Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Harvey and Cllr Poland. Cllr Ramsey and Cllr Taylor were in attendance as substitutes.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

No interests were declared.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23^rd February 2026 have been circulated and the Committee is asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 23^rd February 2026, were confirmed as a correct record.

Councillor March noted that she had been marked as absent from the meeting, although apologies had been provided to the Chief Whip. The Governance Officer noted this and updated the record to reflect that apologies had been received.

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

No announcements were made.

Cllr Sharon Butcher submits.  the below petition for information only to Scrutiny Committee Members. The petition will need to be submitted to the ICB for review. Please send to this team and they will be in touch on behalf of ICB board llricb-llr.enquiries@nhs.net

The people of Melton Mowbray are fed up of being overlooked in terms of essential healthcare services.

• We are fed up of the 8am dash to get urgent GP access which is tricky for our more vulnerable and elderly residents to navigate, and leaves those who are successful feeling more like they’ve won the lottery against all odds, than simply accessed the NHS services they fund through their taxes.
• We are fed up of being told by receptionists that they are at capacity  for the day and we should go to the walk in centre at Loughborough instead. This is simply not an option for many. And why we can’t have our own fit for purpose walk in centre is another discussion.
• We are fed up of waiting months - not days or weeks - at a time for routine appointments and the continual changes to our named GP, meaning those with complex needs are repeatedly having to retell their stories and crossing their fingers the new doctor will understand.
• And recently, local women have been not just fed up but deeply alarmed by being told there are “no cervical smear test appointments currently available in Melton”. If Latham House cannot reliably deliver this important screening programme for women’s health, surely there is a problem.

As these experiences show, the urgent need for a second GP practice cannot be overstated. As a town, we deserve better. We deserve robust healthcare infrastructure that meets our growing needs. GP services also play a vital role in protecting our NHS as fewer patients present to hospital if they can be seen more quickly in the community. This should be something the ICB support. You stated latham house would provide more oppoitments, this does not seem the case were patients are concerned.

The current healthcare facilities are clearly struggling to meet the demand, leading to long waiting times and reduced access to timely medical care. Many residents have expressed frustration and worry over the ability to see a general practitioner when needed. 3,080  of them have signed this petition, patients and families with concerns.

I therefore present this petition here today, formally urging the ICB to reconsider their decision and commit again to the immediate establishment of a second GP practice. Or, at the very least, to restart their previous exploration of the matter. No more excuses. It is time for the ICB to recognise the pressing healthcare needs of Melton Mowbray and for once, listen to the views of our community.

A petition was submitted by District Councillor Butcher for information only to Members of the Commission before formally submitting the petition to the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Cllr Butcher said:

The people in Melton Mowry are fed up of being overlooked in terms of essential health services. We are fed up of the 8am dash to get urgent care access, which is tricky for our more vulnerable and elderly residents to navigate and leaves those who are successful feeling more like they have won the lottery against all odds than simply accessing NHS services they fund through their taxes. We are fed up with being told by sorry, that the capacity by receptionists that are at capacity for the day, we should go to the walk-in in Loughborough instead. This simply is not an option for many and why we can have our own fit for purpose walk-in centre in another is another discussion.

We are fed up of waiting months, not days or weeks, at a time for routine appointments and the continual changes of our named GPs, meaning those with complex needs are repeatedly having to retell their stories and crossing their fingers that the new doctor will understand.

As these experiences show, the urgent need for a second GP practise cannot be overstated. As a town, we deserve better. We deserve robust health care infrastructure that meets our growing needs. GP services also play a vital role in protecting our NHS as fewer patients present to hospitals, if they can be seen more quickly in the community, this should be something that the ICB supports.

The current health care facilities are clearly struggling to meet the demand, leading to long waiting times and reduced access to timely medical care.

Many residents have expressed frustration and worry over the ability to see a general practitioner when needed. I have 3,268 signed the petition, formally urging the ICB to reconsider their decision to commit again to the immediate establishment of a second GP surgery practice, or at the very least to restart their previous expiration of the matter. No more excuses. It is time for the ICB to recognise the pressing health care needs of Milton Mowbray and for once listen to the views of our community. This is about patient choice and forward thinking, ready for the expansion of all the houses on the local plan.

Toby Sanders, Chief Executive of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB), responded that an invitation would also be extended to Councillor Butcher to attend the next ICB Board meeting in public in June to raise the matter directly. It was acknowledged that the concerns outlined had also been recognised by the ICB Chair and Chief Executive.

Cllr Ramsay Ross submitted the following questions to the Scrutiny Committee:

1.     LRI-A&E

What progress has been made on the issues of Staffing and Alternative Provision of Services and what further steps are envisaged for 2026:

Staffing:

·       What reduction has there been in the number of agency and bank nursing staff between January 2024 and December 2025?

·       What increase has there been in the number of consultant, middle and junior level medical staff between January 2024 and December 2025

·       Staff sickness rates – what reduction has been achieved since 2024?

2.     Alternative Provision, Utilisation and the Management of Flows:

·       The use of NHS111 – Market Harborough and Rutland MH  Urgent Care Clinics now require appointments, with no walk in provision (and the Corby Health Centre proposes to introduce similar measures).

·       Is this approach to patient access consistent with addressing the CQC findings highlighting those LRI-A&E patients who either could not gain access to, or had not attempted to get a GP appointment or Out-of-Hours clinical appointment?

·       Has the utilisation of facilities, such as the Merlyn Vaz Centre, increased since January 2024?

·       What steps have been taken to address the level of demand for mental health provision?

3.     The Role of Councils: The CQC noted that demand in A&E was higher than planned due to the increased length of stay for patients who could not be transferred to other hospital Depts, in part due to discharge rates (bed-blocking). It further noted that discharge rates were impacted by problems with provision of community care, support for people living with deprivation, and homelessness.

·       Is the ICB content with those steps that have been taken by Councils since 2024 to address patient discharge issues and what further steps are required in 2026?

4.     Ambulance Waiting Times and Utilisation of Services: East Midlands service response times have worsened in the period from August to October 2025, having been stable earlier in the year. What are the top three reasons for the recent change in service provision to December 2025?

·       Out of Area Patient Discharge - the CQC noted the under-utilisation of the independent provider of patient transport services. Has this been addressed?

5.     NHS Dentistry Provision Crises

In December 2024 there were c. 8000 foreign qualified dentists on the waiting list to take the two-part General Dental Council (GDC) overseas registration exam. In 2025 there were 350, or 4% of such dentists, who took the GDC exams. What specific written representations has the LLR-ICB made over the past 2 years, concerning the rapid accreditation of these dentists?

Cllr Haq submitted the following questions:

1.     Please could we have an update on the creation of a Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Leicester, why is this taking so long ?

2.     Why are the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland losing out on the world leading Cancer treatment and Support?

Cllr Ramsay Ross submitted the following questions to the Scrutiny Committee:

1. LRI-A&E

What progress has been made on the issues of Staffing and Alternative

Provision of Services and what further steps are envisaged for 2026:

Staffing:

• What reduction has there been in the number of agency and bank

nursing staff between January 2024 and December 2025?

• What increase has there been in the number of consultant, middle

and junior level medical staff between January 2024 and December

2025 

• Staff sickness rates – what reduction has been achieved since 2024?

The following response was provided:

What reduction has there been in the number of agency and bank nursing staff in ED between January 2024 and December 2025?

There has been a 45% reduction in bank and agency usage in ED from January 2024 to December 2025.

What increase has there been in the number of consultant, middle and junior level medical staff in ED between January 2024 and December 2025.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has appointed four additional consultants in the adult emergency department and two additional consultants in the children’s emergency department. There has been no change in the number of middle?grade or junior doctors during this period.

Staff sickness rates in ED – what reduction has been achieved since 2024?

Staff sickness rates in the emergency department have reduced overall since January 2024, from 5.25% to 4.72%, representing a decrease of 0.53 percentage points.

2. Alternative Provision, Utilisation and the Management of Flows:

• The use of NHS111 – Market Harborough and Rutland MH  Urgent

Care Clinics now require appointments, with no walk in provision

(and the Corby Health Centre proposes to introduce similar

measures). 

• Is this approach to patient access consistent with addressing the

CQC findings highlighting those LRI-A&E patients who either could

not gain access to, or had not attempted to get a GP appointment or

Out-of-Hours clinical appointment?

• Has the utilisation of facilities, such as the Merlyn Vaz Centre,

increased since January 2024?

• What steps have been taken to address the level of demand for

mental health provision?

The following response was provided:

On 1 April 2026, new same-day appointments were introduced in Leicestershire during evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Patients may be offered one of the new appointments, when they contact NHS 111 with an urgent health need. A small number of appointments are also available via GP practices and patients who go to the emergency department for minor health problems may also get an appointment booked for them.  All appointments are with a GP, are 15 minutes long and take place at one of eight locations. It is an appointment-only service and replaces what were known as extended access appointments and taking place from urgent care centres in Enderby, Coalville, Hinckley, Lutterworth, Market Harborough and Melton Mowbray.

The minor injury units in Melton and Market Harborough and the urgent treatment centres at Loughborough, Oadby and Merlyn Vaz can all continue to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

The Chief Nursing Officer for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and

Northamptonshire Integrated Care Boards submits a report to update the

commission on the decision?making process which was followed in relation to the implementation of the agreed relocation of births from St Mary’s Birth Centre.

LLR-NICB-Board-meeting-in-common-PUBLIC-papers-19-March-2026.pdf

The Integrated Care Board (ICB) and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS

Trust (UHL) provided the Committee with an update following the decision taken by the ICB Board on 19th March 2026 regarding St Mary’s Birth Centre. The following was noted:

·       The decision followed a lengthy period of engagement, discussion and

public debate, including a public meeting held in Melton to hear directly

from residents and stakeholders.

·       It was acknowledged that there continued to be differing views on the

decision however, the Board was satisfied that due process had been

followed and that the decision had not been taken lightly.

·       Safety concerns relating to St Mary’s had increased since 2021, with

only 92 births recorded during 2024/25.

·       Low activity levels and workforce pressures had created increasing

clinical risks, including difficulties maintaining staffing resilience and

clinical confidence.

·       Approximately 30% of staff had been unavailable at points during the

review period, further impacting sustainability of the service.

·       The importance of maintaining safe oversight for mothers and babies

and compliance with national maternity safety standards was highlighted

as a key factor in the decision making process.

·       National delays to the New Hospitals Programme had impacted the

planned maternity developments across Leicester, including proposals

linked to Leicester General Hospital (LGH).

·       UHL remained committed to developing maternity and postnatal

provision at LGH using existing facilities and creating a calmer

postnatal environment for women and families.

·       Work was underway to reconfigure postnatal wards at LGH within the

next 3 months to provide more dedicated and supportive postnatal

spaces.

·       Feedback gathered through engagement activity demonstrated that

families highly valued the calm environment, postnatal support and

community feel previously offered at St Mary’s.

·       Concerns raised by local residents and families had included increased

travel times, parking pressures and reduced local choice for mothers in

rural areas.

·       It was acknowledged that the closure process and temporary pause had

been upsetting for staff working within the service.

·       Transition arrangements were in place to support staff, including

opportunities for midwives to work within services at LGH or continue

working within Melton based provision where appropriate.

·       Community based maternity support and home birth services would

continue to form part of the wider maternity model across Leicester,

Leicestershire and Rutland.

·       Leicester was reported to have one of the higher home birth rates

nationally at approximately 2% to 3%, although it was acknowledged

that further work was required to improve awareness of available

choices for women.

·       Home births were subject to detailed safety assessments and delivered

through a dedicated specialist team.

·       National guidance required maternity services to continue offering a

range of birth choices, including home birth, planned caesarean section

and vaginal birth options.

·       Community based perinatal mental health services remained available

locally, whilst specialist inpatient provision continued to operate on a

regional basis due to the small number of beds required across the East

Midlands.

·       Despite delays to the wider New Hospitals Programme, £39 million in

enabling funding had been secured to support essential works across

the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

The Leicester Partnership Trust (LPT) submits a report to the Committee to provide information about Speech and Language Therapy Services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The Leicester Partnership Trust (LPT) submitted a report to the Committee providing information about Speech and Language Therapy Services (SALTS) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The Group Director of Strategy and Partnerships provided an overview of the report. The following was noted:

·       The report included parental feedback on Early Language Support for Every Child ELSEC, which had been a focus at the previous Scrutiny meeting.

·       Performance information on SALTS waiting times were provided. 2024 had seen a drop in recorded performance for referral assessments, this had now recovered due to a balancing of resources.

·       The target was to keep monthly follow-up support at or below 4,000 young people, figures were currently just within threshold.

·       Schools were identified as a key source of support, and it was vital that teachers were able to provide sufficient assistance within the school setting. Developing the Expert at Hand Offer was key.

·       The focus was on developing ways to improve Family Empowerment.

·       The ICB had 3 key priorities, one of which was to give children and young people the best start.

In discussion with Committee Members and Officers, the following was noted:

·       The report included 5 years of performance data.

·       The SALTS pathway was dependent on need. The first appointment included both assessment and commencement of treatment. Some children might require several appointments, with others requiring lifelong support with links to SEND. Further data could come back to Scrutiny, including on numbers referred for community support.

·       Feedback demonstrated a high level of satisfaction for service users. Preferences were for intensive support, with early intervention.

·       It was vital to utilise professionals to their maximum to manage caseloads, preferably within the school setting. There was an inbuilt capacity of knowledge within the city schools.

·       The Expert at Hand offer was pending implementation. It was hoped that ELSEC could be rolled out as part of the offer.

·       LLR was one of nine locations across the country receiving additional funding of £2.2m under the Changing People Programme (CPP). ELSEC had already performed well. Funding updates would come via Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Scrutiny.

·       The 18 week target referenced the national Referral To Treatment (RTT) target.

·        The SEND Reform Plan had been established in a Central Government White Paper. Work was ongoing to embed the new policy.

·       All referrals were triaged on need and risk. It was noted that whilst clinical cases were remaining stable, referrals relating to delay were doubling due to increased need.  Research as to causation was ongoing. It was noted that poverty, screen time and modern family ways of living could all contribute to speech issues amongst children.

·       GPs and Health Workers constituted the largest number of referrals.

·       SALT was being embedded within the schools and long term case-loads would be reviewed.

·       A key challenge for the NHS, education and the Local Authority was preventative work and the implementation of early support.

·       Sufficient resilience was in place within the schools to enable the programme which would develop over time. NHS support would be provided  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.

Members are invited to ask any questions that are not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

No questions were raised.

Members will be asked to note the work programme and consider any future items for inclusion

The Chair noted that this was the final meeting of the municipal year and thanked Members and Health Partners for their contributions and work throughout the year.

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 11.50am.