The Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee discussed the development of Lancashire's Neighbourhood Health Development Plan and the collaboration between health, adult social care, and the community sector. The committee also reviewed the implementation of the Winter Plan 2025/26, focusing on lessons learned and future planning. Additionally, the committee considered the work programmes for both the committee and its steering group.

Neighbourhood Health Development Plan and Winter Pressures Response

The committee received an update on the Neighbourhood Health Development Plan for Lancashire, which aims to create a coordinated approach to health and social care services with a focus on prevention and value for money. This plan is being developed in collaboration with the NHS, adult social care, and the voluntary, community, and faith sector.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the response to the 2025/26 winter pressures. Representatives from East Lancashire Hospitals Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals shared their experiences, highlighting the challenges faced and the innovative approaches taken to manage increased demand. Key initiatives included:

• Social Workers in Emergency Departments: Placing social workers directly into emergency departments to expedite assessments and support timely discharges.
• Frailty Same Day Emergency Care Pathway: A pathway designed to care for frail elderly patients in a more appropriate setting than busy emergency departments, with a high success rate of returning patients home.
• Days Kept Away From Home Campaign: An initiative focused on reducing the length of time patients spend in hospital unnecessarily, with a target to significantly reduce occupied bed days for patients with complex needs.
• Voluntary Sector Engagement: Strengthening partnerships with the voluntary sector to provide information, advice, and practical support for non-complex discharges.
• Early Warning Systems: Implementing an early warning system to alert partners to impending pressures, allowing for a coordinated response.

Councillors raised concerns about funding for preventative initiatives, the challenges of community engagement, and the need for consistent collaboration across different agencies. Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, explained that there was no new money specifically allocated for these initiatives, but the focus was on better orchestration of existing resources and procurement flexibility. He emphasised that prevention is a long-term agenda requiring constancy of purpose and community mobilisation.

Councillor Mark Jewell proposed that the council consider investing in preventative health, such as community practitioners and targeted interventions for low-income families and individuals with chronic conditions. This was put forward as a recommendation for Cabinet consideration.

Work Programmes and Future Engagement

The committee reviewed the Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee and Steering Group Work Programmes for 2025/26. The next meeting, scheduled for 22 April 2026, will include a joint services report on adult mental health and integration across service areas, as well as an update on the CQC Inspection Action Plan.

Discussions also touched upon ongoing consultations regarding vascular and orthodontic service changes, with concerns raised about the lack of visible progress in launching public consultations. The committee noted that a report detailing lessons learned from the 2025/26 Winter Plan and outlining the joint NHS and Adult Social Care Winter Plan for 2026/27 is to be received in October 2026.

The committee also noted that the Council is seeking legal advice regarding the redesign of care homes due to PURDA rules and upcoming elections.

The meeting concluded with the confirmation of the date for the next Health and Adult Services Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday, 22 April 2026.