Issue - items at meetings - Department of Health Consultation: Local Democratic Legitimacy in Health

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26.1    Members discussed making a formal response to the Department of health consultation: ‘Improving Democratic Legitimacy in Health.’

26.2    Cllr Allen told members that he regretted the abolition of HOSCs and the potential loss to health scrutiny this would entail, particularly in terms of the expertise that elected members had built up over the past few years.

26.3    Cllr Marsh told members that she had concerns about plans to transform Local Involvement networks into ‘Healthwatch’, and was also worries about the new Health and Well-Being Boards, particularly if they were to have a twin commissioning and scrutiny role.

26.4    Mr Brown told the committee that the achievements of independent health scrutiny should not be forgotten. He also warned that the transition from LINks to Healthwatch would be a crucial time, and hoped that the council would do all that it could to ensure continuity during this period.

26.5    Cllr Harmer-Strange told members that he thought the independence of the HOSC and its statutory ‘teeth’ were both important (even if it was rarely necessary to use the latter due to the positive engagement of local NHS bodies).

26.6    RESOLVED – Members agreed that officers should compile a précis of  HOSC members’ views on the consultation, which, subject to member approval, should then be formally submitted to the Department of Health.