The Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) of Northumberland County Council was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. The meeting's agenda included a review of quality accounts from several NHS trusts, a discussion on patient transport services, and updates on the council's forward plan and the OSC's monitoring report.

Health and Wellbeing Board Minutes

The committee was scheduled to review the minutes from the Health and Wellbeing Board meetings held on 12 February 2026 and 12 March 2026. These minutes would have provided an overview of issues considered and agreed upon by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Quality Accounts from NHS Trusts

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the Quality Accounts of three NHS Foundation Trusts:

• Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NUTH): The committee was to receive and comment on NUTH's annual report on the quality of its services. This would have included presentations from the trust and a request for the committee to agree on submitting a formal response.
• Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Similar to NUTH, the committee was scheduled to review Northumbria Healthcare's annual report on service quality, provide comments, and agree on a formal response.
• Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW): The committee was also set to review CNTW's annual quality report, offer comments, and agree on a formal response.

These Quality Accounts are annual reports detailing the quality and safety of services provided by NHS healthcare organisations, highlighting areas of success and identifying priorities for improvement.

North East Ambulance Service - Patient Transport

At the request of committee members, representatives from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) were scheduled to attend. The discussion was intended to focus on patient transport eligibility criteria and concerns regarding patient transport services in rural areas.

Reports of the Scrutiny Officer

The committee was to receive two reports from the Scrutiny Officer:

• Forward Plan: This item involved noting the latest Forward Plan of key decisions. Any changes to the Forward Plan would have been reported at the meeting. The Forward Plan outlines forthcoming key decisions that the Cabinet is expected to make.
• Health and Wellbeing OSC Monitoring Report: This report was to be considered by the committee and would have provided an overview of the Health and Wellbeing OSC's activities and performance for the 2025/26 council year.

The meeting was scheduled to conclude with a section for any urgent business that the Chair deemed necessary to consider due to special circumstances.