The Adults, Wellbeing and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday 01 May 2026 to review the financial outturn for Adult and Health Services, discuss performance against the Council Plan, and receive an update on the Shotley Bridge Hospital redevelopment.

Adult and Health Services Financial Outturn

The committee will receive a report detailing the forecast outturn budget position for Adult and Health Services (AHS) for the financial year 2025/26, based on figures up to December 2025. The report indicates an anticipated underspend of £0.895 million against a revenue budget of £162.808 million. This underspend is attributed to various factors, including staff turnover impacting employee costs, and variances in premises, transport, and supplies and services. The capital budget for AHS for 2025/26 is reported as nil following the completion of the Hawthorn House respite centre upgrade, which resulted in a refund. The committee is recommended to note this financial position.

Performance Management Report

A report on the third quarter (October to December 2025) performance against the Council Plan 2025-30 will be presented. This report outlines progress towards the strategic ambitions and objectives set by the new administration following the May 2025 council elections. The performance indicators are presented in dashboards, focusing on trends, direction of travel, benchmarking, and performance against targets, within the broader national context. The report highlights areas that are going well, such as a reduction in permanent admissions to residential or nursing care for adults aged 65+ and an increase in service users achieving their desired outcomes from the adult safeguarding process. It also addresses areas requiring attention, including the rates of self-reported anxiety and suicide in County Durham, with ongoing work and new action plans in place to address these issues.

Shotley Bridge Hospital Update

An update will be provided on the Shotley Bridge Community Hospital (SBCH) redevelopment project. This project has been part of the New Hospital Programme (NHP) since 2020, with a revised budget of £63.4 million. The redevelopment was approved as a wave 1 scheme for completion in 2029/30. The report outlines progress, including the approval of a Short Form Business Case by the Trust Board in March 2026 to progress land acquisition and soft strip of the site, and the anticipated approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) by June 2026. The identified land is located in Consett, and planning approval is already in place.

The committee will also receive minutes from their previous meeting on 16 March 2026, which included discussions on the CQC inspection report for Lanchester Medical Centre and an update on Durham Mental Health Rehabilitation Services.