Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2021 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting. No declarations were made.

The Chairman presented a position statement on the following matters:-

·       The crucial work being undertaken by health, social care and community partners during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

·       The Joint Strategic Needs Assessments Cycle

·       Healthwatch’s Stakeholder Survey

·       The various health related media campaigns being undertaken by the County Council and partners.

A copy of the position statement is filed with these minutes.

It was noted that, Jo Hewitt, Health and Wellbeing Board Manager, would be leaving her role in early May. On behalf of the Board, the Chairman thanked Jo for the support she had provided to the Board, specifically in the development of the revised Joint Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy.

 RESOLVED:

That the position statement be noted.

The Chairman, with the consent of the Board, confirmed a change to the order of business to that set out on the agenda.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Children and Family Services concerning the County Council’s intention to develop a Family Hubs Model of service delivery in Leicestershire and the urgent action taken by the Chief Executive to approve a bid to be submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) for funding to develop the model. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 11’ is filed with these minutes.

The Director said that if successful, the funding secured from the bid would be used to project manage the implementation of the new Model, however it was the intention that the Model would be introduced regardless of whether the bid was successful.

In response to a question concerning implementation timescales, the Director said that the DfE had not set any specific deadlines for authorities to introduce the Model. The County Council would complete an options appraisal first to inform how the Model rollout would be undertaken. The Council had also been involved in regional work which had enabled it to explore how delivery of the Model would utilise partnership working.

Mrs Taylor CC urged partners to work with the Council to help develop and rollout the Model in order to create a community wide service to support families.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the County Council’s intention to develop a Family Hubs Model of Service Delivery in Leicestershire be supported;

b)    That the urgent action taken by the Chief Executive to submit the County Council’s Family Hubs Model bid to the Department for Education on behalf of the Health and Wellbeing Board be noted.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Children and Family Services which provided a progress update on the Children and Families Partnership Plan 2021-23. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 13’, is filed with these minutes.

It was noted that performance indicators had been added to the Plan to help measure and quantify the impact of the work being undertaken by the Partnership.

RESOLVED:

That progress in the delivery of the Children and Families Partnership Plan be noted.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health and Executive Director, Strategy and Planning, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland CCGs to advise on the outcome of the consultation on the Leicestershire Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS) 2022 – 2032 and to seek approval for the final Strategy. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 5’ is filed with these minutes.

Arising from discussion the following points were noted;

·       The Strategy, which set out the overall vision of Giving everyone in Leicestershire the opportunity to thrive and live happy healthy lives, also aligned to the life course Integrated Care System (ICS) transformational priorities and therefore acted as the local place led Plan.

·       In response to the consultation feedback, changes had been made to the draft Strategy, including strengthening many of the life course sections, formalising the links between the Carers Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board governance structure, the inclusion of a statement to reflect the need to understand where health inequalities were occurring across Leicestershire and strengthening the focus on integration.

·       An ‘easy read’ version of the Strategy would be produced, along with a Communication and Engagement Strategy to help partners to share the Strategy and actively engage with communities, including those groups it had struggled to do so with in the past.

·       A draft Delivery Plan had been produced which would evolve as partners worked through the specific actions set out in the Strategy.

·       The Health and Wellbeing Board would receive quarterly progress updates on the implementation of the Strategy. Delivery would be measured using an indicator set which would be overseen by the County Council’s Public Health Business Intelligence Partner.

·       In reference to the do, sponsor, watch approach, a significant proportion of the detail in the Strategy would be addressed and delivered upon via the subgroups of the Board and the Delivery Plan would be used to identify what the ‘do’ priorities for each of the subgroups were. It was noted that there would also be areas which the Board would have oversight on but would be managed by partners elsewhere in the system.

·       The embedding of a trauma informed approach in the Strategy’s priorities and actions was particularly welcomed. Evidence suggested that trauma was felt throughout lives, especially in the early years, and could have long term impact on health and wellbeing. 

The Chairman thanked partners for their ongoing support and encouraged continued joint working which was critical for the successful delivery of the Strategy.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the outcome of the public consultation exercise on the draft Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy be noted;

b)    That the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022 – 2032 be approved;

c)     That the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan be noted;

d)    That the indicator set used to monitor the performance of the Strategy, be approved.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health which sought approval for revised Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Health and Wellbeing Board and to redefine one of the Board’s sub-groups, the Unified Prevention Board, into the Staying Healthy Partnership Board. The report also detailed the development of an Engagement and Communication Strategy to raise the profile of the Health and Wellbeing Board and to support delivery of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 6’ is filed with these minutes.

In reference to the formation of the Staying Healthy Partnership, it was noted that its work, and delivery of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, would be closely aligned with the Community Health and Wellbeing Plans which were being developed at neighbourhood level.

It was noted that a working group had been formed to oversee the development of the revised ToR for the Board and CCG partners had considered the document ahead of its consideration by the Board. It was acknowledged that there was the potential for changes to the Board’s membership following the introduction of the Integrated Care System and further changes could be made to the ToR later in the year if necessary.

It was noted that the Staying Healthy Partnership would have a different role to that of the LLR wide Prevention and Health Inequalities Board, with a focus on work at place level , particularly concerning wider determinants of health. There would however need to be strong links between the two boards to ensure work was not duplicated. The Staying Healthy Partnership would have a key role in delivering elements of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

In response to questions from members, it was noted that as part of the development of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, an Equalities and Human Rights Impact Assessment had been undertaken and the Board’s work would continue to reflect the diverse nature of the local population.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the revised Terms of Reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board be approved noting that a review of the Board’s membership may be required later in 2022 following the establishment of the Integrated Care System;

b)    That the redefinition of the Unified Prevention Board to the Staying Healthy Partnership Board, be approved;

c)     That subject to b) above, the Terms of Reference for the Staying Healthy Partnership Board be approved;

d)    That the Health and Wellbeing Board governance structure be noted;

e)    That the Health and Wellbeing Board Engagement and Consultation Strategy be approved.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which provided an overview of the progress against delivery of the 2021/22 Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 7’ is filed with these minutes.

The Director said that a national review was being undertaken with regard to the long term future of the Better Care Fund, specifically in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and the County Council was expecting further guidance in terms of a future policy framework in the coming months.

Locally work was being undertaken to refresh the BCF and expenditure plan ahead of the finalisation of the 2022/23 Plan.

RESOLVED:

That the progress against the delivery of the 2021/22 Better Care Fund Plan be noted.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities which sought approval for a revised Leicestershire Better Care Fund (BCF) section 75 (s75) agreement for 2021/22. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 8’ is filed with these minutes.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the work undertaken to refresh the Section 75 (s75) pooled budget agreement for the Better Care Fund be noted;

b)    That the continuation of s75 pooled budget arrangements between Leicestershire County Council, East Leicestershire and Rutland and West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) be approved.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health concerning the development and publication of the Leicestershire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) and sought approval of the proposed governance arrangements to enable its production. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 9’ is filed with these notes.

Arising from discussion the following points were noted;

·       The PNA would be developed in line with the projections of housing growth in the County over the next 20 years and there would be a specific chapter dedicated to its expected impact on pharmacy provision.

·       Pharmacy services continued to be under strain, a situation which had been exacerbated as a result of the pandemic during which they provided vital support and in some instances were expected to take on additional responsibilities such as undertaking medication reviews and administering vaccines. As a result, sustainability of provision, quality of services and the additional support required would be a key factor to consider as part of the PNA’s development.

·       The surveys which would be produced to help shape the PNA would be aimed at service users and those who managed pharmacies. It was therefore hoped any concerns relating to the quality of provision and the areas where further support was required would be highlighted as part of the feedback.

·       In light of the discussion, the patient questionnaire would be reviewed to ensure it would ascertain responses concerning the satisfaction of the advice received and whether the quality of pharmacy provision was consistent across the County.

RESOLVED:

a)    That the associated timescales for the development and publication of the Leicestershire Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA), be noted;

b)    That the proposal to form an interagency LLR wide reference group to develop the PNA, be approved;

c)     That it be noted that the draft PNA will be presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board for approval to consult at its meeting on the 26 May 2022.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health which provided a summary of the recommendations arising from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Dementia chapter. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes.

The Director said that as a result of the JSNA and the resulting recommendations, the LLR Dementia Board and key stakeholders would be reviewing and updating the Dementia Strategy.

It was proposed that a Health and Wellbeing Board development session be held to further consider the matter.

RESOLVED:

That the recommendations of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment concerning Dementia be supported.

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adults and Communities concerning progress made with the introduction of a Care Technology (CT) service across Leicestershire’s Adult Social Care services. Representatives from the County Council’s strategic partner,  Hampshire County Council and their commercial partner PA Consulting, joined the Director to present the report. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 12’ is filed with these  minutes.

Arising from discussion the following points were noted;

·       The establishment of the CT Service as a core part of Council’s social care offering would enable a wider range of people across the County to access CT and live more independently. As a result, the Authority would be able to make a significant saving by reducing the use of more costly forms of care.

·       As the Service developed it would become an area of collaboration between system partners. Work would continue in order to ensure the Service linked with the digital offers already being provided by partners.

·       In order to continually develop the Service, the feedback of service users and their careers would be regularly sought and if necessary changes would be made to meet individual needs as part of a personalised approach.

·       The pandemic had led to many people embrace technology for the first time. This meant that more individuals receiving adult social care would now be willing to use technological solutions and it was therefore a good time to introduce the Service. 

·       The ability to save time for practitioners was an important feature of the Service which would enable care workers to spend additional time delivering face to face care where it was most required.

RESOLVED:

That the progress made with the introduction of a Care Technology service across Leicestershire’s Adult Social Care services as detailed in the report and Appendix be noted.

The next meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board will be held on 26 May 2022 at 2.00pm.