Agenda and minutes

Cllr W Purdy proposed and Mr K Smith seconded that Mr M V Snelling be elected Chairman.

Carried Unanimously.

Mr D Daley proposed and Cllr D Royle seconded that Cllr W Purdy be elected Vice-Chairman.

Carried Unanimously.

Cllr Isaac Igwe declared a personal interest in the Agenda as a practising mental health nurse.

LaurettaKavanagh (Kent and Medway Director of Commissioning for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, NHS Kent and Medway), Helen Buckingham, (Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Whole Systems Commissioning, NHS Kent and Medway), Sara Warner (Assistant Director Citizen Engagement, NHS Kent and Medway), David Tamsitt (Director Acute Services, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust), Rosarii Harte (Assistant Medical Director – Acute Services, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust), Adrian Lowther (Head of Communications, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust) and Kevin Skinner (Commissioning Consultant, NHS Kent and Medway) were in attendance for this item.

(1)       Along with the reports contained within the Agenda, Members had before them copies of a 158 page paper due to go to the Board of NHS Kent and Medway later in the month. This provided an additional level of detail which Members of the Committee would be able to study. Reference to parts of this additional paper was made during the meeting as giving additional information underpinning the answers to specific questions from Members of the Committee.

(2)       Representatives of the NHS began by explaining that they welcomed the opportunity to bring their proposals to the Committee (JHOSC). They saw the role of the JHOSC as being to hold the NHS to account in ensuring that the appropriate process was carried out and looked forward to asking the Committee to approve their plans to proceed to a full public consultation. In discussion the consensus was that a second meeting of the JHOSC would be required once the NHS had completed the consultation and subsequent deliberations, but this did not preclude Members taking an active interest in the intervening period.

(3)       In 2010, the Secretary of State for Health set out 4 tests. When carrying out any service reconfiguration, it would be incumbent on the NHS organisations involved to demonstrate the plans had met these tests. These are: strong clinical evidence base; support of GP commissioners; appropriate patient choice was maintained and strengthened; and strong engagement with service users, staff and other stakeholders such as local authority Members.

(4)       The current plans had been developed by NHS Kent and Medway as the commissioners with the main provider of mental health services, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust. A lot of detailed analyses of changes in the way services have been used and the profile of patients who accessed them, along with engagement events with stakeholders and clinicians had led to 4 proposals which would define the outcome sought by service reconfiguration.

(5)       Firstly, there was a need to strengthen Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams (CRHT). Several years ago there was often no choice but to admit people to hospital out of hours and at weekends when Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) were not available. CRHT were able to deliver acute services in people’s homes and act as gatekeepers to acute care. The plan was to enhance these with additional Support Time Recovery  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

It was agreed that the date of the next meeting would be determined at a later date.