Councillors who are not members of the cabinet contribute to the running of the County Council by scrutinising decisions and reviewing policies. Read more about scrutiny.

Latest scrutiny news

Council invites Secretary of State for Health to reconsider proposals for Newark Hospital

The County Council has invited the Secretary of State for Health to reconsider the proposals for Newark Hospital in light of concerns from local leaders reported to its Social Care and Health Standing Committee.

Councillor Ged Clarke, the Chairman of the Standing Committee, said: "We had planned to use today’s meeting to discuss with the NHS the action to be taken to address concerns from local leaders about services at Newark Hospital.

"However, local councillors have told us that they would prefer us to seek an independent review from the Secretary of State and so that is what the committee has asked for.

"The committee’s referral will include feedback that local councillors and the public have provided us with to ensure that the independent process has heard their views."

View the document sent to the Secretary of State for Health [large pdf]

View the referral letter sent for further consultation [pdf]

Overview committee conducts 'call-in'

The Overview committee has heard a 'call-in' request to consider a decision to award a market factor supplement to the new Improvement Director post. Concerns were raised over the propriety of the decision and whether proper consultation had taken place.

Members can ask the Overview committee to 'call-in', or review, a decision before it has been implemented if they believe the proper process has not been followed.

This was the first occasion in which an attempt was made to settle the dispute by arbitration - involving both parties and the county council Monitoring Officer - to try and resolve issues before being heard by the Overview committee. However, on this occasion, the concerns could not be resolved and in accordance with overview and scrutiny procedure rules, the call-in request was considered by a special meeting of the full committee.

Although the Overview committee, on hearing all the evidence, were satisfied that the decision had been properly made, the committee recommended a policy review of market factor payments.

Scrutiny approves plans for Newark hospital

Plans put forward by the NHS for the future of Newark Hospital have been approved by members of the Health & Wellbeing Standing Committee.

Representatives from the NHS, including local GPs, outlined proposals for Newark hospital to the committee, including plans for a new minor injuries unit.

Victims of heart attacks, strokes and serious accidents will travel to the nearest specialist centre in an effect to get patients to the right place first time. These serious cases will be taken by ambulance to the most appropriate centre for treatment - such as Kings Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, The Queen’s Medical Centre or Lincoln County Hospital.

However, the Minor Injuries Unit is still expected to deal with 85% of patients currently catered for, and will receive a more focused approach to minor treatments.

The review also looked at why upgrading the A&E to deal with major emergencies is not a viable option. Their findings were that there aren’t enough daily admissions to justify highly-paid, specialist doctors at the site, even if the excepted population boom of Newark takes place. A new intensive care unit and theatres to deal with serious injuries would also be required at great cost.

After a detailed presentation and an extensive question and answer session, the Standing Committee were satisfied that there were no grounds to object to the results of the review.

If the committee - which has a statutory duty to receive consultations from NHS Trusts for any proposals for a change to local health services - had not been satisfied with the findings of the review, it had in place powers to formally refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health for an independent assessment.

Councillor Ged Clarke, Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Standing Committee, said: 'Following detailed questioning by members of the committee, we are satisfied that public and patient consultation has been appropriate and we support the proposed changes to Newark Hospital as being in the best interests of local people. However, we will continue to monitor the changes and we will want to see how our recommendations - particularly in improving transport links between Newark and Kings Mill hospital - are implemented as part of the proposals.'

New Chairman of Joint Health Committee

Councillor Mel Shepherd is the new Chairman of the Joint Health Committee replacing Councillor Ginny Klein who becomes vice chair.

The Chair alternates between the City and County each year and for the next municipal year meetings of the joint committee also move to County Hall.

Councillor Shepherd, the Conservative member for Arnold South, was previously the Cabinet member for Adult Social Care & Health - a role now taken by Councillor Kevin Rostance.

Made up of councillors from Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council, the committee ensures accountability and a wider community engagement in health issues across the conurbation. The joint committee scrutinises developments in local NHS services and helps to ensure the delivery of local health services.

Find out more about the joint health committee.

Health services in Newark

Elected members are set to receive a response to recommendations they made as part of a consultation on the future of Newark’s Healthcare.

At its board meeting on 17 June 2010, NHS Nottinghamshire County agreed a set of plans for the future, including a new 24 hour replacement for the A & E Unit at Newark Hospital.

County Councillors will follow up the work in their NHS Services in Newark Review Group which scrutinised whether the Trust was taking the public interest into account through appropriate patient and public involvement and whether the proposals were in the interests of the local health service.  

The findings of the scrutiny review were published in April.

On 5 July the Health and Wellbeing Standing Committee will receive the response to their findings.  They will look at

• how the consultation was taken account of in the decision making process
• the actual final decision that was taken and what it now means for healthcare in Newark
• the responses to three recommendations made by County Councillors as part of the review – this will include comments from NHS Nottinghamshire County, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways.

The committee has the powers to make further recommendations to the Trust if necessary and can refer the proposals to the Secretary of State for Health.

Read more about the review.

Domestic violence set to increase during World Cup

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) is warning of the threat of increased domestic violence during England's World Cup campaign. Domestic violence in England and Wales, increased by an average of 25% on England's match days during the last World Cup in 2006.

A small study group of scrutiny members is looking at domestic violence in the county.

The group – chaired by Councillor Joyce Bosnjak - will consider the help that is available for victims, the nature and prevalence of domestic violence in Nottinghamshire and the effects on individuals and families, particularly children.

Domestic violence or abuse covers psychological, physical, sexual, financial, emotional abuse between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality.

• Domestic violence affects all races, classes and ages, but there is a higher reporting in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and among women under 40 with a peak age of 21.
• An incident of domestic abuse is reported to UK police every minute of every day.
• Most domestic violence goes unreported with less than 1 in 4 victims thought to report their abuse to the police.
• Research suggests that victims suffer 40 incidents on average before first reporting the abuse to police. Approximately 85% of those reporting domestic violence are female.

Factors contributing to the causes of domestic abuse are alcohol and drug misuse, unemployment, debt and other hardship. Domestic violence also increases during pregnancy and childbirth (one third starts at this time), leaving/separation (many homicides within 3 months of separation) and through post separation child contact.

The group will also look at existing provision - whether services  are accessible and appropriate, the coordination and response of key agencies in supporting victims and prevention and enforcement, including bringing offenders to justice. Members will also visit a women’s refuge as part of the study.

• Domestic violence has the highest repeat rate of all crime types
• 12,000 calls made to Nottinghamshire Police per year
• 4,000 crimes recorded last year in the county
• 35% same address as previous crime
• 250 children per month referred for safeguarding where domestic violence is a concern
• 122 children subject to Child Protection Plans where domestic violence is a concern in 2009
• 918 children known to be living in High Risk households in 2009

The study is expected to be completed in the autumn.

Study group to consider road safety around schools

A small study group of members – chaired by Councillor Geoff Merry -  is to look at road safety around the county’s schools. Although Notts schools have an excellent safety record – of 269 child casualties in 2009 in the county, only 11 occurred outside a school - the group will consider the effectiveness of initiatives, particularly school travel plans, in helping to improve road safety.

A School Travel Plan is a written document outlining a series of practical steps for improving children’s safety on the journey to and from school.

The plan helps to encourage pupils and parents to adopt healthy and sustainable transport options, helping to reduce the numbers of cars on the road at peak times and contributing to the improvement of the environment around the school.

319 Notts schools (over 90%) have a travel plan in place and have adopted activities/schemes such as Walking buses and Park ‘n’ Stride to encourage more walking to school.

The plans have seen a 5% reduction in the number of car journeys to schools, but members want to see what other benefits the travel plans have brought to schools and to local communities.

Members will also consider other road safety initiatives around schools such as 20mph zones (of which 5 pilot schemes are currently in place around Nottinghamshire schools), enforcement of zig-zag markings, use of interactive signs and time limited speed restrictions.

The study is expected to be completed in September.

A year of improvements

Improved funding for athletes, cuts in council staff sickness, improved measures against flooding and more patients arriving on time for hospital and clinic appointments – these are just some of the changes that have come about thanks to recommendations made by Councillors over the last year.

Councillor Joyce Bosnjak, Chair of the Overview Committee, presented their annual report at the Council’s AGM on Thursday 20 May, and Councillors were shown how many of their recommendations, made after in-depth reviews, have been acted upon by the County Council and partners.

Since, last summer, the Council has changed the way it scrutinises its own services. An Overview Committee now oversees three standing committees – Health and Wellbeing, Communities & the Environment, and Education. Other, small committees are also formed for specific reviews, and joint committees, made up of councillors from other authorities, are still used as required.

The new structure has allowed standing committees to be made up of Councillors with specific knowledge, while a new slot in County Council monthly meetings mean all councillors can have an input.

The new structure has been put into practice to review a number of issues. These include:

• The Overview Committee has made recommendations to give grant aid to local athletes, which has lead to £150,000 pot for would-be stars of the future
• Overview also recommended changes to management and flexibility around sickness, which have been acted upon. The Council has seen a drop in absences
• The Communities & Environment standing committee called for a number of changes to critical infrastructure, such as transport and electricity supplies, in the face of flooding. The Local Resilience Forum then acted to iron out the identified weaknesses
• Recommendations by the Education committee to improve attendance at schools are being adopted wholesale by the Council. These include looking at patterns of absence and improving support that encourages regular attendance
• A Joint Health review led to changes to the Patient Transport Scheme, which was failing to meet modest targets of delivering 37% of patients on time. Reports from patients claim things are already improving

Councillor Bosnjak, Chair of the Overview Committee, said: “Our scrutiny role is not just about being critical it is about trying to lead improvements for the people of Nottinghamshire, regardless of what agency is involved. This report shows what can be achieved if members are involved early enough.”

Councillor Ged Clarke, Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Standing Committee, said: “The new structure to scrutiny has allowed us to have a more direct and knowledgeable approach. Many of the recommendations we have made over the last year have been carried out by the County Council and partner organisations. In turn, this will have a positive impact on many people in the county in a number of different ways.”

Read the Annual Report in full [pdf 302KB ]

Overview scrutinising partnerships

The Overview Committee has established a review of partnerships which is being undertaken by a small group of members.  The Committee is concerned that elected members - in particular those with a non-executive/accountability role - do not have sufficient knowledge of the work of partnerships within Nottinghamshire and the achievements they are making.  This review provides an opportunity to consider those achievements and how they are reached.  The review also seeks to explore how the County Council and elected members could or should be involved with partnerships.

The review should be an open process and members would like to give every Local Strategic Partnership the opportunity to talk about its work.

Review looks at alternative heating for council buildings

A small review group of councillors is looking at introducing biomass boilers into council buildings.

Instead of using environmentally damaging fossil fuels, biomass boilers burn wood chip, wood pellet or cereals or a combination of fuels. This produces heat for central heating systems and hot water and helps to counter the impacts of climate change.

The report should be published in March.

Review group looks at proposed shake-up of health services in Newark

A Review Group - made up of members from the Health & Wellbeing Standing Committee - is considering proposals for future health services for Newark.

Proposals from NHS Nottinghamshire County include replacing the accident and emergency department in a major shake-up of health provision in the town.

Newark hospital has no intensive care beds, 24-hour anaesthetics cover, or access to major surgical facilities, which means many emergency patients already have to be transferred by ambulance because their injuries can't be treated.

NHS Nottinghamshire County is now consulting on options to replace Accident & Emergency with a minor injuries unit staffed either by GPs or specially trained nurses with more community care services, outpatient clinics and GPs.

Specialist centres for stroke, heart attack and trauma are all expected to be based in Nottingham in a move towards offering patients the best specialist care in a smaller number of centres. However, the proposed changes to urgent care should make no difference to the number of patients treated in Newark.

The Review Group will consider whether the Trust has taken into account the public interest through appropriate patient and public involvement and consultation, and whether the proposals are in the interests of the local health service.

The public consultation on the plans runs until March 6.

New Scrutiny Review to consider access to GPs

A small working group of members from the Health & Wellbeing Committee are to carry out a review into health inequalities and access to GPs.
The review will examine issues relating to access to GP services and consider if there is a relationship between access and health inequalities.
The review will consider whether surgeries are applying good practice when managing appointments and examine if patient perception of poor service is valid.
Although there are significant improvements in terms of health for the county as a whole, Mansfield, Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Newark & Sherwood are all falling behind the average for the rest of England in terms of life expectancy.

Overview Committee calls for more scrutiny funding

The Overview Committee has welcomed government proposals to enhance the powers of overview and scrutiny, but believes that adequate resources are crucial to carry out effective scrutiny.

In responding to the Strengthening Local Democracy consultation by the Communities & Local Government Department, members of the overview committee welcomed increased responsibility to influence local decision making.

The committee also strongly supports the implementation of additional powers suggested in the consultation to enable members to represent and champion the needs of the community.

‘We are constantly looking to introduce new ways of involving the public in the work of overview and scrutiny,’ Councillor Joyce Bosnjak, Chair of the Overview Committee, said.

‘We would also like to see improved communications so that service providers are aware of the expectations on them to co-operate with overview and scrutiny,’ Councillor Bosnjak added.

The Committee believes that any organisation that provides or commissions services should be called before a scrutiny committee where local people have a concern with the services they provide.

A response to the consultation setting out proposed next steps will be published at the end of the year.

New scrutiny review to consider apprenticeships

A working group of members is to look at apprenticeships in the county.

The review will examine current provision of apprenticeships - including the County Council - and consider if current places meet demand. It will also identify how young people are encouraged to use the apprenticeship route, to gain the necessary skills for employment.

More than 30 employers provide over 2,000 apprenticeships every year in Nottinghamshire - the highest in the region.

New Scrutiny review to look at highway maintenance

Members of the Communities and Environment Committee are to examine highway maintenance - in response to local concerns about road and footpath repairs.

The review will look to ensure better value for money and good practice in the repair of roads, by considering how the authority deals with reported problems and complaints and how repair work is prioritised.

The highway network is a crucial part of the local infrastructure affecting all communities. A higher volume of traffic and heavier vehicles, means more wear and tear on the roads with damage often caused by accidents, misuse and the effects of the weather.

Roads and footways are also affected by how utility companies - such as the electricity, gas, water and telecommunications companies - install, renew or repair their underground services. The review will also consider reinstatment issues, such as compensation and the cost of claims against utility companies.

The Communities and Environment Committee – chaired by Councillor Sue Saddington – is responsible for monitoring and influencing the development of communities, highways and the environment across the county.

The review is expected to last six months.

The County council is responsible for a highway network of:

• Over 4200 kilometres (2625miles) of road, of which 2600 kilometres (1625 miles) are in built up areas;
• Over 5400 kilometres (3375 miles) of footways;
• Over 4100 kilometres (2560 miles) of verges;
• Over 6000 kilometres (3750 miles) of kerbing.
• This represents a total investment of about £3200m

Residents can report a problem on one of Nottinghamshire's roads by using a report a road problem form.

Expansion of radiotherapy services ‘disappointing’

Members of the Health & Wellbeing Committee have expressed disappointment at a decision not to expand radiotherapy services to Kings Mill Hospital.

Two additional radiotherapy machines will now be located at the City Hospital, with an expected saving of £1.5m by further centralising cancer services in Nottingham.

The decision – taken by NHS Nottinghamshire County – has angered residents in Ashfield and Mansfield and a petition of 19,309 signatories was presented to the Trust Board at a meeting on 23 July 2009.

However, a decision has now been agreed and members of the committee expressed concern at the travelling severely ill patients will have to make from the north of the county and have asked to see more detailed proposals.

The new Health and Wellbeing standing committee – chaired by Councillor Ged Clarke - will scrutinise adult social care, health and children's services across the county, with reviews of services carried out by smaller groups of councillors.

New look for scrutiny

Scrutiny in Nottinghamshire is set to change. The Overview Committee - chaired by Councillor Joyce Bosnjak - will co-ordinate the programme of scrutiny work.

But the most visible difference will be three new 'standing' scrutiny committees which will allow members to develop expertise and knowledge of services in a particular area, with scrutiny reviews carried out in smaller groups.

And the new statutory Councillor Call for Action means that any member of the County Council will be able to put forward a topic for scrutiny to the overview committee.