Issue - meetings

For discussion regarding the voting membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board, further to the report of Full Council, 18 March.

Dr Jeanelle De Gruchy introduced the report as set out in the agenda pack, which  detailed the formal establishment of the Health and Wellbeing Board at the Full Council meeting on 18 March 2013 as a Committee of the Council under s102 of the Local Government Act 1972, in accordance with the Health and Social Care Act 2012.  In agreeing its establishment Full Council was required to consult with the Board pursuant to regulation 6 of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013, on the proposed direction of the Full Council in terms of which members of the Board would have  voting rights.

The proposal was:

a)    Only the following members of the HWB will have voting rights:

·        Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services (Chair of HWB)

·        Cabinet Member for Children

·        Chair, Clinical Commissioning Group (Vice-Chair of HWB)

·        Chair, Healthwatch

And

b)    Any additional persons appointed to the HWB either by the local authority or the HWB will be appointed on a non-voting basis.

The Chair invited Members to ask questions.

Councillor Waters referred to the roles and responsibilities of the HWB – “The Board has a duty to develop, update and publish the local pharmaceutical needs assessment as set out in section 128A of the NHS Act 2006” –  and asked how the Board would meet this.  Dr Jeanelle De Gruchy explained that her current understanding was that this would be her responsibility.  Sarah Price added that that information had been provided in the past, and CCG  would be able to work with Public Health to produce this information.

Mun Thong Phung raised an issue with the membership in that the named Healthwatch representative needed to be updated following Sharon Grant’s appointment as Interim Chair.  Clarification was also required as to whether the statutory Healthwatch representative would be the Chair or the Director of Healthwatch.

ACTION: Victoria Wyatt / Clerk

The Chair asked Members if they agreed with the recommendations as set out in the report and it was

RESOLVED that

i)          approval be given to  the proposed direction of the Full Council that

a)     Only the following members of the HWB will have voting rights:

·           Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services (Chair of HWB)

·           Cabinet Member for Children

·           Chair, Clinical Commissioning Group (Vice-Chair of HWB)

·           Chair, Healthwatch

And

b)     Any additional persons appointed to the HWB either by the local authority or the HWB will be appointed on a non-voting basis.

ii)         it be noted that Full Council at its Annual meeting on 20 May 2013 would be requested to consider the views and comments of the Board in respect of (i) above, if any, when resolving to make its direction on HWB members’ voting rights.  The Board had no comments to make to Full Council on the proposed director of HWB member’s voting rights.