The Adults, Wellbeing and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was scheduled to consider updates on local medical centres and sepsis treatment, alongside financial and performance reports for the council. The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme for the upcoming year.

Lanchester Medical Centre Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the progress at Lanchester Medical Centre. The report pack indicated that the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Quality and Variance Team had produced an action plan for the practice to address points raised in a CQC Improvement Plan. Monthly meetings were scheduled between the practice and ICB staff to discuss these actions. Information regarding patient complaints, including numbers received, resolved satisfactorily, and how they are addressed in a timely manner, was also scheduled to be presented. Additionally, the report pack mentioned that the ICB was aware of initiatives embedded into weekly staff meetings to address unsatisfactory feedback on the working environment highlighted in a CQC report, with this action plan due to conclude at the end of October 2026.

Improving Sepsis Recognition and Treatment

A report was scheduled to be presented concerning the improvement of sepsis recognition and treatment by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. The documentation provided an overview of quality improvement efforts, defining sepsis as a life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection according to NICE and Sepsis-3 guidelines. It highlighted that sepsis is a pattern-recognition challenge, with no single sign, symptom, or test being decisive on its own. The report also noted that coding captures only part of sepsis activity, as cases may be coded to the source condition and thus sit outside the septicaemia total. The effectiveness of EPR-enabled screening was to be discussed, with performance data showing 84.7% of sepsis screenings completed within 15 minutes and 95% within one hour. Treatment performance data for the first quarter of 2026/27 was also scheduled for review, detailing antibiotic, IVT, and blood culture completion rates in Emergency Departments and Inpatient Areas. The report pack also outlined various education programmes and resources in practice, including ward-based training and simulation training. An improvement event, Recognising and Responding to the Deteriorating Patient: Sepsis Improvement Event, was scheduled for 9 October 2026 at The Durham Centre, Belmont. A gap analysis of the Sepsis Modern Service Framework for CDDFT was also to be presented, highlighting areas of concern and recommended actions.

Revenue and Capital Outturn 2025/26 and Quarter One 2026/27 Forecast

The committee was scheduled to review the financial performance of the Adult and Health Services (AHS) service grouping. For the 2025/26 financial year, the report indicated an underspend of £1.224 million against a revenue budget of £162.808 million, representing a 0.75% underspend. This compared favourably to a quarter three underspend of £0.895 million. The AHS capital budget for 2025/26 comprised one scheme, the upgrade of Hawthorn House respite centre, which had a revised budget of -£24,421 following a credit for overpaid building works.

For the first quarter of 2026/27, the forecast indicated a projected underspend of £0.217 million against a revenue budget of £179.343 million, representing a 0.12% underspend. The AHS capital budget for 2026/27 was reported as NIL. The report detailed variances by Head of Service Area and by subjective analysis (type of expenditure), with commentary on the reasons for under and overspending. The committee was requested to note the Adult and Health Services overall revenue position.

Quarter One Corporate Performance Report

A report from the Chief Executive was scheduled to provide an update on the council's progress towards the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in the Council Plan 2025-30. The report presented Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using dashboards to show trends, performance against targets, and comparisons with other councils. The data presented was the latest available as of 30 June 2026. Key performance messages indicated a mixed but broadly positive position. Under the ambition of Caring For Our People, adult social care was reported as well managed, with stable referral levels and assessment rates below regional and statistical neighbour comparators. 86.4% of service users were assessed or reviewed in the last 12 months. Alcohol-specific mortality had reduced from 23.4 per 100,000 population in 2023 to 16.7 per 100,000 in 2024, which was noted as being similar to the England rate and better than the North East rate. However, the report also highlighted issues being addressed, including admissions to permanent residential or nursing care for adults aged 65+, which was higher than the Better Care Fund (BCF) target. Transitional challenges were also noted following the implementation of a new contract for the reablement service. The committee was recommended to note the overall position and direction of travel during quarter one performance and the actions being taken to improve areas of challenge.

Work Programme

The Director of Legal and Democratic Services was scheduled to present a report on the refresh of the committee's work programme for 2026/27. The report noted that the work programme agreed on 10 July 2026 would be reviewed regularly to ensure it remained balanced, focused on key priorities, achievable within available capacity, and flexible enough to accommodate emerging issues. Members were invited to review and agree the work programme, considering any amendments required and the impact on existing items. The current work programme, attached at Appendix 2, detailed scheduled items for various dates throughout the year, including updates on specific medical centres, NHS Trust CQC inspection reports, and performance and budget reports.