The Health Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 7 February 2024 to discuss the potential of the Voluntary and Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, receive an update on the NELFT CQC inspection, and review the CQC report on Together First. The committee agreed to the final report and recommendations from the VCFSE scrutiny review, requesting an action plan and a six-month progress update. They also noted the NELFT CQC inspection update and the CQC report on Together First.

Scrutiny Review into the Potential of the Voluntary and Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector

The committee received an update on the in-depth scrutiny review into the VCFSE sector's role in reducing health inequalities. Key recommendations from the review included fostering stronger relationships between the health and VCFSE sectors through collaboration and co-design, developing community capacity and connections, improving information sharing across the VCFSE, cultivating a common culture and language, and ensuring the longevity of funding for VCFSE organisations. The committee agreed to the final report and recommendations, requesting that the Director of Community Participation and Prevention develop a formal action plan for implementation and provide a progress update in six months.

NELFT CQC Inspection Update

An update was provided on the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. NELFT has retained its Good rating following the 2022 inspection. The report detailed progress against improvement plans, noting that most must do and should do recommendations have been addressed. Key areas of progress included the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), improvements in Quality Improvement (QI) projects, and enhanced co-production with service users. The committee noted the report and raised questions regarding PSIRF training, specific QI project objectives, and staff retention rates. The presentation also covered waiting times for ADHD diagnostics, which are currently long due to increased demand post-pandemic, and the therapeutic environments within mental health wards.

CQC Report on Together First

The committee reviewed the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on Together First, the borough's GP Federation. Together First received an overall rating of Good, with an Outstanding rating for responsiveness. The report highlighted the organisation's effective systems for safeguarding, its use of technology to improve patient access, and its commitment to addressing health inequalities. The committee congratulated Together First on its achievements, particularly its impressive staff retention rates. Discussions focused on how Together First shares its good practices with other GP surgeries and its advice for other health organisations facing retention challenges. The report also touched upon the challenges of the current health system, including the impact of austerity and the complexities of commissioning and funding for federations.

Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Work Programme

The committee noted the minutes of the last Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting and the current work programme.