PROGRESS is being made on proposals to set up a regional body with responsibility for scrutinising health services.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s overview and scrutiny committee gave support to ongoing work to found the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee with representatives from Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Cumbria County Council.

The new body would scrutinise health services across Lancashire and South Cumbria, with representatives from each authority having a presence on the committee.

The draft terms of reference for the proposed Joint Health Scrutiny Committee have been drawn up for consideration

The membership of the joint committee comprises three elected voting members from each council’s relevant scrutiny committee with each local authority to appoint on the basis of two members from the administration and one member from the largest opposition group.

Chairman of the Blackburn with Darwen committee, Cllr Sylvia Liddle, said: “This is so whatever happens across all these footprints, there will be a new joint health scrutiny committee to look at issues affecting all four areas.”

Committee members voiced their support and the matter will go before a future meeting of the council’s executive board next year prior to the body being set up.

Director of HR, legal and corporate services, David Fairclough, said: "Members will be aware of the work of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System which is working on the reconfiguration of health provision in the region.

"This reconfiguration aims to improve health outcomes for residents in the area and will lead to changes in the way that services are delivered both in hospitals and in the community.

"The establishment of the joint committee is a requirement of the act where a relevant health authority consults more than one local authority’s health scrutiny function about substantial reconfiguration proposals.

"Only the joint committee may respond to the consultation (rather than each individual local authority responding separately)

"Only the joint committee may exercise the power to require the provision of information by the relevant NHS body or health service provider about the proposals.

"Only joint committees may exercise the power to require members or employees of the relevant NHS body or health service provider to attend before the committee to answer questions in connection with the consultation."