Agenda item - Member Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by councillors:

(a)          Petitions: to receive any petitions submitted by Members by the due date (10 Working Days);

(b)          Written Questions: there is a written question from Cllr Grimshaw (copy attached)

(c)          Letters: to consider any letters;

(d)               Notices of Motion: to consider any Notices of Motion submitted by Members.

6.1       There was a member question from Cllr Evans:

I ask the committee to note that cervical screening rates have dropped in Brighton and Hove to one of the lower rates in England, that is 64% of eligible women in 2021. The national average being closer to 70% and the government target being 80% of women.

I ask the chair if she is willing to bring a report to the next committee to allow HOSC to scrutinise cervical screening services in the city. I also ask her to consider including other gender related screening programmes such as breast screening if rates are similarly poor. I would particularly ask that this report includes public health awareness and education programmes, and the accessibility and suitability of the programme for hard to reach and minority groups.

6.2       The Chair thanked Cllr Evans for her question and agreed to ask for a paper to come to the next committee meeting. The Chair told members that she would meet with council Public Health officers in the next few weeks to seek advice on the scope of any item, and would then invite NHS England commissioners to attend the October 2022 HOSC meeting.

6.3       Cllr Evans asked a supplementary question, requesting that data on equalities be included in the October report. The Chair agreed that she would ask for equalities and geographical data to be included in any report.

6.4       Cllr West requested that the report should cover all gender-specific cancer screening: e.g. male as well as female cancers. The Chair responded that she would discuss this with public health colleagues.