Health, Adult Social Care and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission
Welcome to the Health, Adult Social Care and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission page. The Commission is a sub-committee of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and has been established to examine and monitor the performance of services provided by the Council and other agencies in matters regarding health and community safety. This includes scrutiny of the local NHS and health provision in Southwark, as well as crime and disorder matters.
Meeting dates, agendas and minutes, Commission membership
The Council uses a dedicated microsite to organise committee membership and meeting information – please visit the Health and Community Safety Scrutiny Commission on ModernGov.
Recordings of meetings
Meetings are streamed live and archived on Southwark Council’s YouTube channel.
Latest News
On 23 July 2026 the commission held their first meeting. This was primarily focused on the understanding the health, adult social care and community safety landscape. The commission also received a presentation from Healthwatch Southwark covering the findings from their report on refugees' experiences in temporary accommodation.
- Officers explained Health and Community Safety scrutiny powers and responsibilities.
- Darren Summers, Strategic Director for Integrated Health and Care/Southwark Place Executive Lead, presented an overview of Partnership Southwark work on integration and challenges of health and social care in Southwark, which included local priorities and neighbourhood health plans.
- Ruman Kallar, Research and Projects Officer, from Healthwatch Southwark presented Healthwatch Southwark's annual report and a detailed research project on the health impacts of temporary accommodation and the move-on process for refugees and asylum seekers
The commission concluded by discussing the emerging workplan.
The agenda for the meeting and the YouTube recordings, part 1 and part 2 , can be found here.
Current Scrutiny Priorities (2026-)
Following the recent elections, priorities will be reported here once established.
Historic Scrutiny Priorities
In recent years, the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission (as its remit was) focused on:
Reviews
- Adult Safeguarding – How can this be better implemented to protect vulnerable adults, carers, and paid staff?
- Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis (mini review)
Other Priority Items
- Blue Badge – Update on progress following items in previous administrative years
- Care/Nursing Care Home Model Delivery – Cabinet response and tracking delivery of the Asylum Road Care Home and looking more broadly at Nursing Home Space standards
- FGM – Update on work with adult survivors and children at risk of harm
- Menopause
- Children’s Respite Care – Cost and service impact of ending provision at Orient Street
- GP Appointments – With reference to work Partnership Southwark are doing to improve access to timely appointments
- Improving Access to Toilets – Update on previous scrutiny review
- TfL / Mayor of London / London Councils: explore an earlier than 9 am Freedom bus pass starting time; driver behaviour (e.g. allowing people to sit down and embark safely)
Scrutiny Review Reports and Executive Responses (formerly Cabinet)
One of the main ways Scrutiny makes a difference is by undertaking scrutiny reviews and making recommendations to the Executive (Cabinet). Recommendations are usually published in reports which are received at Executive meetings and to which the Executive provides its response. Below are reports from the former Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission and Cabinet responses to these.
2025/2026
2024/2025
2023/2024