Agenda and minutes

To issue a welcome to those present, and to confirm if there are any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllr March and Cllr Westley. Cllr Bonham was present as substitute.

Members will be asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

The Chair asked members to declare any interests in proceedings for which there were none

The minutes of the meeting of the Public Health and Health Integration Scrutiny Commission held on 28^th April 2026 have been circulated, and Members will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

The Chair highlighted that the minutes from the meeting held on 28^th April 2026  were included in the agenda pack and asked Members to confirm whether they were an accurate record.  
 
AGREED:
 

• It was agreed that the minutes for the meeting on 28^th April 2026 were a correct record. 

Members will be asked to note the membership of the Public Health and Health Integration Scrutiny Commission for 2026/27.

The membership of the commission for 2026/27 were confirmed as follows:

Councillor Elaine Halford (Chair)

Councillor Paul Westley (Vice Chair)

Councillor Deepak Bajaj

Councillor Adam Clarke

Councillor Melissa March

Councillor Liz Sahu

Councillor Devi Singh Patel

Councillor Mohinder Singh Sangha BEM 

Members are asked to note the commission meeting dates as follows:

1.       Tuesday 30^th June 2026

2.       Tuesday 1^st September 2026

3.       Tuesday 3^rd November 2026

4.       Monday 1^st February 2027

5.       Monday 8^th March 2027

The dates of the meeting of the Commission were confirmed as follows:

1. Tuesday 30th June 2026

2. Tuesday 1st September 2026

3. Tuesday 3rd November 2026

4. Monday 1st February 2027

5. Monday 8th March 2027

Members are asked to note the scrutiny terms of reference.

The Commission noted the Scrutiny Terms of Reference.

The Chair is invited to make any announcements as they see fit.

The Chair highlighted that scrutiny was an opportunity for members to work

together to act as a critical friend and other’s views should be respected. The

Chair emphasised that the Commission valued youth representatives’

participation and the insights they provided.

It was noted that papers were to be taken as read for the most effective use of

time at the meetings.

Any questions, representations and statements of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures will be reported.

It was noted that none had been received.

Any petitions received in accordance with Council procedures will be reported.

It was noted that none had been received.

The Director of Public Health, Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT), The Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) will give the commission an overview of the service areas.

The Director of Public Health, Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT), The Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) provided the commission with an overview of the service areas.

The Chief Operating Officer for UHL submitted a presentation which was taken as read. An overview was provided with the following being noted:

·       UHL was a large teaching trust providing acute, community and virtual care across LLR from three acute hospitals and eight community sites, alongside specialist treatment and biomedical research services.

·       1.4 million patient visitors were seen annually; urgent and emergency care was the busiest single site emergency department in the UK.

·       Improving performance, particularly ambulance handovers, patient flow, cancer care and elective recovery, remained a priority.

·       Patient experience and staff feedback were positive, although emergency care satisfaction was lower than inpatient services.

·       UHL accepted the findings of both the Amos and Ockenden reviews of NHS maternity and neonatal services and apologised to those who did not have a good experience. Improvements were being made.

·       Quality Safety had seen progress with new facilities across LLR including a new urgent treatment centre to open in August 2027 at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

·       Work continued with Northamptonshire and Kettering partners to identify service improvements while maintaining a local integrated care focus.

In response to member questions and discussions, the following was noted:

·       The Governance committees were working on Winter Planning. A number of schemes had worked well in the previous year.

·       There had been a national critical incident for EMAS over the recent weekend.

·       Work was ongoing to provide same-day access appointments, with the aim of reducing the number of people attending A&E when there was no emergency need.

·       Members requested a report from EMAS.

·       A joint site visit was requested by members.

The Group Director of Strategy and Partnerships for Leicestershire Partnerships Trust provided members with an overview of the work of the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) The following was noted:

• The NHS was the 5^th largest employer in the world. Over 87% of staff resided in the local area.

• LPT was a community and mental health trust, caring in home settings and hospitals across LLR over 100 different sites.
• Services included mental health, support for children and families and community health.
• A refresh had been launched with the aim of enabling people to thrive, with a working ‘together’ focus with patients, families and partners.
• There was an improving trajectory with 3 consecutive CQC ratings of ‘Good.’
• Chat health services had been successful, and the service had been sold to other local authorities and health organisations.
• Work was ongoing to reduce the stigma for mental health services.

In response to member questions and discussions, the following was noted:

• AI was not yet in widespread use. Further understanding was required regarding its advantages and disadvantages, particularly in relation to mental health support.
• Key challenges included urgent and emergency care, supporting UHL with flow and providing space for rehabilitation. Additional capacity had been created at the Bradgate Unit  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

The Director of Public Health will provide the Commission with a verbal update.

The Director of Public Health provided an update on health protection activity since the previous meeting.

·       It was noted that changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, including bringing forward the second MMR vaccination to 18 months of age, were expected to contribute to further improvements in uptake. Vaccination rates across childhood immunisations had continued on a gradual upward trend, with second dose MMR uptake reaching 85% over the last four quarters and moving closer to the national average. Whilst this represented positive progress, it was acknowledged that further work remained, particularly amongst vulnerable groups.

·       Members heard that there had been no significant outbreaks since the previous meeting and that partnership working across the Integrated Care Board footprint on vaccination and immunisation programmes continued to strengthen. The appointment of an additional Community Infection Prevention and Control Nurse was also welcomed.

·       The Commission was updated on the recent visit by the House of Lords Committee undertaking an inquiry into vaccinations. The visit had showcased Leicester's collaborative approach, including contributions from health partners, schools and community organisations. The key message from the visit was that sustained investment and consistent resources were essential to improving vaccination uptake, building on the successful response to the measles outbreak. A report and recommendations from the inquiry were expected in October and would be shared with the Commission.

·       Members also received an update on wider health protection issues. It was noted that the recent red heat alert highlighted the growing need to prepare for the impacts of climate change, with increasing emphasis on prevention, public awareness and adapting buildings and services. It was recognised that pressures traditionally associated with winter were increasingly becoming year-round challenges, including the emergence of diseases spread by insects not previously common in the UK.

·       The success of the RSV vaccination programme was highlighted, with lower than expected hospital admissions reported over the previous winter. However, concerns remained regarding the uptake of the HPV vaccine. It was emphasised that HPV vaccination was an important cancer prevention measure rather than solely a sexual health intervention, and that increasing uptake had the potential to prevent future cancer deaths. Community Wellbeing Champions continued to play an important role in raising awareness.

In response to Members questions, It was noted that:

·       Whilst HPV vaccination uptake was higher amongst females across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as a whole, this pattern was not reflected within the city. Members stressed the importance of continuing to promote clear public messaging around the benefits of vaccination.

·       Vaccination records could be accessed through the NHS App. Members highlighted inconsistencies depending on individual GP practices and suggested that improved visibility of vaccination records could help increase uptake. It was explained that this was linked to data governance arrangements within GP practices and that the issue would be raised with the relevant digital leads to explore whether more practices could enable access. Concerns were also raised regarding data quality across practices and the varying levels of support available to maintain accurate records.

Agreed:

1.      The update  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

The Director of Public Health submits a report which was coproduced with Health Partners to update the Commission on the current position of dentistry across Leicester.

The Integrated Care Board (ICB) will give a verbal update on Leicester Neighbourhood Approach.

Due to officer illness, the report on the Leicester Neighbourhood Approach was unable to be presented and was deferred to the next meeting of the Commission.

Members of the Commission will be asked to consider the work programme and make suggestions for additional items as it considers necessary.

The Chair reminded Members that any suggested items for inclusion in the work programme should be shared with the Chair and the Senior Governance Officer.

With there being no further business, the meeting closed at 7:52pm.