The Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire met on Wednesday 13 May 2026 to discuss the Maternity and Neonatal Programme's equity and equality transformation efforts, receive an update on Quality Accounts for 2025/2026, and review the committee's work programme. Key decisions included thanking the presenters of the maternity report and requesting a follow-up report in 12 months, agreeing to include the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust's Quality Account in the working group's considerations, and noting the confirmed items for future meetings while adding new items to the work programme.

Maternity and Neonatal Programme - Equity and Equality Transformation Programme

The committee received a comprehensive update on Lincolnshire's Maternity and Neonatal Equity and Equality Programme. The programme aims to reduce avoidable inequalities in access, experience, and outcomes for women and babies, particularly for Black, Asian, and deprived communities. Presentations highlighted the programme's intelligence-led approach, combining local data with community feedback.

Key initiatives discussed included:

• Data Overview: Analysis of Lincolnshire's maternity population revealed declining birth rates, an increasing maternal age profile, and a higher likelihood of younger mothers living in deprived areas. While Lincolnshire's outcomes for Black and Asian women do not fully mirror national disparities in maternal mortality, local data indicates higher rates of gestational diabetes, caesarean births, and postpartum haemorrhage in these groups.
• What Matters to You Roadshow: Engagement events across Lincolnshire gathered feedback from families and staff, identifying challenges such as appointment delays, transport barriers, and a lack of translation services.
• Reducing Smoking in Pregnancy: Lincolnshire has seen a significant reduction in smoking at the time of delivery, from 14.1% in 2022/23 to 8.4% in 2024/25, through a multi-layered approach including an in-house Maternity Tobacco Dependency Service and universal carbon monoxide monitoring.
• Military Family Support: A pilot scheme, the Lincolnshire Military Maternity Project, has become a permanent offer, providing bespoke support to military families and winning a Health Service Journal award.
• ULTH Black and Asian Maternal Health Group: This group, comprising multi-professional staff and community representatives, engages with Black and Asian women and communities to improve maternity experiences and outcomes. Early successes include increased staff awareness and positive feedback from community listening events.

The committee heard that the programme's next steps involve a targeted approach in Skegness, focusing on communities with the highest levels of deprivation to improve early identification and continuity of support.

Decisions Made:

• The committee thanked the presenters for their thorough presentation and answers to questions.
• The committee requested a further report on maternity services for people with disabilities within Lincolnshire.
• The committee requested a further report from the United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board in 12 months' time.

Quality Accounts 2025/2026 - Update

Kiara Chatziioannou, Health Scrutiny Officer, provided an update on the arrangements for reviewing Quality Accounts for 2025/2026. The committee was informed that two of the five partner organisations had submitted their draft Quality Accounts, with others expected shortly. A Quality Account for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust had been received, and the committee was asked to consider whether to include it in the working group's review.

Decisions Made:

• The committee agreed to include the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust's Quality Account in the list of those considered by the working group.
• The committee thanked the Health Scrutiny Officer for presenting the update and for capturing the committee's points and requests.
• The committee requested a further position update report from the Health Scrutiny Officer following the completion of the working group's remit.

Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire - Work Programme

Kiara Chatziioannou presented the committee's work programme, outlining confirmed items for forthcoming meetings and inviting suggestions for future topics. Confirmed items for the next meeting on 1 July 2026 include reports on NHS planning for secondary care in response to demographic changes, Neighbourhood Health Planning, and a Transport and Travel Review.

Several new items were proposed and agreed for inclusion in the work programme:

• A discussion on the King's Fund report on NHS administration, inviting comments from NHS partners.
• An invitation for Professor Gussie from Lurch (research into rural and coastal health) and the professor heading the new mental health unit to present their work.
• A review of emergency planning, building on previous discussions with the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board and the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum.
• A request for a report on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, specifically mentioning maternity services.
• Consideration of cancer services.

Decisions Made:

• The committee noted the confirmed items of business for forthcoming meetings.
• The committee agreed to the proposed additions to the work programme, including the King's Fund report, presentations from Professor Gussie and the new mental health unit lead, emergency planning, and a specific report on Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust's maternity services.