**Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee - FUNCTIONS NOW LIE WITH FULL COUNCIL**

Terms of Reference

 

The Health and Social Care Act 2001, confers on first-tier local authorities (those with social care responsibilities) powers of health scrutiny. Health scrutiny powers and duties are summarised below: • the right to scrutinise and review health service matters and making reports and recommendations to NHS bodies • powers to delegate health scrutiny to other authorities, including district councils; to co-opt from other authorities; and to establish joint health overview and scrutiny committees with other first-tier authorities • places duties on health trusts to consult health overview and scrutiny committees on substantial developments and variations to health services • requires officers of all NHS bodies to attend scrutiny committees when requested • requires NHS bodies to provide health scrutiny committee with information about the planning, commissioning, provision and operation of health services • requires NHS bodies to respond to reports and recommendations of health scrutiny committees • empowers health scrutiny committees to refer proposals for substantial developments or variations in health services to the Secretary of State.

  PURPOSE   HOSC1 To ensure that the health and social care needs of the community are met and that identified proposals achieve improvements in the health and social care economy of the islands in accordance with Local Authority (Overview & Scrutiny Committees Health Scrutiny Functions) Regulations 2002, and the Directions to Local Authorities (Overview & Scrutiny Committees, Health Scrutiny Functions) July 2003.

  CORE FUNCTIONS   HOSC2To scrutinise whether services provided that impact on health and social care of local inhabitants are accessible to, and can be accessed by all parts of the local community.   HOSC3 To scrutinise whether the outcomes of intervention, are equally good for all groups and sections of the local population.   HOSC4 To track and comment on the developing legislation in health and social care field.   HOSC5 Responsibility for the management of its budgets and for approving virements between headings within those budgets, provided that the committee’s net expenditure is not exceeded.   HOSC6 To call health and social care providers to account.   HOSC7 To convene Scrutiny Panels on issues of health and social care.   HOSC8 To set the committee’s fees and charges.   MEMBERSHIP   HOSC9 Appointments to the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee shall be decided at each Annual Council.  The Chairman and Vice-Chair will be elected annually at the first meeting of the committee following Annual Council.   VOTING RIGHTS   HOSC10Local Authority Members can vote on any issue providing they do not have a disclosable pecuniary interest in a matter.   HOSC11Non-Local Authority Members appointed to the committee can vote on any matter except for decisions pertaining to budget decisions of the Council of the Isles of Scilly.