Quality & Communities Committee

For full details of the Committee’s Powers and Terms of Reference please see the published List of Committee Powers available from the Governance Documentation page.


Terms of Reference:

  1. PURPOSE
    1. The key purpose of this Committee is to provide assurance to the IJB in relation to its statutory duty, policy requirement and strategic approach to:-
    2. safe, effective, person-centred care in accordance with the scope of services as defined in the Integration Scheme.
    3. locality capacity building, locality planning, community development, participation and engagement and support to carers.
    4. help the people of Fife to live independent and healthier lives by transforming health and care, supporting early intervention and prevention and working closely with delegated, third and independent services to reduce health inequalities.
    5. clinical and care governance and that quality of care is being led professionally and clinically.
    6. the Health and Wellbeing Outcomes, National and Local policy directions, and statutory principles of Integration and the vision, mission and values within Fife’s Strategic Plan.
  2. COMPOSITION
    1. Following expressions of interest from IJB members, the Chair of the Board will agree the membership of the Quality & Communities Committee.
    2. This will be composed of: Not less than 4 members of the IJB, excluding the Advisors (Deputy Medical Director, Director of Nursing, Principal Social Work Officer and Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Commissioning).
    3. The Committee will include at least two voting members of the IJB, one from NHS Fife and one from Fife Council.
    4. Representation on the Committee will also be invited from non-voting members of the IJB including Patient Representative, Carers Representative and the Third and Independent Sector Leads.
    5. The Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed by the Chair of the IJB from the voting members and will serve for a two-year term with an option to reappoint at the discretion of the Chair of the IJB.
    6. The Deputy Medical Director, Fife HSCP is the current Lead Officer for the Committee. The Director of Nursing, Fife HSCP and Principal Social Work Officer Fife HSCP will deputise / rotate as Lead Officer.
    7. The Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Commissioning will attend as adviser for Localities, Participation and Engagement.
  3. MEETINGS
    1. The Quality & Communities Committee will meet a minimum of 6 times per financial year.
    2. Where a member of the Committee misses 3 consecutive meetings, they will cease to be a member of the committee unless there are exceptional circumstances which have been discussed with the Chair prior to their absence.
    3. No meeting of the Quality & Communities Committee will be rescheduled or cancelled, once agreed for the year, without prior discussion/notification with the Chair of the Committee and Lead Officer.
  4. QUORUM
    1. The meeting shall be quorate when one representative from NHS Fife and one from Fife Council is present and when one of the following committee members: Patient Representative or Carers Representative or Third or Independent Sector Leads is also present.
  5. REMIT
    1. Develop and approve an Annual Work Plan for the Committee beginning on 1 April each year monitoring progress throughout the year.
    2. Provide assurance to the IJB that the clinical and care governance requirements of recommendations for decision and/or direction have been considered by the Committee.
    3. Monitor the implementation of locality capacity building, locality planning, community development, participation and engagement and support to carers and to seek assurance that the services being delivered are high quality, safe, effective, person-centred and provide best value for the people of Fife.
    4. Assure the IJB that services respond to requirements arising from regulation, accreditation and other inspections recommendations.
    5. Monitor the integrated clinical and care governance activity being delivered within the Health and Social Care Partnership, including when this involves transitions of care.
    6. Provide assurance to the IJB that the mechanisms, activity and planning are supported and delivered effectively and that there is a culture of continuous improvement.
    7. Oversee the integrated clinical and care governance and risk management activities in relation to the development and delivery of the Strategic Plan, ensuring cognisance of the Plan for Fife and NHS Fife Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
    8. Provide strategic focus and vision through strong connection to the Strategic Planning Group and the Integrated Professional Advisory Group.
    9. Monitor integrated clinical and care governance risk register on behalf of the IJB.
    10. Assure the IJB that appropriate and effective clinical and care governance mechanisms and structures are in place for clinical and care governance throughout the whole of the Health and Social Care Partnership.
    11. This Committee will undertake an annual process of self-assessment / self-evaluation as directed by the Board.
    12. Produce an Annual Statement of Assurance (as in Section 7 of the Governance Manual) for submission to the IJB and to both partner organisations.
  6. AUTHORITY
    1. In discharging its responsibilities in line with the agreed workplan, the Quality & Communities Committee may seek information from:
    2. Members of the Senior Leadership Team.
    3. Professional, Director or other Officers of the Board.
  7. REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS
    1. A Chair Report and minutes from this Committee are provided to the IJB, allowing the Chair to assure, reassure or escalate issues arising from this Committee to the Integration Joint Board. This committee is cognisant of the whole system approach to our governance arrangements as demonstrated in Diagram 1 (Reporting to Fife IJB, NHS Fife and Fife Council).
    2. This Committee will conduct its business in a manner consistent with the agreed Committee Assurance Principles and the Fife Integration Scheme so that assurances are linked to relevant risk, streamlined, reliable and sufficient.
    3. Diagram 1 provides an overview of Fife Health and Social Care Partnership’s clinical and care governance reporting routes.

Diagram 1

A flowchart illustrating the clinical and care governance reporting routes for Fife Health and Social Care Partnership. The chart is divided into two sections: Strategic (top) and Operational (bottom). Strategic section includes: NHS Fife Board (blue box) NHS Fife Clinical Governance Committee (blue box) Fife Integration Joint Board (purple box) Fife Council Cabinet Committee (green box) Fife Council Policy and Co-ordination Committee (purple box) Fife Council People and Communities Scrutiny Committee (purple box) Strategic Planning Group (orange box) Audit and Assurance Committee, Finance Performance and Scrutiny Committee, and Quality and Communities Committee (purple boxes) Operational section includes: NHS Fife Clinical Governance Oversight Group (blue box) Fife Health & Social Care Partnership Senior Leadership Team (purple box) Clinical/Health items for assurance (blue outlined box) Fife Health & Social Care Partnership Quality Matters Assurance Group (QMAG) (blue box) Three QMAG subgroups: Community Care Services, Primary and Palliative Care Services, and Complex and Critical Care Services (blue boxes) Bottom banner: “Health and Social Care Services: Social Work, Social Care and Health Service QMAGs” Arrows indicate reporting lines between committees and groups, with solid lines for direct reporting and dotted lines for assurance or planning connections.


Scheduled meetings of the committee

Previous meetings of the committee