Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting will be recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.

By entering the meeting, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

None.

A Member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest

becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interest are

defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Cllr Pippa Connor declared an interest by virtue of her membership of the Royal College of Nursing.

Cllr Pippa Connor declared an interest by virtue of her sister working as a GP in Tottenham.

Cllr Nick da Costa declared an interest by virtue of his ownership of a company working with the NHS, medical providers and healthcare practitioners on a variety of projects, none of which, to his knowledge, work in Haringey Borough though they do work in surrounding areas and with service providers across London.

Cllr Bull noted that he was employed by NHS England.

This special additional briefing meeting of the Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel is to discuss the transfer of holdings from AT Medics to Operose Health Ltd and the potential impact of this on GP services in Haringey.

Cllr Connor introduced the main item noting that this special additional briefing meeting of the Scrutiny Panel had been called to discuss the transfer of holdings from AT Medics to Operose Health Ltd and the potential impact of this on GP services in Haringey.

Rachel Lissauer, Director of Integration (Haringey Borough Office) at North Central London CCG, introduced the report noting that AT Medics held 34 Alternative Provider of Medical Services (APMS) contracts across London, 8 of which were in the North Central London area. Only one of these was in Haringey Borough – the St Ann’s Road surgery. The concerns that some people had expressed was on the change in control of these contracts from AT Medics to Operose Health Ltd which was a company that held a number of GP and other health service contracts across London and elsewhere in the country.

In terms of the role of the CCG, she explained that AT Medics had to ask permission from the NHS for the change in control. In December 2020, the London CCGs undertook an exercise to do due diligence and reach assurances that the company could provide high quality, safe services for local residents. The CCGs were satisfied of this as a result of the exercise. Assurances had been given that GP services would continue to be run as they are now and these services would also be covered by the CQC quality assurance processes. The commissioning rules and national guidance were applied in the same way as any other GP contract and legal advice was also taken. There was no legal or contractual basis for the CCGs to object to the transfer of control to Operose Health and to do so would have risked both legal challenge and continuity of care for patients. Patient involvement was not a requirement for a change of control unless there was a change in service provision.

Paul Sinden, Chief Operating Officer at North Central London CCG, added that the Primary Care Commissioning Committee requested regular monitoring of the quality of services provided. He said that, while the CCG had published papers in line with their terms of reference, they should have alerted people to the contentious decision that was about to be made. As a piece of learning from that, a meeting now takes place with the five Lead Members for Health and Care for each Borough ahead of each Primary Care Commissioning Committee meeting in order to go through the papers. The CCG would also look again at its procurement process, including the weighting put towards social value and integration.

Asked about the different types of contracts, Paul Sinden said that the original GP contracts with the NHS were for General Medical Services (GMS). These was contracts for life that were only end on retirement or if services were exceptionally poor. Personal Medical Services (PMS) contracts were then introduced as a top up to the GMS contracts which allowed GP practices to opt to provide additional services such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.