Agenda item

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 23  May 2023 (minutes attached).

To note the actions from that meeting (summary of actions attached).

The minutes, (including summary of actions), from the meeting held on 23 May 2023 were confirmed and agreed as a correct record of that meeting.

Members noted progress on the following actions, (arising from discussions on the GP Out of Hours PPG Service and Maternity (Temporary Changes) Services updates). 

GP Out of Hours Service: Having questioned the timelines and actions taken by NHS Gloucestershire to respond to CQC inspection reports, (over the course of the past 5 years), it had been agreed that Cllr Gravells write to NHS England on behalf of the committee to escalate the matter to a higher level. A letter was sent to NHS England on 9 June 2023, and a response received on 16 June 2023. The committee’s concerns were noted.

Maternity Service Changes: Responding to concerns about the decision by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to temporarily close 6 post-natal beds at Stroud Hospital in October 2022, it had been proposed that a small delegation of members meet with Health Ministers/NHS England, (either in person or via remote access), on issues affecting the recruitment and retention of midwives in the local area and the impact of such on the provision and delivery of maternity services in Gloucestershire. Cllr Gravells had since written to the MP for Stroud, Siobhan Baillie, requesting that a meeting be arranged from which to seek the MP’s/Health Minister views on how to address local concerns. The MP’s Office had responded, and had agreed to schedule a meeting with the Chair and a small group of members to consider the issues.

Motion 910: Dentistry: The committee received an update on Council Motion 901 ‘Tackling the Crisis in Dentistry’. Members were informed that at the GCC Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting on 19 April 2023, members had received an update on Motion 910, with specific reference to the work of the Gloucestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

During the discussion, a member suggested the idea of a Task and Finish Group to explore the issue in greater depth and to provide an objective view on the issue. It was however, agreed to split the resolution into two parts and to request that:

1.    The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee consider a piece of work specifically looking at the recruitment of dental professionals and, that

2.    The Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee consider a broader piece of work looking at employment in the county, the attraction/barriers of people moving into the county for work (‘magnet county’), to include a sectoral analysis.

Once each piece of work has been completed, the Chair of the respective Committee to report back to the Corporate Scrutiny Committee, at which point, if members feel further work is needed, a Task and Finish Group may be considered. It was confirmed that the matter would be considered in more detail at the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 28 November 2023, with a verbal update back to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 6 December 2023. Action by Cllr Andrew Gravells