Making health care accountable

Green councillor, Douglas Johnson, has taken the lead on scrutinising a decision about the future of Sheffield’s health services.

Councillors have “called in” the decision to progress the “Accountable Care Partnership,” saying the matter should be reviewed by the Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.

The call-in has been supported by Green, LibDem and Labour councillors

Cllr Douglas Johnson said,

“The Accountable Care Partnership will affect many health services in Sheffield from now on but only meets in private.  There needs to be proper scrutiny of its work by a range of elected councillors.

“I wanted to give the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee a chance to ask for a formal role in looking at decisions made in the name of the ‘Accountable Care Partnership.’  It is the only cross-party committee that could scrutinise decisions.  Unfortunately, the Cabinet member’s decision only allows the single-party Health and Well-being Board to have formal oversight of the decisions.”

“I am very pleased this call-in has cross-party support. The role of scrutiny committees of elected councillors, who meet in public, is very important on a highly contentious issue like this.”

“Scrutiny is essential where, so often, the word “transformation” means cuts to public services.

Notes

1. The Individual Cabinet Member decision is at http://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=1908
2. Cllr Douglas Johnson is the lead signatory to the call-in, which is supported by other councillors from the Green, LibDem and Labour groups
3. The reason given for the call-in is “because formal scrutiny arrangements for this highly contentious issue have been agreed only for the Health and Wellbeing Board but not for the Healthier Communities and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, which is the only cross-party scrutiny available to the local authority.
4. A date for the scrutiny committee has yet to be set.
5. The decision being called in refers to the “Sheffield Place-Based Plan.” A draft of this plan was considered but not approved by the Scrutiny Committee in 2017.
6. The Sheffield Accountable Care Partnership is made up of senior executives of the hospitals, health trusts and clinical commissioning group (CCG) as well as Sheffield City Council.