The Scrutiny Health & Social Care Sub-Committee of Croydon Council was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, to review progress on the Executive Mayor's Business Plan, discuss responses to Reports to Prevent Future Deaths, and receive an update from Healthwatch Croydon. The meeting agenda also included a review of the Sub-Committee's work programme for the upcoming years.

Review of the Executive Mayor's Business Plan 2022-26 in relation to Health and Social Care

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to review progress against the Croydon Executive Mayor's Business Plan 2022-2026, specifically focusing on priorities within the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care. These priorities align with Outcome 5 of the plan, which aims for residents to lead healthier and independent lives for longer.

The report was set to detail progress on two key priorities:

• Priority 1: Work with partners and the VCFS to promote independence, health and wellbeing and keep vulnerable adults safe.
• Priority 2: Work closely with health services and the VCFS to improve resident health and reduce health inequalities.

The report also intended to outline broader achievements within the Adult Social Care and Health Directorate. A recommendation was made for the Sub-Committee to note the progress against these priorities.

The report highlighted the recently published Adult Social Care and Health (ASCH) Strategy for 2026-2030, which is informed by community data and insights. This strategy has six core priorities, including supporting people early, helping them live more independently, reducing inequalities, improving accommodation, using community ideas, and working with health and community partners for joined-up services.

Progress under Priority 1 included the remodelling of the Croydon Adult Support Service Users Panel into a resident voice group, the creation of six Local Community Partnerships, and the refresh of the ASCH Strategy informed by engagement with over 850 residents. Specific initiatives mentioned were the Resident Voices group shaping procurement tenders and a family member participating in the evaluation panel for the PFI Care Homes tender. The report also detailed work on reablement services, with a pilot moving to business as usual and plans for borough-wide expansion. An update on the new Direct Payments offer, delivered by Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL), was also to be presented, noting that Croydon's uptake remained below regional and national averages. The Directorate had also reviewed its Technology Enabled Care (TEC) service, with opportunities identified to build on the success of the Careline service.

Under Priority 2, the report was to cover efforts to advocate for proportionate NHS funding and reduce inequalities. This included work through the One Croydon Alliance, a £6m bid for the Frontrunner Programme at Croydon University Hospital to support safe and quick discharge, and Croydon's participation in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme. Integrated Neighbourhood Teams had been established across Croydon, with GP-led multi-disciplinary team huddles aiming to proactively plan care. A digital shared care record, Patienteer, had been implemented, and Community Diagnostic Centres were operating in Purley and New Addington. A Health and Wellbeing space had been established in the Whitgift Centre, and Family Hubs were open at Woodlands and the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre.

The report also detailed progress on promoting and increasing life expectancy, including the refresh of the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy and a Mental Health Summit. The South West London Integrated Care Board (SWL ICB) had developed a cross-borough Mental Health Strategy (June 2023). Efforts to target health checks included strengthening the smoking cessation service and developing a needs assessment on sexual reproductive health and HIV. The Croydon drug and alcohol service had contributed to improvements in treatment continuation post-prison. Obesity rates for Year 6 children showed a gradual decline. The borough's immunisation action plan had been refreshed, and the Croydon Multi-Agency Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2025–2028 was aiming to strengthen mental health support.

Key performance indicators for the Adult Social Care and Health Directorate were also to be presented, including the percentage of safeguarding interventions leading to risk reduction, the percentage of initial contact resolutions, and the percentage of eligible adults managing their care via direct payment.

Adult Social Care and Health responses to Reports to Prevention of Future Deaths

This report was scheduled to outline the Adult Social Care and Health Directorate's process for responding to Reports to Prevent Future Deaths (PFDs). These reports are issued by coroners under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 when they believe action should be taken to prevent future deaths. The report was to explain the legislative framework, including Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, and the Chief Coroner's guidance.

The report was to detail two specific PFD reports received by the Directorate: one concerning the death of Mr Yong Kang Hong, where neglect was a contributory factor, and another regarding the deaths of Bernard and Caroline Cleall in a house fire. For Mr Hong's case, the report noted that the published record did not indicate a response from any of the recipients. In the case of Mr and Mrs Cleall, the Council's response to the coroner explained that evidence regarding the accessibility of an assessment was incorrect. The report was to recommend that the Sub-Committee note the process and responses.

Update from Healthwatch Croydon

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to receive an update from Healthwatch Croydon Co-optee, Yinka Faponnle, on recent reports from her organisation. Specifically, the meeting was to consider the report titled Ideas to Support Croydon's Adult Social Care Strategy, which stemmed from a public discussion held during Healthwatch Croydon's Annual Meeting on 15 July 2025.

This discussion involved over 50 participants sharing their views on the draft adult social care strategy for Croydon. The report was to analyse suggestions made by residents and stakeholders under the six priorities of the draft strategy: supporting people earlier, maximising independence, identifying and reducing inequalities, improving accommodation accessibility, embedding resident voice, and aligning services with health partners. The report was to present findings and make recommendations for the action plan, including effective communication of services, regular outreach and feedback with residents, focusing on early intervention and prevention, developing a better understanding of the adult social care landscape, prioritising accommodation, and ensuring a clear action and implementation plan with co-accountability.

Scrutiny Work Programme 2025-2026

The Sub-Committee was asked to review and note the draft work programme for the 2025-26 municipal year, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report. Members were also invited to consider and propose items for inclusion in the 2026-27 Work Programme. The report indicated that lines of enquiry for some items were yet to be confirmed and that there were opportunities to add further topics. The Sub-Committee was also to consider any individuals or representatives it wished to invite to future meetings to assist in its scrutiny.

The draft work programme for 2025-26 included items such as a review of the Stabilisation Plan and the Adult Living Independently Transformation Programme, updates on finance and KPI dashboards, scrutiny of Croydon Health Services Quality Accounts, and regular updates from Healthwatch Croydon. Future items were also scheduled to include a review of a CQC Inspection, a deep dive into Direct Payments, Winter Planning, Older People Needs Assessments, and an update on the NHS 10-Year Plan's National Neighbourhood Implementation Programme. The report also noted an unallocated item for reviewing the management of Prevention of Future Death Notices within the Council.