Agenda item

All upper tier and unitary authorities in England were required under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to establish a Health and Wellbeing Board. 

The Medway Health and Wellbeing Board brings together key organisations and representatives of the public to work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Medway.

The purpose of this report is to provide information to the Committee on progress made by the Health and Wellbeing Board since the last updated provided to the Committee in January 2017.

Discussion

The Committee was updated on the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board since the previous update to the Committee in January 2017. The Purpose of Board was to bring together key organisations and representatives of the public to improve the health of the people of Medway. Key activities of the Board included developing and facilitating the Medway Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNSA) and the Medway Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy; promoting greater integration, partnership and joint commissioning in the local healthcare system; considering commissioning plans and; producing the Medway Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA). The Board’s work was guided by Joint Strategy which had recently been refreshed and was due to be presented to Cabinet in November 2018. Since January 2017, the Board had looked at issues relating to all aspects of the JSNA. Some of the reports and issues considered included maternal smoking, dementia, the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan, Medway NHS Clinical Commissioning Group’s commissioning intentions and health inequalities. This illustrated the importance of the Board in bringing together partners and taking forward important initiatives.

A Member welcomed the opportunity that the Board provided for joint working but had been disappointed by the Board’s response to the issue of period poverty. She considered that the Council and partners needed to act to provide free sanitary products for girls. She also called on the Board to offer its support to the related Red Box campaign. The Member highlighted the significant work undertaken in relation to maternal smoking, including that the Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services had chaired a group working with midwives at Medway Maritime Hospital. However, the Member said that there was not enough work being undertaken to ensure that people were aware of the importance of a good pregnancy or how to optimise fertility and how this could be achieved and suggested that this could be highlighted to Members. The Director of Public Health said that some work was taking place in this area and that there was a communications plan in place covering the work of Public Health.

The Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services spoke about the work undertaken by the hospital with new mothers. Regular meetings took place to drive this challenging work, which centred on encouraging mothers to give up smoking during pregnancy and explain the associated risks. The number of people amongst this group in Medway had fallen as a result.

A Committee Member asked for an update on the Medway Young Persons Wellbeing Service since the contract having been awarded to NELFT in April 2017. It was agreed that a briefing note would be provided to the Committee and to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

A Member voiced concern that the Snapdragons children’s therapy service was no longer allowed to communicate with schools, which was a safeguarding risk, and also that there was a shortage of paediatricians. She also said that there was a shortage of school nurses. The Chief Operating officer of Medway NHS Clinical Commissioning Group said that a number of consultant paediatricians had left the Children’s Therapy Service but that there were locums in place and funding available to address the shortage. The Portfolio Holder for Adults’ Services said that staff turnover was higher than acceptable and it was agreed that a briefing note would be provided setting out the issue and what had been done to fill the roles. The Portfolio Holder also expressed his concern that some contracts had been commissioned that had underestimated the demand for services. As Vice Chairman of the Procurement Board he would raise the issue with the Chairman. The Director of Public Health agreed to provide figures relating to the number of school nurses in Medway schools.

Other issues highlighted by Committee Members were responded to as follows:

Local Plan – A Member asked how consideration had been given to the health consequences of factors such as an increasing and ageing population, during the development of the Local Plan. The Director of Public Health advised that the purpose of the report was to summarise the work of the Health and Wellbeing Board and it was requested that the Member raise the issue separately outside the meeting.

Dementia Task Group – It was agreed that figures for the number of people who had received dementia awareness training and the number of dementia champions would be provided to the Committee.

Suicide Prevention – Medway’s progress on suicide prevention had been reported at the previous Health and Wellbeing Board meeting. The Committee was advised that a number of bids for funding had been made, including one for funding from the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner. £667,000 of funding had been received for suicide prevention across Kent and Medway for the previous year with a second tranche having been received for the next year. A community fund of £85,000 had previously been made available from which local organisations could bid for funding. This would be re-opened once the next tranche of funding had been received. It was requested that a report on suicide prevention be added to the Committee Work Programme.

Joint Health and Wellbeing Board – The Portfolio Holder explained that a joint Health and Wellbeing Board had been created to look at issues that affected both Kent and Medway. This had included considering the Kent and Medway Stroke Services Review and supporting the view that there should be a hyper acute stroke unit located in Medway.

Decision

The Committee noted and commented on the information in the report and agreed the following:

i)             Reports on Suicide Prevention and awareness raising of how to ensure a good pregnancy be added to the Committee Work Programme.

ii)            That briefing notes on the Young Persons’ Wellbeing service and shortage of paediatricians within the Children’s Therapy Service be provided to the Committee and that the briefing note on the Young Persons’ Wellbeing service should also be provided to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

iii)           Figures relating to the number of school nurses and number of people who had attended dementia awareness training / the number of Medway Dementia Champions to be provided to the Committee.