The Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire was scheduled to discuss emergency preparedness, updates on the Director of Public Health's annual reports, and arrangements for Quality Accounts. The committee was also set to review its work programme.

Lincolnshire Health Emergency Preparedness

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on behalf of the Lincolnshire Health Resilience Partnership, providing an overview of the assurance for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPPR) for NHS organisations in Lincolnshire. This report was intended to highlight significant improvements in emergency preparedness, with the Lincolnshire NHS system achieving substantial compliance against the NHS Core Standards for EPPR, despite ongoing challenges such as concurrent responses including business continuity, industrial action, and multi-agency incidents. The report indicated that the Lincolnshire NHS System overall maintained a Substantial compliance level, with a notable improvement to Full compliance in system readiness for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) & Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT). Individual organisations also showed improvements, with Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust moving to Substantial compliance. The report also detailed incident reports declared by NHS organisations and continuous improvement efforts through the Health Emergency Planning Officers Group (HEPOG), including the outcomes of Exercise Pegasus 2025, a UK-wide pandemic preparedness exercise. The top three risks on the LHRP risk register were identified as Pandemic, Cyber Incidents, and Malicious Attacks.

Director of Public Health 2024 Annual Report - Update on Recommendations

A report was scheduled to be presented by Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, providing an update on progress against the recommendations within the 2024 Director of Public Health Annual Report. The report indicated that Lincolnshire was making strong, coordinated progress through three interconnected pillars: Community Primary Partnerships (CPPs), the Neighbourhood Health Work Programme, and the system-wide expansion of Technology Enabled Care (TEC). CPPs were noted to have provided the initial test-bed for integrated, community-led models of care, with learning now being scaled through Neighbourhood Health Plans. The TEC-first approach was highlighted as enhancing prevention and independence, with resources like the Connect to Support Technology House and Online Self-Assessment helping residents manage their health. The report detailed progress on recommendations related to developing new relationships with the public, a renewed focus on prevention, harnessing digital technology, delivering person-centred care through integrated multidisciplinary teams, and supporting the workforce.

Director of Public Health 2025 Annual Report - The Public Health Case for Quality Employment

The committee was scheduled to consider the 2025 Director of Public Health Annual Report, which focuses on the critical relationship between employment and health, making the case for quality employment as a public health intervention. The report was intended to set out the scale of the challenge in Lincolnshire, the impact of poor-quality work and worklessness on population health, and opportunities for cross-sector action. It highlighted that employment is a powerful determinant of health, influencing mental and physical wellbeing, financial security, and life opportunities. The report noted that unemployment and poor-quality work can damage health, widen inequalities, and place pressure on public services. Lincolnshire's specific challenges, including its geography, demographics, and higher-than-average levels of long-term conditions, were to be discussed, alongside opportunities for inclusive growth. The report proposed five key actions: expanding supported employment schemes, investing in removing wider barriers such as poor transport and digital exclusion, providing effective health services, encouraging employers to plan for workforce health, and raising awareness of the benefits of work and available support.

Arrangements for the Quality Accounts 2025/2026

A report was scheduled to be presented by Kiara Chatziioannou, Health Scrutiny Officer, outlining the arrangements for the Quality Accounts for 2025/26. The committee was invited to determine which draft Quality Accounts from local providers of NHS-funded services it would wish to make a statement on, and to consider the arrangements for drafting these statements. The report explained the legal framework for Quality Accounts, which requires significant providers of NHS-funded services to submit their draft Quality Accounts to their local health overview and scrutiny committee, local Healthwatch organisation, and relevant clinical commissioning group. A Quality Account is described as an account of the quality of services provided, rather than financial information, and must include priorities for improvement, progress on previous priorities, and details of services provided, inspections, audits, performance, complaints, and mortality information. The report noted that in 2025, the committee had agreed to provide statements on the draft Quality Accounts for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The report also provided a summary of the priorities for improvement for 2025/26 for East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, and United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire - Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to consider its work programme. The report outlined confirmed items of business for forthcoming meetings, including updates on the Director of Public Health's 2024 Annual Report, the 2025 Annual Report, and arrangements for Quality Accounts. Future planned items included updates on East Midlands Ambulance Service, Community Pharmacy, Maternity and Neonatal Services, Neighbourhood Health Planning, and NHS Winter Planning. The report also listed items to be programmed, such as an overview of Hospital Discharge Arrangements, Urgent Treatment Centres in Lincolnshire, Stroke Services at United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Stamford Health Engagement Exercise, NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board Clustering Arrangements and 5 Year Strategy, and an annual update from North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. The committee was invited to identify potential agenda items for inclusion or removal from the work programme.