Here are the notes from scrutiny officers zoom meet-up on 10th June. We used an Open Space format and here are the top tips shared by participants from their various conversations. Thanks everyone!

Virtual meetings

• appeared to be more interest in our virtual meeting than our normal meeting. Good opportunity to enhance knowledge of what scrutiny is about.
• IT equipment used by members should be corporate so it can be fully supported. Not 40 members with all different equipment.
• Different systems produce the same outcome!!
• ensure everybody involved has plenty of opportunity to familiarise themselves with the technology and meeting etiquette
• ensure sufficient number of support staff available to aid the efficient running and broadcasting of a meeting
• Quick learning as we go along …
• Creating a private WhatsApp group with the Chair during virtual meetings
• It is interesting that not all authorities have live meetings but put them online afterwards.
• Learning from experience and adapting approach to virtual meetings as may need to be different to face to face meetings due to video meeting fatigue etc.
• Members more mindful of live meetings.
• More public watching virtual meetings than would have attended at the Town Hall.
• need to ensure additional democratic services support for meetings to deal with technical support.
• Officer Support during meetings
• Resource intensive – require other officers to help webcast the meetings.
• the importance of practice
• Understand the application you are going to use for your meetings and become an expert before any meetings take place.
• Practice practice practice.
• Get team support when holding meetings.
• Useful to watch online again to capture text for the minutes.
• Virtual meetings – Different tech being used across UK – Not always the same approaches.
• Virtual meetings – some Councils needing extra resources to run the meetings virtually. Puts a strain on others.
• Virtual meetings are very resource intensive
• Whether the minutes for online meetings should be shorter/different from those for physical meetings at the Town Hall.
• Never ask for Feedback via email/questionnaire get it from people before they leave the room
• Retaining the use of virtual meetings for use in the future
•  Acknowledge extra resources for virtual meetings
• Trying to get hold of the paid version of Zoom
•  Virtual meetings preparation is key before formal meetings
• Continuing to use video meetings for evidence gathering and member briefings

Health scrutiny

• doing health scrutiny at the right level – local, sub-regional etc. how to decide which level?
• it’s time to start engaging with NHS partners again
• remember JHOSCs
• general concern about NHS transparency
• Is the focus too much on hospitals and not enough on care in care homes or the community?
• June 15th deadline for letting NHS England which changes are going to be permeant
• link into normal health scrutiny workplan in addition to Covid19.
• Possible need for informal meetings with partners before launching into a formal public meeting.
• Possible pan-London scrutiny
• Getting health scrutiny up and running again
• can individual health scrutiny committees actually look at covid response or does it need to be wider (sub regional)?
• health scrutiny – challenge on whether the pandemic means they will organise themselves differently in future – and not stop footprints!!

Recovery planning

• pre-empt politics and guide focus towards service outcomes
• involve all in the recovery planning phase and the scrutiny of it
• Getting CEX and senior officer buy-in, Leader and other group leaders support.
• Scrutiny briefings with the Chair and key officers
• Scrutiny to look at Recovery Plan
• Scrutiny to look at recovery plan (as well!)
• scrutiny to start with recovery plan and drill down from there
• To drill down on the recovery plan

Work planning

• ‘Paper criteria’ for work planning
• all Councils working at different speeds in work planning
• All future topics will be within the context of Covid
•  Live virtual meetings (so far) have stifled debate

Innovation

• Innovation as ‘bravery to fail’ and creating small changes/innovations that making failing more palatable!
• draw on techniques like agile programme management and design thinking- don’t believe that the parameters of governance will restrict your ambition to innovate!