Councillor Gilchrist introduced the report of the Head of Intelligence, Statutory Scrutiny Officer that provided an overview of the Health and Care Performance Working Group (Panel) meeting held on 19th August 2019. The report provided feedback to members of the Adult Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee around key discussions and areas of interest resulting from the meeting. The report summarised the items considered by the Health and Care Performance Working Group that included:

·  Chronic conditions – patient story – that updated Members on the difficulties of living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) otherwise known as ME.

·  Park House – Care Quality Commission (CQC) Inspection and Care Home Complaints – a report on actions taken to improve Care Homes rated as ‘inadequate’ by the CQC.

·  Wirral Health and Care Quarterly Performance – that set out Wirral health and care quarterly performance statistics. Areas that were highlighted to Members included the Accident & Emergency (A&E) 4-hour standard, Referral to Treatment (RTT) targets, Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) waiting times and Healthcare Acquired Infection rates.

·  Health and Care Integration Update – that stated the current position of integration between health and care services in Wirral, along with an overview of current performance and the impact on those accessing services.

·  Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) Report – Domiciliary Care - Members sought assurances that action had been taken to ensure the circumstances surrounding the complaint could not happen again, and that all necessary safeguardsand contingency planning had been implemented.

With reference to the Health and Care Integration Update, Councillor Gilchrist requested that all Members of the Adult Care & Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee be given sight of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) peer review referred to in the Working Group meeting summary of actions.

A Member pointed out that the Working Group had requested a timeline of actions in relation to the Park House Care Home improvement plan that had not been received. Other Members expressed further concerns regarding the general standard of Nursing Home Care - with 20 homes requiring improvement. The Director of (Adult) Care and Health stated that this was a national issue, and where care provision did not meet standards and quality of care was not good enough, the Council would look at ceasing of contracts.

Councillor Gilchrist informed Members that the next meeting of the Health and Care Performance Working Group was scheduled for 9 October.

Resolved – That the report be noted.