1) Dr Robinson reported on the Working Group of Members that had met on 25 April to speak to NHS colleagues from a number of trusts about their Core Standards declarations. A summary of the information gathered at this meeting was before the committee, along with a similar summary relating to the full Committee meeting on 28 March.
2) Dr Robinson said that a lot of useful information had been gleaned, providing the Committee with baseline data for the process of preparing third-party commentaries for the next Annual Health Check. The Committee would need to ensure that it was gathering evidence-based information for this purpose throughout the course of the coming year.
3) A Member suggested that, when the Committee was scrutinising the work of a local NHS body, it might meet in the actual area concerned. The Chairman suggested that the Committee would also need to involve Members of the County Council in each area in the process of gathering information for third-party commentaries on local NHS trusts.
RESOLVED:
a) retrospectively to agree to the setting up of the Working Group that considered the self-declarations of the six remaining Trusts on 25 April 2008 – with similar arrangements to be made regarding the gathering information for third-party commentaries in respect of 2008–9; and
b) to note the information set out in the summaries of the Working Group meeting on 25 April 2008 and the Committee meeting on 28 March 2008.