The Health Scrutiny Committee of Bury Council convened to discuss several key issues, including an update on the urgent care system with winter planning, the adult social care performance report for the first quarter of 2025/26, and the food and health strategy. The committee was also scheduled to review the Ofsted judgement and Department for Education (DfE)/NHS England (NHSE) stocktake on the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) partnership.

Ofsted Judgement and DfE/NHSE Stocktake on SEND Partnership

The committee was scheduled to receive information on the Ofsted judgement and DfE/NHSE stocktake on the SEND partnership. Will Blandamer, Executive Director for Health and Adult Care, was expected to respond to questions about the collaborative work between the local authority and the NHS as a partnership.

A letter from Janet Wray, SEND Senior Manager NHS England, and Sharon Thornton, SEND Improvement Regional Lead (North West) Vulnerable Children's Unit Regions Group Department for Education, addressed to Jeanette Richards, Executive Director of Children's Services, Eamonn O'Brien, Leader of the Council, and Will Blandamer, summarised discussions from a stocktake meeting on 1 July 2025, reviewing the progress against the Priority Impact Plan (PIP). The letter noted encouraging progress in implementing the PIP and a shared commitment to improving SEND services. It also highlighted the need for enhanced data reporting capabilities and expanded communication with children, young people, and families.

The PIP included six areas for priority action:

• Implementation of the SEND strategy: Leaders were expected to ensure the SEND strategy continued to be implemented to improve the lived experiences of children and young people with SEND, overseen by shared strategic governance.
• Early identification of SEND: Leaders were expected to improve the early identification of children and young people's SEND as part of the graduated approach¹.
• Quality and availability of support: Leaders were expected to improve the quality and availability of support for children, young people, and their families while they wait for specialist assessments.
• Preparation for adulthood: Leaders were expected to improve preparation for adulthood from the earliest ages for all children and young people with SEND in Bury, including a well-understood and co-produced strategy.
• Strategic approach to transitions: Leaders were expected to establish and implement a strategic approach to high-quality transitions for children and young people with SEND from birth to 25.
• Quality of the statutory EHC plan process: Leaders were expected to further improve the quality of the statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan² process. The PIP also included three areas for improvement:
• Communication: Leaders were expected to improve communication to professionals, parents and carers, and children and young people.
• Alternative provision (AP): Leaders were expected to continue to develop the range of suitable AP available to children and young people in Bury.
• Workforce development strategy: Leaders were expected to work collaboratively to create a partnership-wide workforce development strategy.

The committee was also scheduled to discuss the inspection of Bury local authority children's services carried out by Ofsted between 9 and 20 June 2025. The report stated that services for children and families in Bury had improved since the last inspection in 2021, but overall effectiveness still 'requires improvement to be good'.

The report identified areas needing improvement, including:

• The quality of plans and contingency planning for children.
• The effectiveness of supervision and management oversight in addressing drift or delay for children.
• The impact and effectiveness of child protection conference chairs' and IROs' escalations.
• The quality of effectiveness of direct work with children.
• The consistency of decisions by the local authority designated officer (LADO).

Update on the Operation of the Urgent Care System (Winter Planning)

David Latham, programme Manager for Urgent Care, NHS GM (Bury), and Kath Wynne-Jones, Chief Officer, Bury integrated delivery board, were scheduled to present an update on the operation of the urgent care system, including winter planning for 2025-26.

The update included a review of the urgent care change programme, considering the NHS's 10-year plan, national and Greater Manchester (GM) urgent and emergency care (UEC) planning guidance, the previous Bury Care Organisation (BCO) Collaborative work plan, the BCO Performance Improvement Plan and A-TED report, and the Live Well: Whitefield Exemplar³. The plan outlined change work to be undertaken across several neighbourhood domains:

• Population health management using risk stratification.
• Modern General Practice.
• Standardising community health services.
• Neighbourhood Multi-disciplinary Teams.
• Integrated intermediate tier with a 'home first' approach.
• Urgent neighbourhood services.

The update also included current performance data for Fairfield General Hospital (FGH), including:

• Ambulance handover performance.
• 21 Days Length of Stay (LOS).
• Days Kept Away From Home (DKAFH).
• FGH 2% reduction attendance and admissions.

The Bury Locality Winter Plan 2025-26 included details of the North West (NW) Regional winter Planning Event held on 8 September 2025, the GM Winter Planning Event set for 3 October 2025, and NCA Winter Planning Submissions.

The NCA Locality Winter Plan 2025 – 26 was structured to take account of NCA-wide actions, Care Organisation-specific actions, and those specific to corporate functions such as vaccination, Infection Prevention Control, Workforce wellbeing, and Diagnostics and Pharmacy.

Key content of the plan included:

• Vaccination plans to increase workforce flu vaccination rates.
• Modelling of capacity and demand based on previous years.
• A focus on safe discharge back to peoples own homes with community support.
• Expansion of Hospital at Home (virtual ward) pathways.
• Strengthened Infection Prevention and Control measures.
• Escalation policies and activities to support surge demand.
• Admission avoidance through the use of Call Before Convey.
• Increasing Frailty/Same Day Emergency Care.
• Additional support to community-based Respiratory Hubs.

The Bury Locality Winter Planning Sub-Group was established under the Bury Urgent and Emergency Care Locality System Board. The group was scheduled to meet until early December to oversee the implementation of the new GM Escalation Process, coordinate winter-related returns, share guidance, review and refresh the Bury NHS111 Directory of Service, and agree OPEL⁴ escalation triggers.

Adult Social Care Performance Quarter One Report 2025/26

The committee was scheduled to discuss the Adult Social Care Performance Quarter One Report for 2025/26. The report outlined the delivery of the Adult Social Care Strategic Plan, preparation for the new Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessment regime for local authorities, and the department's performance framework.

The report highlighted progress in delivering the Adult Social Care Strategic Plan 2023-26, which sets out the department's roles and responsibilities on behalf of Bury Council. The plan's priorities include:

• Transforming Learning Disabilities.
• Excellent Social Work.
• Superb Intermediate Care.
• Making Safeguarding Everybody's Business.
• A Local and Enterprising Care Market.
• Connect Unpaid Carers to Quality Support Services.

The report also provided an update on the CQC assessment of local authorities, noting that Bury Council submitted its Information Return to the CQC on 2 June.

The report included a highlight report for Quarter 1, 2025/26, with performance measures related to the department's obsessions, such as reducing the number of people waiting for a social work needs assessment and increasing the number of people who have their safeguarding outcomes partially or fully met.

The report also included data and commentary on:

• Contacts received by the department.
• Assessments and waiting lists.
• Reviews of care and support plans.
• Services provided, including intermediate care and long-term care.
• Adult safeguarding.
• Complaints and compliments.
• The state of the care market.
• Workforce development.
• Tech and digital switchover.
• Veteran Friendly Care Home.
• Bury Carer's Hub Quarterly Update.
• Adult Social Care Survey results.

Food and Health Strategy

Jon Hobday, Director of Public Health, was scheduled to give a presentation on the Food and Health Strategy.

The presentation covered the Bury Food Strategy & Food Partnership, noting that Bury became a Sustainable Food Places (SFPs) network member in 2021 and achieved the SFPs Silver award in 2024. It also highlighted that Bury school catering service achieved the GOLD food for life served here certificate in September 2025.

Other topics covered in the presentation included:

• School Meal's Auto Enrolment.
• The Greater Manchester, Market Partnership.
• The EU Food Cities: Policy and Practices initiative.
• The Right To Grow (RTG) initiative, which allows the public to grow food in public spaces.
• Fast Food Take Aways & High Fat, Salt Sugar (HFSS) content.
• The Fast Food Take Away Matrix.
• A food podcast.

Other Business

The agenda also included:

• Apologies for absence.
• Declarations of interest.
• Minutes of the last meeting.
• Public question time.
• Member question time.
• Chairs standing item update from Greater Manchester meetings.
• Sub group discussion update.
• Urgent business.