Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - Joint Committee

Background information

The Pennine Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust runs Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, North Manchester General Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary. It also has services at Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale. For more information, see the Pennine Acute National Health Service Trust web site.

It is the role of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to scrutinise the services provided by the Trust and to contribute to the development of policy. This is to help improve the health of the local population and reduce health inequalities.

The Joint Committee is made up of 3 Elected Members from each of the authorities that make up the Pennine Acute footprint - the area covered by the Trust.

Meetings of the Joint Committee are held on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm and are open to the public. The meeting dates for 2012/13 are as follows:

• 19 June 2012 in Bury Town Hall (Rooms A&B)
• 24 July 2012 in Oldham Civic Centre (Lees Suite)
•  4 September 2012 in Rochdale Town Hall (Committee Room 1)
• 16 October 2012 in Manchester Town Hall (Committee Room 3)
• 27 November 2012 in Bury Town Hall (Rooms A&B)
• 22 January 2013 in Oldham Civic Centre (Lees Suite)
• 27 March 2013 in Rochdale Town Hall (Committee Room 1)

Terms of reference

The Terms of Reference for the Joint Committee are available via download.

The Joint Committee and the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have also agreed Working Principles. These Principles set out arrangements relating to administration, these are available via download.

Work programme / Current projects

• A workplan will be agreed, by the Joint Committee, for the municipal year 2012/2013. 
• The Joint Committee reviewed bed closures and bed occupancy rates during 2011/12.  The review report is available via download.
• The Joint Committee is monitoring the implementation of its recommendations about communication with patients and will monitor the Pennine Acute NHS Trust's response to the review of bed closures and bed occupancy rates.
• The Officer and Chairman have been working with the Centre for Public Scrutiny and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to develop better ways of working between scrutiny committees and the CQC.  A guidance leaflet for councillors, on working with the CQC, has been published.
• The Joint Committee has scrutinised the proposals for the reconfiguration of cardiology and stroke services and has been the statutory consultee for the reconfiguration proposals.
• The Joint Committee has commented on the Quality Accounts of the Pennine Acute NHS Trust and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.  The comments can be viewed via download.

Committee membership

A new joint committee is appointed in June at the start of each municipal year.

Municipal Year 2012/2013:
Chair - Councillor Barbara Beeley
Vice Chair - Councillor Colin McLaren

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council:
Councillors Roy Walker, Peter Bury & Stella Smith.

Manchester City Council:
Councillors Naeem Hassan & Veronica Kirkpatrick.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council:
Councillors Barbara Beeley, Colin McLaren & Cath Ball.

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council:
Councillors Janet Darnbrough, Martin Rodgers & Peter Joinson.

For further information on the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and its work, please contact us.

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