Agenda and minutes

The Board noted that Councillor M Lapsa declared an other interest in relation to Minute 16 below, “headed Prioritisation of NHS Services”, due to having a family member working for the NHS.  This interest did not preclude Councillor Lapsa from taking part in the discussion and he remained in the meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 22^nd October 2025 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded in accordance with Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 for the consideration of the following private report on the grounds that the report relates to an individual and information relating to financial or business affairs of an organisation and the amount of expenditure proposed to be incurred by the Council under a particular contract for the supply of goods or services:

Report of the Chief Transformation Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, ICB.

The Board received an update from The Integrated Care Board (ICB) regarding Prioritisation of NHS Services and the review on how gluten-free (GF) foods were prescribed for adults and children who had been diagnosed with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis.

The ICB was responsible for making sure NHS resources were used in the best possible way for local people. This meant making decisions based on evidence of what was working well, focusing on the greatest health needs, tackling inequalities, and ensuring money was spent in a way that delivered real benefits.

Coventry and Warwickshire faced serious financial pressures and the ICB must be more selective about what it funded, directing money to services that made the greatest difference. The work to reduce waste and be more efficient would continue however, some tough choices about which services could be maintained would be required.

In order to make these decisions fairly and in order to consider all aspects of a service before making decision on their future, the ICB worked with system partners to create a new approach to prioritisation, bringing together existing methods into one consistent and transparent methodology, so that decisions were fair and based on clear evidence. It would be used to consider the short- and long-term impacts of funding decisions on health outcomes, finances, and inequalities. It would guide a range of decisions, such as whether to stop or reduce funding for a service, restrict or expand access, invest in new technologies or review contracts.

When assessing a service or proposal, seven key areas were looked at:

1. How well it fits with NHS strategy
2. The level of population need
3. Its impact on health inequalities
4. Clinical effectiveness and risk
5. Value for money
6. How it connected with other services
7. How deliverable it was.

Four of these areas were scored and weighted, giving an overall rating from ‘Stop’ through to ‘Expand’. These ratings would help identify where investment should go and ensure decisions were consistent across the system. These ratings and the supporting evidence would be considered by the ICB Senior Leadership Team, who would make a recommendation for the next steps.

This new approach was about making sure that every pound spent delivered the best possible value for patients and communities. By using a fair and transparent process, the ICB and its partners aimed to protect essential services, address inequalities, and ensure the local NHS remained sustainable for the future.

As contracts came up for renewal, or new proposals for contracts were received, the prioritisation methodology was being applied to assessing whether, in the case of new contracts they would meet the needs of the population, or for current contracts, that they were delivering against the goals set out when the contract was first introduced. This led to four possible outcomes being recommended by the Senior Leadership Team:

• Invest and Expand
• Continue to commission, investing if funding is available
• Review service for value for money and access
• Decommission / Disinvest

For current contracts which had been through the prioritisation process  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Report of the Director of Public Health & Wellbeing

The Board received a Briefing Note regarding an overview of the current Early Intervention and Children and Young People (CYP) Substance Misuse (Positive Choices).  The contract was ending in March 2027 and was being brought to the Board for discussion around the future model and delivery of the service.

The Scrutiny Board also considered a private Briefing Note relating to this matter.  The grounds for privacy were that it related to an individual and information regarding the Early Intervention & CYP Substance Misuse (Minute 20 refers).

The Public Health Team at Coventry City Council commissioned an Early Intervention and CYP Substance Misuse service in 2018 to support children and young people who were at risk of using substances, those at risk of exploitation and those in need of support with developing healthy relationships.  The contract was awarded to Change Grow Live (CGL) who launched the “Positive Choices” service.  This service contributed to Coventry’s preventative approach to improving outcomes for children and young people.  The service worked collaboratively with schools, health professionals and organisations such as Youth Justice to provide education, guidance and one-to-one support.

Positive Choices offered support for the following presenting needs:

• Substance Misuse
• Relationships, Online Safety and Sexual Health (ROSH)
• Hidden Harm
• Low level exploitation
• CYP coming through the Youth Justice Service (YJS)

Positive Choices understood the challenges families faced when affected by substance use and other issues affecting children, young people and families and the support was designed to help families feel empowered, connected and strengthened.

The team provided parenting support using the Solihull Approach and hosted regular groups for parents run by an experienced Children and Families team.  For those requiring more tailored support, there was an offer of one-to-one phone calls or face-to-face appointments.  Positive Choices also offered diversionary activities including fun sessions at the community allotment and climbing.  They worked alongside schools and had co-located to several schools across the city to support an early intervention offer around ROSH and substance misuse and were committed to support Coventry Alternative Provision (CAP) service, a group offer to schools who referred young people to the CAP programme.  These groups also focused on ROSH and substance misuse.  CAP would also be offered to primary schools and therefore, a Hidden Harm programme would be available for primary age children.

An engagement plan had been developed ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach to commissioning.  Engagement activities would target a range of audiences and a variety of engagement methods would be used.  Young people would also play an active role in the evaluation of the tender process to ensure their voices were reflected in service design and decision making.

A wider piece of work to review the current range of services for CYP in Coventry who were at risk of poor outcomes was in place.

The data on health risk behaviours in CYP had recently been reviewed.  The full report was in draft form and included a review of the literature and analysis of available data. Up-to-date local data on behaviours  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Report of the Scrutiny Co-ordinator

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5):

1)  Notes the Work Programme with the following amendments:

·  The meeting due to take place on the 17^th December 2025 will take place at UHCW.

Any other items of public business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of Public Business.

Report of the Director of Public Health & Wellbeing.

(listing officer: Rachel Chapman – email: Rachel.chapman@coventry.gov.uk)

Further to Minute XX above, the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) considered a private Briefing Note of the Director of Public Health, setting out the confidential matters relating to an individual and the financial affairs of a particular person regarding the Early Intervention & CYP Substance Misuse.

RESOLVED that, following consideration of the corresponding public Briefing Note, the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5):

1.  Actively engage in the recommissioning process to provide insight and feedback on the proposed service to the Cabinet Member.

2.  Provide contributions in shaping the service specification and identifying priorities for the new contract.

3.  Consider issues raised as part of the planning stage for recommissioning.

Any other items of private business which the Chair decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of private business.