To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting held on 14 November 2017.

The minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Board held on 14 November 2017 were approved as a correct record.  

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no urgent items provided in advance of the meeting. 

There were no declarations of interest.

Three separate presentations to be presented by:

·         Grant Greatrex Grant Greatrex Sports & Leisure Policy & Development Manager

·         Nick Boulter, Sport England

·         David McHendry, KKP

A presentation was given to the Board on the Council’s Active Place Strategy by Grant Greatrex (Sports and Leisure Policy and Development Manager), Nick Boulter (Sport England), and David McHendry (KPP).

The Board were made aware that the Active Place Strategy was in fact a suite of strategies consisting of Open Space; Active Travel; Playing Pitch; and Indoor Build Facilities.  The Strategy would contribute in the main to the delivery of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy goal ‘Healthier Environments’ and the objective ‘Create places that make it easy to exercise and be active’ – although there were also links to many more goals and objectives.

Nick Boulter clarified the role of Sport England.  It was the government agency responsible for setting and delivering the community sport strategy.  The latest strategy had been launched in 2016 and shifted from being purely ‘sports-driven’ to focusing on improving health and wellbeing.  For example investment principles included ‘tackling inactivity’.

A key element of Thurrock’s approach was the provision of sport and physical activity facilities.  There was a discussion about what this might look like although there were no firm plans in place at this point in time.

Board members raised concerns about the breadth of community engagement – this included information and input from people with disabilities to ensure that the ‘Active Place’ was accessible to all.  Engagement needed to include a wide range of community groups and needed to focus on what people wanted to do rather than what facilities they might want.

There was some discussion about linkages with Health and possible opportunities to integrate or co-locate.

It was important that plans took in to consideration the population increase that would be brought about by plans for 32,000 new homes.  It was possible that section 106 monies could be used innovatively to contribute to the outcomes the Strategy wanted to achieve.

Resolved:

That the Board note the Active Place Strategy.

Item will be presented by Tim Elwell-Sutton, Assistant Director and Consultant in Public Health

Tim Elwell-Sutton, Assistant Director and Consultant in Public Health presented the 2017 Annual Report of the Director of Public Health.  The focus of the report for 2017 was ‘A Sustainable Children’s Social Care System for the Future’.

Tim stated that the reason for the focus on children’s social care was that the early years of a child’s life was critical to their longer term health and wellbeing.

A key observation was that over the years, there had been a significant reduction in the amount spent on prevention, with a greater proportion of the budget being spent on placements.  This was a scenario replicated nationally.

Tim commented that Thurrock’s level of Looked After Children was high – but that it was difficult to explain why that was.  The ability to invest in prevention, particularly if the focus was on working with families, might help to prevent children becoming ‘looked after’.

Board members raised the benefits of the Edge of Care/Pause programmes.  These intervened across multiple of areas of a family’s life and could contribute towards reduce the risk of children becoming looked after.

The Corporate Director of Children’s Services stated that there had been a slight reduction in Looked After Children as a result of changes made.  The Pause programme was seen to be successful in reducing the number of court proceedings as it worked with mothers who had previously had children removed so that if they went on to have more children there was less risk of subsequent children being taken in to care.

Resolved:

That the contents and recommendations of the report be supported by the Board; and

That the Board note plans to hold a Mental Health summit to address emotional and mental health issues which contribute to the wider health and wellbeing issues amongst young people.

Item to be presented by Andy Vowles, Programme Director, STP, NHS England

Andy Vowles, Programme Director for the Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Programme (STP) provided the Board with an update on the current consultation which was seeking views on:

·                     The overall plan for health and care;

·                     Proposals for hospital services in Southend, Chelmsford and Basildon; and

·                     Proposals to transfer services from Orsett Hospital to new centres closer to where people live.

The Board were asked to comment on proposals.

Concerns were raised by Board members about the accessibility of the consultation, and the Chair stated that Healthwatch had worked to bridge any gaps.

The Board were also concerned that the consultation about the future of Orsett Hospital had not been consulted on separately.  In response, the Deputy Chief Executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust (BTUH) stated that three further meetings were being organised specifically focused on Orsett Hospital.  These would take place prior to the end of the consultation period.

The Chair stated that the process needed to be far more responsive to concerns being raised.  For example the consultation on Orsett Hospital being part of the consultation on the proposals for hospital services in Southend, Chelmsford and Basildon despite a request for this not to happen.

Councillor Little wished to know how the Orsett site would be used, and the Deputy Chief Executive of BTUH responded that no decision had been made on the future of the site.

Resolved:

That the Board note the update and consider the proposals published for consultation.

To note minutes of ICE meetings of 28 September and 26 October 2017.  To note the Health and Wellbeing Board Executive Committee minutes of 23 November 2017

Resolved:

            That the minutes of the Integrated Commissioning Executive 28 September 2017 and 26 October 2017 and the minutes of the Health and Wellbeing Executive Committee 23 November 2017 be agreed.

Resolved:

            That the Board’s future work programme be agreed.