Health Scrutiny

Websites

The Centre for Public Scrutiny
The Department of Health
Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)

Downloads

Yorkshire and Humber Region Health Scrutiny Audit
Supporting the implementation of Local Authority Scrutiny of the NHS. Download

A guide to the NHS for members and officers of health scrutiny committees
Its priorities and targets and the key drivers for partnership working. Download

The Local Authority Regulations 2002
Overview and Scrutiny Committee Health Scrutiny Functions. Download

DH Overview and Scrutiny of Health
Guidance. Download

What is Health Scrutiny

Form January 2003, councils were given new statutory powers (under the Health and Social Care Act 2001) to monitor and ulitmately improve the health of their local population, ensuring that their needs are considered as an integral part of the delivery and planning of health services. Those councils with social care responsibilities can appoint overview and scrutiny committees which may review and scrutinise any matter relating to the planning and provision and operation of local health services and make reports and recommendations to local NHS bodies.

In its guidance on health overview and scrutiny, the Department of Health explains that:

“The overview and scrutiny of health is an important part of the Government’s commitment to place patients and the public at the centre of health services. It is a fundamental way by which democratically elected community leaders may voice the views of their constituents and require local NHS bodies to listen and respond. In this way, local authorities can assist to reduce health inequalities and promote and support health improvement.”
http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/06/62/38/04066238.pdf

Local authorities must now be consulted on any substantial change in health services in their area. They can also require health service managers to attend meetings of the overview and scrutiny committee to answer questions about their service.

What is happening in the Yorkshire and Humber Region to support health scrutiny

The Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory is working in partnership with the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Health Inequalities Project hosted by Bradford Council and with the Department of Health team in Government Office to:

meet specific learning and support needs for local authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber Region undertaking health scrutiny, in particular learning options for councillors who will be members of Health Scrutiny Committees and for NHS staff who will be presenting information to those committees;
develop tools to support local authorities run scrutiny processes more effectively, including the use of cross boundary scrutiny programmes
develop systems that will help local authorities take forward lessons learnt through scrutiny, in both service improvement within the Council and NHS and in setting meaningful performance targets

Updated 02/07/2007