Agenda item

5.1

Mike Simpkin requested that the Committee noted its crucial role in relation to the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) process and the Working Together Commissioner and Provider initiatives.  He stated that, as these processes, particularly the STP, were happening without the statutory NHS decision-making process, Local Authority Scrutiny Committees were the only semi-independent public bodies able to formally comment on, and influence, these processes on behalf of local citizens.  Mr Simpkin added that, although there were likely to be many good proposals in the STP, he requested that the Committee should pay particular attention to the following elements at this stage:-

(1)       The degree of public consultation and the extent to which this is genuine consultation, or mere public gratification/mollification, after decisions have been made.

(2)       The extent to which the STP decisions were made because of having to work within a cost envelope controlled from the centre, which left local services far short of what they needed, and by then, because of this, service changes and closures, however well intentioned, would actually increase the level of failure to meet genuine need.

(3)       The implications of the sub-regional dimension, particularly for services in Sheffield – what would the effect be, particularly on the capacity of Sheffield acute services, of projected additional demand from elsewhere?

(4)       The implications of the STP for any change in service models and, in particular, the potentially growing commercialism of health care if more services are broken up for tendering (including subcontracting) and patients becoming customers.

5.2

The Chair thanked Mr Simpkin for attending the meeting and raising the questions/issues, and stated that the Committee would consider his comments when looking at the STP at this meeting, and in the future.