Over the past 4 years the committee has scrutinised individual services of the NHS such as Smoking Cessation, Access to GP Services, Air Quality and Health, Access to Maternity Services, Dentistry, Implementation and Duration of Breastfeeding - Joint Review with Coventry City Council, Mental Health Provision & Childhood Obesity. These reviews not only highlight areas where the NHS could make changes, but where Warwickshire County Council can contribute to improving the health of residents.
The Air Quality and Health review identified traffic congestion as a source of poor air quality in Warwickshire. An outcome from this is that the Environment & Economy Directorate have implemented an Air Quality Strategy in the ‘Local Transport Plan’ with the aim to reduce traffic congestion through green transport policies.
Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee work in partnership with the Borough and District Councils. A Councillor from each of Borough and District councils in Warwickshire has a representative on the committee.
The committee developed a good working arrangement with the Patient and Public Involvement Forums in Coventry and Warwickshire, but these have now been replaced by Local Involvement Networks - Links on the 1st April 2008. LINks gives people the opportunity to say what they think of both health and social care services. Information.
Further information the Warwickshire LINks and how you can become involved can be found by clicking onto Local Involvement Networks button on the left hand side of this webpage.
The members of the committee regularly have seminars about public health concerns such as smoking, alcohol abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. The committee want to ensure that organisations are delivering this agenda effectively rather than concentrating on the NHS. Improving public health is seen as the significant way forward in reducing health inequalities for disadvantaged groups.
It is important to stress that the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee does not deal with individual patient concerns or complaints these are dealt with by the Patients Advisory Liaison Services (PALS) or Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS). Links to these services can be found on the Useful Links and Information page. |