Issue - items at meetings - Proposal for In-Year Review

Report of the Strategic Director People (copy attached).

8.1       The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, People which explained that as part of the process of learning during the shadow year of Health & Wellbeing Board development, officers supporting the Board intended to commission an in-year review of the effectiveness of Shadow Health & Wellbeing arrangements.  The report addressed issues relating to the timing of the review and the type of review to be undertaken.

8.2       The HWB Business Manager reported that a summer review was recommended as it would feed into the work of the Board before the JHWS was agreed in September 2012.  With regard to the type of review, it was recommended that the peer review be facilitated by OPM (Office for Public Management).  OPM had identified Wandsworth as a peer-review partner for Brighton & Hove.

8.3       Robert Brown considered that it would be difficult to review the Board after one meeting.  He asked how feedback from the patients participation groups and voluntary sector would be presented to the review.  The HWB Business Manager explained that there had been work on planning for the Board for the past 18 months.  The views of public stakeholders would be taken into account over the shadow year rather than through the peer review.  In the first instance, views could be expressed through the HWB Business Manager and later to the Chair of the Board. 

8.4       Councillor Meadows stated that although she understood the reason why it was recommended that the review be carried out early, she was not clear if this was a cost effective way of proceeding.  The HWB Business Manager explained that the peer-review was relatively low cost.  Costs were met through the Statutory Directors budgets.   As the Health and Wellbeing Board was a new body, he was not confident that an internal review was appropriate. 

8.5       The Chair stated that he would not be comfortable with having an internal review.

8.6       RESOLVED – (1) That the preferred option outlined in the report for an in-year review of the effectiveness of the shadow HWB (summarised at point 3.11 of the report) be agreed.