The Health Scrutiny Committee of Hertfordshire Council met on Friday 17 July 2026 to discuss the council's health scrutiny work programme for the upcoming year and receive updates on community health services. The committee was scheduled to review its work programme, consider proposals for future scrutiny, and hear from two key healthcare providers about their services across the county.

Health Scrutiny Work Programme 2026-27

The committee was scheduled to review and update its work programme for 2026-27. This programme is designed to ensure that the committee's activities are balanced and reflect the issues affecting Hertfordshire and its residents. The report outlined the remit of both the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) and the Health Scrutiny Committee (HSC), detailing the types of scrutiny activities available, such as bulletins, webinars, site visits, and scrutiny reviews. Members were invited to consider additions, deletions, and prioritisation of items for the work programme. A proposal form for submitting new scrutiny topics was also available, with a specific proposal included for consideration regarding maxillofacial services. The committee was asked to approve the work programme with any agreed amendments and additions, and to confirm the scope for new items.

Community Health Services Updates

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on community health services from two major NHS providers in Hertfordshire: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) and Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT).

Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH)

CLCH provides community health services to over two million adults and children across London and Hertfordshire. In Hertfordshire, CLCH delivers a range of adult community services in the south and west of the county, including community nursing, therapy services, urgent community response, proactive care for those at risk of deterioration, rehabilitation services, and virtual hospital pathways. The report highlighted CLCH's strong performance, achieving a Segment 1 rating under the NHS Oversight Framework, indicating high performance nationally. The trust's strategy, Healthy Neighbourhoods, Thriving Communities, aims to deliver more integrated and accessible health services, with a focus on proactive care, virtual hospitals, and neighbourhood-based models of care. CLCH is also a partner in the South and West Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership, working to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT)

HCT is a specialist provider of community services across Hertfordshire and the East of England. Its services include adult community services, inpatient rehabilitation, specialist and developmental children and young people's services, public health nursing, and immunisation services. HCT's new organisational strategy, launched in May 2026, focuses on delivering high-quality community services, responding to changing demographics, and positioning the trust as a key partner in improving population health and wellbeing. HCT also performs well under the NHS National Oversight Framework, ranking ninth out of 61 community and mental health trusts. The report detailed HCT's work within the East & North Hertfordshire Health and Care Partnership, focusing on neighbourhood working and initiatives such as Hospital at Home and Home Health Monitoring to support patients in their own communities and prevent hospital admissions.

The committee was asked to comment on the content of these reports and note the updates provided by both CLCH and HCT.