Agenda item

Caniatáu i Aelodau graffu ar gynnwys ac argymhellion Adroddiad Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru.

The Service Director, Public Protection provided an overview of the Welsh Audit Office Report titled ‘ Delivering with Less – Environmental Health Services – Follow up Review – Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC (2019)

Members were reminded that the WAO undertook an audit in Spring 2019 assessing whether there had been any budget and staff changes within the Council’s Environmental Health services since 2014 and the extent to which it had addressed the recommendations included in the 2014 report.

To inform their findings in a follow up review in 2019, WAO interviewed a selection of Officers and the Scrutiny Committee Chair and Cabinet Member, whose remit includes the Council’s Environmental Health arrangements. The WAO also reviewed relevant documentation during the audit review, which took place during the period April 2019 to July 2019.

The follow up review identified 3 proposals for improvement, which were

recommended as follows:

1. The Council should refresh its analysis of statutory/discretionary environmental health functions to ensure it remains a relevant and robust information base for any future decisions around budgets and service changes.

2. As part of a fresh analysis of statutory/discretionary services in environmental health, the Council should formally agree what constitutes ‘required’ and ‘better’ levels of environmental service provision for each service area. This will enable the Council to reinforce the focus on key statutory priorities and make better-informed decisions around future service provision, whilst increasing transparency for residents.

3. The Council should undertake an annual self-assessment of the

effectiveness of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee in line

with an appropriate framework, for example the FRC Corporate

Governance Code, to provide additional assurance to members.

The Chairman thanked officers for the very good report and audit findings and stated that it compared well when benchmarked against other Local Authorities.

A Member asked if officers were confident that we have the resilience within the department to respond to large infectious disease outbreaks. 

The Officer responded that there was a lot of emphasis on maintaining officer competence, and there was a lot of resilience throughout Wales where officers had undertaken specific training to be able to support cross boundary if needed.  She added that there is a system in place where if someone goes to a GP with an infectious disease, we have a duty to investigate and have to do so within strict timescales.

A Member referred to cost savings and staff reduction detailed in the report and asked how this was achieved.  The Service Director Public Protection advised that the efficiencies had been achieved where staff had left the Authority and had not been replaced and assured members that the natural loss of staff had no impact on the service they were providing.  She reminded members of the recent change in management structure and advised that the introduction of fees being introduced for pest control had affected the demand for the service and this had resulted in a reduced team for that service.

A Member asked if the Council has the structure and resource in place for what has been recommended.

The Service Director Public Protection stated that she was confident the Council could deliver all statutory services to a good standard whilst also maintaining discretionary services as the resources were currently at a sufficient level.  She added that the Service was also able to invest in staff in their professional development to allow them to undertake the responsibilities placed on them.

The Chairman reassured members that having attended meetings with the auditors that he did not have concerns around investment in Public Health

A Member asked if Public Health Wales (PHW)  has experience of liaison with Public Health England (PHE) to deal with cross border outbreaks

The Director of Public Health, Protection and Community Services advised that there was a process of escalation within the NHS that linked PHW and PHE and PHW had drawn on experience from colleagues at PHE and reassured members there was resilience in that service. He added that he was confident that the service was robust enough to respond to a large outbreak and there was a strong support network place.

RESOLVED: Members noted the report