Regional health scrutiny

Overview and scrutiny plays an integral role into examining policies, performance and decisions of councils and their partners in the public sector, including the NHS. It is made up of local councillors, who have powers to inquire into, and make recommendations about, matters of local priority. For the council, this falls under the remit of the Adults, Wellbeing and Health Scrutiny Committee.

Regional Joint Health Scrutiny Committee

A Regional Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was set up by the 12 local authorities in North East England. The Committee meets regularly to consider important health issues which affect the region, including proposals by NHS Commissioners and service providers which are considered to be substantial variations in or developments to health services.

The committee has considered proposals for potential service changes in respect of:

• Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Sustainability and Transformation Plan;
• Durham, Darlington and Tees, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Sustainability and Transformation Plan;
• North East Urgent and Emergency Care Vanguard;
• North East and Cumbria Learning and Disabilities Fast Track Transformation Plan;
• North East Commissioning Support - Regional Back Pain Programme; 
• Specialised Commissioning - NHS England North
  • Congenital Heart Disease - Adults and Children
  • Neo-Natal Intensive Care
  • Paediatric High Dependency Care (Winter Pressures)
  • Vascular Surgery

Agendas, reports and presentations in respect of these issues can be accessed via Hartlepool Borough Council - agendas, meetings and minutes.  

Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Board and Health Scrutiny) Regulations - Provision for Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Board and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 require the formation of a joint scrutiny agreement, where an NHS body or relevant health service provider consults more than one local authority on proposals to make substantial variations or developments to services. They provide that all the local authorities whose residents receive such services must participate in the joint scrutiny arrangement for the purpose of responding to the consultation, using the method most appropriate to the areas and issues being considered.

The following Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees have been established involving Durham County Council. 

• A Joint Committee consisting of Durham County Council, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Borough Council, Northumberland County Council, South Tyneside Borough Council and Sunderland City Council was established in June 2018 to oversee the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and North Durham Sustainability and Transformation Plan. This work is ongoing and has developed in to the scrutiny of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System and the Northern and Central Integrated Care Partnerships.

• A Joint Committee consisting of Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council, Hartlepool Borough Council, Middlesbrough Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council was established in July 2016 to oversee the Darlington, Durham Teesside, Hambleton, Richmondshire and Whitby Sustainability and Transformation Plan. This work is ongoing and has developed in to the scrutiny of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System and the Central and Southern Integrated Care Partnerships.

• A Joint Committee consisting of Durham County Council, South Tyneside Borough Council and Sunderland City Council was established in September 2019 to oversee the Path to Excellence Programme Phase 2. This work is ongoing.