a) West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Council Representative, Councillor Lloyd;
b) West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee – Council Representative, Councillor Pioli; and
c) Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) – Council Representative, Councillor Spilsbury.
Minutes:
Updates on the External Scrutiny Bodies were provided as follows:
a) West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee
The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Lloyd, provided the update as the Council’s Representative on this scrutiny body. Councillor Lloyd reported that there had been a change to the committee structure at WMCA which had resulted in a change to the profile of scrutiny committees. It appeared that the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee was no longer in operation. Little details had been provided to Redditch Borough Council about these changes, so officers at WMCA would be contacted to request further details.
b) West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny
It was reported that the same situation also affected this scrutiny committee and clarification would be sought from officers at West Midlands Combined Authority.
c) Worcestershire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC)
The Council’s Representative on HOSC, Councillor Spilsbury, provided an update. Members were advised that two main items had been considered at the last meeting of HOSC on 21st July 2026: end-of-life care provision and the redesign of adult mental health rehabilitation services. The Committee was informed with regard to mental health rehabilitation provision that proposals were being developed to reduce physical bed-based provision and to provide more support through community-based services and supported living arrangements.
Members expressed concern about the proposed reduction in adult mental health rehabilitation beds across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. It was reported that the current provision included 33 beds across two facilities and that the proposal was to move to one facility with 15 beds. Members queried whether sufficient community provision and how appropriate supported living accommodation would be made available and asked about the evidence base used to support the proposed redesign of this service.
The Committee discussed the potential implications for Redditch residents and noted that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) could affect future health governance responsibilities and partnership arrangements. Members agreed that representatives from the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (HWICB) should be invited to attend a future Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting to explain the proposals, the data underpinning them, and the implications for residents. It was suggested that Members of the Committee submit any questions they wish to be raised to the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with the questions to be forwarded as part of the invitation.
Members also received information regarding end-of-life care. It was reported that population projections indicated an increase in the older population in Worcestershire by 2032, with a particularly high increase among residents aged 79 and over. The Committee was advised that the proposed model for end-of-life care aimed to reduce emergency admissions and reliance on hospital bed provision, increase identification of people approaching the end of life, and reduce non-elective admissions and bed days for people at the end of life. Members expressed concern about the capacity of services to provide appropriate end-of-life support and suggested that the modelling was based on the increased role of social care and private sector providers in this area, with expressed concern about capacity issues.
RESOLVED that
1) the External Scrutiny Bodies updates be noted.
2) That the Representatives from the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board be invited to attend a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to discuss the proposed redesign of adult mental health rehabilitation services.