The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee of Buckinghamshire Council was scheduled to discuss significant changes to ambulance services, the provision of women's health services, and performance updates for the Health & Wellbeing portfolio. The committee was also set to consider the scope of a rapid review into emergency care access across Buckinghamshire.

South Central Ambulance Service Group Model

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the proposed move by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) and South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) towards a group model. This initiative, announced in October 2025, follows an extensive review of ambulance and emergency care services across the South East region. The proposed changes include the appointment of a joint CEO and Chair, the establishment of joint governance, and the development of a unified clinical operating model. The aim is to align services with a single regional lead commissioner, reduce inequalities in service provision, and create a divisional operating model that balances local autonomy with the benefits of a group structure. Support and corporate services are also planned to be consolidated to improve sustainability and resilience.

Women's Health Services

An overview of the provision of women's health services across Buckinghamshire was scheduled for discussion, along with future plans for these services. The FedBucks' Community Intermediate Gynaecology Service was highlighted as a key provider, managing approximately 4,000 patients annually through over 7,000 encounters in community settings. The service aims to improve access, reduce reliance on hospital-based care, and provide specialist input closer to patients' homes. Plans are in place to expand this service in 2026/27 to create a single point of access for all non-cancer gynaecology referrals in Buckinghamshire, with an anticipated shift of 2,000 additional patients from hospital to community services.

Q3 Performance - Health & Wellbeing Portfolio

The committee was scheduled to review the Q3 performance indicators for the Health & Wellbeing portfolio, which had been presented to Cabinet on 10th February. The report pack indicated performance data across several areas, including:

• Number of older people (65+) admitted to permanent residential or nursing care homes per 100,000 population: This indicator showed that up to the end of Q3, 407 older adults had been admitted to care homes, with performance noted as being better than the South East and National figures.
• Percentage of young people (aged 18-64) admitted to permanent residential or nursing care homes per 100,000 population: This metric indicated that 33 younger adults had been admitted to care homes, performing better than the target and the South East benchmark.
• Percentage of young people whose Adult Social Care Assessment was completed before they turned 18: Performance in this area was below the target, with 71% of young people assessed before their 18th birthday, attributed partly to team capacity and late referrals. Improvement actions were underway to address this.
• Percentage of births that receive a face-to-face New Birth Visit within 14 days by a health visitor: The outturn for this indicator was 82%, which was below the target of 85% but above the contractual target. Delays were often due to parental choice.
• Percentage of service users due an annual review that receive their review: This indicator showed strong performance, with 50% of annual reviews completed, exceeding the target of 40%.
• Percentage of safeguarding enquiries where personal outcomes were fully or partially achieved: Performance met the target of 96%, indicating consistent practice improvements and oversight.
• Percentage of people that live independently after receiving re-ablement: The Home Independence Team achieved a high success rate, with 91.4% of people living independently after re-ablement, significantly exceeding the target.
• Percentage of successful alcohol treatment completions: The service reported 39.5% successful completions, exceeding the target and national averages.
• Percentage of people who quit smoking at 4 weeks: This indicator showed 53.7% of smokers successfully quitting at their 4-week quit date, an improvement from the previous quarter and above national averages.

Emergency Care Provision - Scoping Document

The committee was scheduled to discuss and agree the scoping document for a rapid review into accessing emergency care across Buckinghamshire. This review was prompted by a motion at a council meeting concerning emergency healthcare access inequality. The proposed scope for the review includes evaluating patient pathways, understanding changes in emergency care provision since 2005, examining patient flow and waiting times, assessing staffing pressures, and reviewing public engagement and patient feedback. It also aims to understand the shift of care from hospitals to the community, as outlined in the NHS 10-year plan, and to identify any health inequalities related to current provision.

Chairman's Update and Work Programme

The Chairman was scheduled to provide an update on scrutiny-related health and social care activities since the last meeting. The committee was also due to discuss and agree items for its future work programme. Proposed items for the next meeting included a review of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust's key performance indicators and priority areas for service improvement, and a review of Oxford Health's proposed refreshed strategy. The committee was also to discuss the Carers Implementation Plan, which had been deferred from a previous meeting.