Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Chair intimated that this meeting of the Committee would be recorded and that the recording would be available to watch on both the Council and HSCP websites.

 

There were no declarations of interest or transparency statements intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.

 

The Minute of the special meeting of the Integration Joint Board (IJB) Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 September 2023 and the Minute of the meeting of the IJB Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 September 2023 were submitted.

DECIDED: That the Minutes be approved.

The Chief Internal Auditor submitted a report providing an update on the progress of the Internal Audit Plan for 2023/24, a copy of which was appended to the report.

The report intimated that the plan set out a resource requirement of 35 days, including governance work, reviewing the adequacy and compliance with the Local Code of Corporate Governance, time for follow-up of previous recommendations, ad-hoc advice and planning and reporting.

The report advised that fieldwork was continuing for the 2023/24 review of performance management; that the annual review of the adequacy and compliance with the Local Code of Corporate Governance would be undertaken in quarter 4; and referred to the self-assessment against the CIPFA good practice guidance for Audit Committees undertaken at the members development session held on 27 October 2023, which was being considered later in this meeting.

The report indicated that time for planning and reporting continued to be used for regular reporting to this committee.

DECIDED: That the progress against the Internal Audit Plan for 2023/24 be noted.

Under reference to item 8 of the Minute of meeting of this Committee held on 18 September 2023, the Chief Internal Auditor submitted a report relative to the review of the self- assessment and the development of an action plan for approval by the IJB, undertaken at the development session held for members of the Committee on 27 October 2023. 

The report intimated that CIPFA guidance provided a framework for assessing the effectiveness of the Audit Committee and comprised distinct but inter-dependent areas that should be assessed. The self-assessment of good practice formed Appendix 1 to the report and the self-assessment of the impact and effectiveness of the audit committee formed Appendix 2 to the report. The report noted that these assessments were discussed with members of the Committee at the member development session and that an action plan to address the small number of improvement actions identified had been developed and formed Appendix 3 to the report.

The report advised that the Terms of Reference of the IJB Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee had been revised and formed Appendix 4 to the report. The report requested that the Committee consider the revised Terms of Reference with a view to recommending to a future meeting of the IJB that the proposed changes be implemented.

The Committee thanked the Chief Internal Auditor for the work undertaken in this key part of the process and thanked the Corporate Business Officer for arranging the member development session.

DECIDED: 

(a) That the outcome of the self-assessment set out in appendices 1 and 2 be noted;

(b) That the proposed Action Plan set out in Appendix 3 be approved for submission to a future meeting of the IJB; and

(c) That the revised Terms of Reference set out in Appendix 4 be submitted to a future meeting of the IJB for approval.

The Chief Internal Auditor submitted a report providing a summary of internal audit activity, relevant to the IJB, recently undertaken in partner organisations.

The report intimated that the IJB directed both Renfrewshire Council and NHSGGC to deliver services that enabled the IJB to deliver on its Strategic Plan. Both Renfrewshire Council and NHSGGC had internal audit functions that conducted audits across each organisation, the findings of which were reported to the respective audit committees. Members of the IJB had an interest in the outcomes of the audits at both Renfrewshire Council and NHSGGC that impacted upon the IJB’s ability to deliver the Strategic Plan or support corporate functions.

In relation to internal audit activity within Renfrewshire Council, the report provided detail on the audit engagement for Disaster Recovery and Care at Home processes.

In relation to internal audit activity within NHSGGC, the report provided detail on the audit review in relation to Public Protection arrangements.

DECIDED: That the contents of the report be noted.

Under reference to item 3 of the Minute of the meeting of this Committee held on 18 September 2023, the Chief Finance Officer submitted a report relative to Ernst & Young’s (EY) final findings from the audit of the IJB’s financial statements for 2022/23.  

The report intimated that EY presented their findings from the audit of the 2022/23 financial statements to the meeting of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee held on 18 September 2023. Following this meeting, EY had amended their report to reflect further discussions with the Chief Finance Officer and the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee regarding the RAG rating for Best Value which had now been removed to better reflect the current position.

The updated and final copy of the Annual Audit Report, as agreed with all parties, was appended to the report.

The Committee thanked the Chair, the Chief Finance Officer and auditors from EY for the work undertaken in amending and compiling the final copy of the Annual Audit Report.

DECIDED: That the Annual Audit Report from EY, appended to the report, be noted.

Under reference to item 9 of the Minute of the meeting of this Committee held on 18 September 2023, the Strategic Lead & Improvement Manager submitted a report providing an update on ongoing activity to identify and manage strategic and operational risks; the actions to be undertaken to deliver on the recommendations arising from the completed internal audit review of the IJB’s risk management arrangements; and updates made to the IJB’s Risk and Issues Register, a copy of which was appended to the report.

The report intimated that the Risk Management Framework set out the principles by which the HSCP and IJB identified and managed strategic and operational risks impacting upon the organisation and formed a key strand of the IJB’s overall governance mechanisms. The framework set out how risks and issues should be identified, managed and reported. 

The report provided further detail on the key activities completed and the key updates to existing risks. 

DECIDED:

(a) That the update on risk management activity, provided in section 4 of the report, be noted;

(b) That the summary of actions that would be taken in response to recommendations arising from the internal audit of the IJB’s risk management arrangements, provided in section 5 of the report, be noted;

(c) That it be noted that a revised Risk Management Policy and Strategy would be brought to the Committee for review and approval in March 2024; and

(d) That the updates made to the existing risks and issues, following further assessment and engagement within the HSCP and with partners, as detailed in section 6 of the report, be approved.

The Head of Strategic Planning & Health Improvement submitted a report providing a summary of the Directions issued to Renfrewshire Council and NHSGGC over the period September 2022 to September 2023, a copy of which was appended to the report.

The report intimated that the issuing of Directions was the method through which the IJB commissioned the parent organisations to deliver the priorities outlined within the Strategic Plan. These Directions were legally binding and the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 and associated guidance and legislation provided the framework for which they operated within.

The report advised that only one Direction had been issued within the reporting period relating to the financial allocations and budgetary resources of the IJB. For completeness, the appendix log included Directions still classed as ‘open’ due to the lifespan of their funding source.

DECIDED: That the contents of the report be noted.

The Head of Health & Social Care submitted a report summarising the findings from the inspection conducted at Hunterhill Care Home by the Care Inspectorate in September 2023.

The report intimated that social care services were subject to a range of audit and scrutiny activities to ensure that all statutory duties were being undertaken and that appropriate care and support was provided to vulnerable individuals and groups. Care services in Scotland could not operate unless they were registered with the Care Inspectorate who inspected, awarded grades and assisted services to improve. The Care Inspectorate also investigated complaints regarding care services and could act when standards of care were not met. 

The report advised that since 1 April 2018, the Health and Social Care Standards developed by the Scottish Government had been used across Scotland and that the Care Inspectorate expected that these would be used in planning, commissioning, assessing and delivering care and support. 

The report noted that on 12 September 2023, the Care Inspectorate began an unannounced inspection of the service at Hunterhill Care Home, returning on 14 September 2023 to complete the inspection and provide feedback. Following this inspection, there were no areas of improvement recorded and the Care Inspectorate graded Hunterhill Care Home as 4-Good. The report provided a breakdown of the key questions considered during the inspection and the quality indicators. 

The Committee thanked all staff involved in this inspection of Hunterhill Care Home.

DECIDED: That the content of the report be noted.

DECIDED: That it be noted that the next meeting of this Committee would be held remotely on MS teams at 10.00 am on 15 March 2024.

 
At the conclusion of the meeting, in terms of the Committee’s terms of reference, members of the Committee met with the Chief Internal Auditor without senior officers present.