The Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee met to discuss adult social care, food security, and NHS performance, among other topics. The committee approved the recommendations of the Food Security Task and Finish Group for referral to the Cabinet, and noted the Adult Social Care Annual Complaints Report. The Sub-Committee also discussed the Cabinet Forward Plan and the Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee Work Programme.

• Food Security Task and Finish Group Report

  The committee approved the recommendations of the Food Security Task and Finish Group for referral to the Cabinet. Councillor Richard Barnes, Chair of the Task and Finish Group, introduced the report, explaining that the group was formed following a suggestion from a member of the public regarding food bank use in the borough. The report aimed to address emergency food provision, the root causes of food poverty, and alternative solutions.

  Key recommendations from the report included:

  • Supporting the development of different food aid models, such as social supermarkets, and identifying suitable spaces for them.
  • Identifying a corporate strategic lead for food security within the council.
  • Reviewing which council services could provide drop-in sessions at food banks.
  • Identifying funding sources for Volunteers on Wheels, a charity that distributes food to food banks.
  • Exploring opportunities for using the Household Support Fund[^1] to address food insecurity.
  • Monitoring data on residents' access to benefits and uptake of schemes like free school meals and Healthy Start[^2].
  • Reviewing recommendations from the Food Partnership Food Security Summit Report 2024.
  • Introducing a Councillor Food Champion.

  Councillor Alison Cornelius noted that the Eleanor Palmer Trust had previously provided funding to Volunteers on Wheels.

  Councillor Caroline Stock suggested exploring the new Pentland site in Finchley as a potential location for a social supermarket.

  The Director of Public Health, Dr Janet Djomba, requested details about the Pentland site.

  Councillor Kamal Bahadur Gurung emphasised the importance of reducing the stigma associated with poverty and food insecurity.

  [^1]: The Household Support Fund is a grant given to local councils to support vulnerable households with essentials such as food and energy bills. [^2]: The Healthy Start scheme provides eligible families with vouchers to spend on milk, fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried, and tinned pulses, and infant formula milk.

• Adult Social Care Annual Complaints Report

  The committee noted the Adult Social Care Annual Complaints Report. Paul Kennedy, Head of Business Intelligence, Performance and Systems, presented the report, which covered the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.

  Key points from the report included:

  • An increase in the number of compliments received.
  • A slight increase in the number of complaints, but a decrease in the number of upheld complaints.
  • A decrease in the number of escalated complaints.
  • Increases in complaints related to mental health, localities, and customer finance, but reductions in other areas.
  • Common complaints related to waiting times for care assessments and financial reviews.

  Councillor Philip Cohen welcomed the compliments and noted that they showed staff going the extra mile. He asked about the increase in complaints regarding waiting times and mental health.

  Dawn Wakeling, Executive Director, Communities, Adults and Health, said that the mental health complaints related to individuals, and no systemic issues had been identified.

  Councillor Mark Shooter asked for more examples of the types of complaints received.

  Councillor Caroline Stock raised concerns about the lack of data on healthy eating from Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) and the explanation of pressure sores being due to patient non-compliance.

  The committee was informed that the implementation of a new financial management system, Oracle Cloud, had presented some operational challenges and disruption to billing processes, contributing to the rise in complaints related to customer finance.

  Councillor Caroline Stock made a point about the national standard of discarding the first £24,000 when doing a financial assessment, stating that this leaves people having to face significant charges.

• Update from the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care

  Councillor Alison Moore, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, provided an update on several key areas. She thanked Dawn Wakeling and the officers in adult social care for their work in ensuring the continuity of community equipment services following the compulsory liquidation of the previous supplier.

  Councillor Moore reported on the launch of the new suicide prevention strategy and the award-winning Stay Alive app campaign aimed at middle-aged men. She also highlighted the success of Silver Sunday[^3], an event run in conjunction with Age UK at Barnet[^4].

  Councillor Moore touched on an event at the Phoenix Cinema showcasing short films from the Recovery Street Film Festival, emphasising the role of recovery in treating drug and alcohol addiction.

  She mentioned upcoming work with the Local Government Association (LGA) on a peer project to review the structure and function of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

  In response to questions, Councillor Moore acknowledged the challenges in managing the adult social care budget, which is demand-led, but praised the officers for their work. She also commented on the merger of integrated care boards, noting that it would likely lead to a more strategic approach but that local commissioning budgets would remain unchanged.

  [^3]: Silver Sunday is a national day celebrating older people, typically held on the first Sunday of October. [^4]: Age UK is a charity working in the United Kingdom to support older people.

• Task and Finish Group Updates

  The committee received an update on the various Task and Finish Groups. The Principal Scrutiny Officer reported that the Allotment Governance and Management, and Food Security Task and Finish Groups reports would be presented to the Cabinet on 18 November.

• NHS Quality Accounts - Mid-Year Update

  The committee reviewed the mid-year responses from NHS trusts regarding quality accounts. Councillor Caroline Stock requested data on healthy eating from CLCH and raised concerns about the explanation for pressure sores.

• Cabinet Forward Plan

  The committee considered the Cabinet Forward Plan and identified the food security report for pre-decision scrutiny.

• Adults and Health Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee Work Programme

  The committee reviewed its work programme and discussed including the community equipment report at the February 11 meeting.