council’s next annual Winter Preparedness Report (2026/27) includes a section on climate-related resilience and mitigation measures and that this is brought back to Scrutiny for review ahead of the 2026/27 winter season.

A report was presented to the committee by Sarah Briddon, Public Health Principal, Health Protection, to provide a progress report on winter preparedness for 2025/2026. The report detailed winter preparedness and partnership working across organisations. The report noted that the health and care system is required to work together to protect individuals, groups and populations, and that all agencies have a role in identifying, preventing and mitigating the impacts of infectious disease and environmental, chemical and radiological threats.

The report also highlighted key areas of focus:

• Immunisations and Vaccinations: Focus on increasing vaccination uptake, particularly for seasonal flu, Covid-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) among eligible populations. The report noted that the annual seasonal flu vaccination programme was launched on 1 September 2025 and the Covid booster vaccination programme launched 3 October 2025 for those eligible.
• Infection Prevention Control (IPC): Maintaining and improving infection prevention control measures in care settings, educational settings, workplaces, and places of detention.
• Infectious Disease Outbreak Management: Managing infectious disease outbreaks through early identification, risk assessment, and implementation of control measures.
• Emergency Response: Mitigating the impact of adverse events such as flooding and storms through multi-agency preparedness and response.

The presentation from Russell Dabb, Head of Vaccination and Screening Programmes, Northamptonshire ICB, provided an update on vaccination programmes, including influenza, Covid-19, and RSV. The presentation noted that the ICB meets fortnightly with both local authorities and key providers to review uptake data, plan new initiatives and evaluate operational feedback.

Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024-25

The committee approved recommendations related to the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB) annual report, focusing on receiving updates and briefings. The Health Scrutiny Committee recommended that:

• It receives a mid-year update in May 2026 outlining progress made against the 2024–25 strategic priorities, including measurable outcomes from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (such as resource-allocation and learning feedback) and audit activity.
• The Committee is provided with a briefing within six months on system-wide responses to self-neglect and complex safeguarding cases, including outcomes from the Self-Neglect Summit and implementation of related learning.
• The NSAB shares with Scrutiny, in its next annual report, an evaluation of engagement effectiveness across statutory and non-statutory partners, including feedback from practitioners, voluntary organisations and residents.

David Watts, Executive Director of Adults, Health Partnerships and Housing, presented the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB) Annual Report 2024–2025 and the accompanying Impact Report to the Health Scrutiny Committee. The purpose of the report was to provide oversight, transparency, and assurance regarding the effectiveness of local safeguarding arrangements for adults with care and support needs, in line with statutory requirements under the Care Act 2014.

The report outlined the Board's statutory duties, strategic priorities, partnership working, and achievements over the past year. Key themes included a focus on prevention, making safeguarding personal, and responding to rising complexity such as self-neglect. The reports demonstrated robust partnership working and a commitment to continuous improvement in safeguarding practice across Northamptonshire.

Key achievements and activities of the NSAB included:

• Strong partnership working, with 100% attendance from statutory partners at Strategic Board meetings.
• A notable increase in self-neglect referrals, leading to the organization of a Self-Neglect Summit.
• Updates to key policies and procedures, including the Adult Risk Management (ARM) guidance and information sharing protocols.
• Delivery of multi-agency training (e.g., Mental Capacity Act), a successful Week of Learning, and new practitioner resources.
• Launch of a new NSAB website, increased newsletter circulation, and multi-agency practitioner forums to share learning and best practice.

Challenges and areas for development identified in the report included:

• Increasing complexity of safeguarding cases, particularly self-neglect and repeat referrals.
• Continued focus on improving support for young people transitioning to adult services.
• Ongoing work to strengthen assurance processes and ensure learning is embedded across all partner agencies.

Health Scrutiny Work Plan

The committee approved recommendations to note the Scrutiny Work Plan as it relates to the Health Scrutiny Committee. The Scrutiny Officer presented the updated Health Scrutiny Work Plan for 2025/26, explaining that the plan remained flexible, allowing the Committee to respond to emerging issues while maintaining strategic oversight. Members welcomed the Work Plan and emphasised the need to continue focusing on service accessibility, performance and health inequalities.