The Health Scrutiny Committee of Waltham Forest Council met on Tuesday 16 January 2024 to discuss a range of health-related topics. Key areas of focus included strategies for combating drug and alcohol-related harm within the borough, and an update on maternity services at Whipps Cross Hospital. The committee also reviewed its action tracker and forward plan.

Protecting Communities from Drug and Alcohol Related Harm

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the Protecting Communities from Drug and Alcohol Related Harm report. This report outlined the establishment and framework of the Combating Drugs Partnership, which was formed in October 2022. The partnership aims to develop a joint strategic needs assessment and a borough-wide drugs strategy, aligning with the government's 10-year plan, From harm to hope.

The report detailed a three-pillared approach: Prevention, focusing on reducing the number of people who use substances and experience related harms; Supply, involving the disruption of drug markets and tackling associated harms; and Treatment, ensuring those with substance misuse problems receive effective, high-quality support and achieve good recovery outcomes. The partnership framework was presented for review and endorsement, with the aim of fostering collaboration between criminal justice and health agencies to address the complex relationship between drugs, crime, and health inequalities.

The report highlighted that alcohol is a leading cause of ill-health, disability, and death among young people in England, and contributes to over 200 medical conditions. It also noted that the illicit drug market has a significant societal cost, with drugs being a major driver of serious violence and exploitation. The partnership framework aims to reduce drug and alcohol-related harms through a coordinated, multi-agency approach, with success measured through a local outcomes framework.

Whipps Cross Maternity Services

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on maternity services at Whipps Cross Hospital. The report provided data on birth outcomes for the year 2022-2023, during which 3,791 babies were born at the hospital. It detailed the ethnicity breakdown of women and birthing people, as well as the ethnicity of the staff.

The report outlined the various birth choices available, including a dedicated home birth team, the Lilac Birth Centre (a midwifery-led unit), and the Delivery Suite. It also mentioned the development of a Ruby team to provide continuity of care for vulnerable women. Birth options clinics and birth reflections clinics, led by a consultant midwife, were also highlighted as services available to women.

Data on birth outcomes for 2022-2023 was presented, including figures for stillbirths, neonatal deaths (NND), NICU admissions, preterm births, and babies born below the 3rd centile. Information on maternal outcomes, such as ITU admissions and maternal deaths, was also included. The report also presented a comparison of birth outcomes according to ethnicity, highlighting significant differences. Patient satisfaction scores were benchmarked against the rest of Barts Health and London, with specific areas of improvement and areas for further focus identified. The report also detailed actions taken in response to patient feedback and outlined future plans for maternity services, including working towards Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Level 3 accreditation and implementing the Capital Midwives anti-racism framework. A key challenge identified was midwifery shortages, with actions taken to address this, including rolling recruitment and increasing bank pay rates.

Committee Action Tracker and Action Update

The committee was also scheduled to review the Committee Action Tracker and Action Update. This report provides an overview of actions completed since the previous meeting and outlines the committee's forward plan. It includes outstanding actions from the 2022-23 period and responses to recommendations made by the committee. The forward plan for 2023-24 was also presented for discussion and potential recommendations.