Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Mike Hay, Rachel Harrison and County Councillor Paul Sales. 

There were no public questions. 

Under paragraph 4.2.1 of the Council Procedure Rules, the Chair used his discretion to alter the order of the agenda items. However, for ease of the reader, these minutes will follow the order of the agenda.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on the 13^th September 2012. 

The minutes were agreed as a correct record subject to the following correction:

·         Councillor Smart to be added to those present.

Actions outstanding from the last meeting: 

• 12/12/CLHP Update on the new cross-authority Home Aid Service: to follow.
• 12/12/CLHP Link to Safer Homes report:

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/CMSWebsite/Apps/Committees/AgendaItem.aspx?agendaItemID=5981

• 12/13/CLHP Terms of Reference for South Cambs Ageing Well Group: to follow.
• 12/13/CLHP Briefing note on growth areas, networking and community cohesion attached.

Actions from previous meeting:

• 12/12/CLHP Safer Homes – Update to follow.
• 12/13/CLHP Terms of Reference for Ageing Well Group – To be emailed to panel members.
• 12/13/CLHP Community Navigators – To be addressed later in the meeting.
• 12/15/CLHP New communities and community cohesion – A briefing note had been circulated.

The minutes of the SHWB Board meeting held on 11 October 2012 are attached. A draft agenda for the next meeting on 16 January 2013 is also attached. Members are invited to comment on the work of the Board and to identify issues where local contributions can be made.

 

Now that the Health and Wellbeing Strategy is in place the process of planning actions that will deliver its objectives has begun. A paper showing how the actions will be developed is attached. Jas Lally will outline how the Cambridge Local Health Partnership can contribute to this process and set it’s own priorities. A paper "Agreeing our Local Priorities" is attached.

Liz Robin updated the panel on the work of the SHWB. Multi agency funding bids had been largely successful. An action plan was under development  to deliver the 6 key priorities in the new strategy, as detailed in the report.

 

The Partnership welcomed the inclusion of mental health as a high priority. The development of a robust action plan would create a large workload. The Partnership also welcomed the completely new area of working jointly with the Armed Forces. Councillor Smart suggested consulting the Covenant Board.

A Workshop was held on 22 November looking at information flows and communication between local GP’s and Housing Officers. A number of case studies were used to help prompt discussions. The workshop papers are attached.

 

Jas Lally will highlight some of the areas of focus in the workshop, the agreed actions to emerge and what will happen next. 

Jas Lally stated that the workshop had been well attended and useful. GP’s reported an improved understanding of the pressures and limitation of the housing department. Welfare reform had been highlighted as a key issue for the future.  An action list had been agreed and would be brought to this meeting in the near future.

 

The workshop was agreed to have been a useful activity and a repeat session, in six months time, was suggested to see what improvements could be implemented. 

This is an opportunity for members to talk to the Community Navigator covering Cambridge about their initial views about existing activity for older people in the City and how they have started to build up a local network. Members reserved judgement about the need for a new Forum in the City and wanted to ask stakeholders their views first, taking into account present partnership working. 

Louise Peden (City Community Navigator) outlined the Navigator programme. There were five navigators across the County and their brief was to map out the networks and services avaialble to older people in local areas.  They would then provide signposting service and seek to build upon the networks to increase the capacity of local communities to support older people and maintain their independence. They would also train volunteers to become local navigators for their communities. Interest was growing.

 

Key issues were noted as:

                i.      The need for a good induction programme to ensure a consistent standard.

              ii.      Motivated and skilled volunteers, who were aware of their limitations.

            iii.      Local knowledge.

            iv.      Raising awareness of the Your Life, Your Choice website.

 

The Partnership made the following comments and suggestions:

              v.      Making best use of links already in place.

            vi.      Contacting the sheltered Housing Residents Association.

          vii.      Ensuring all contact information is up to date.

        viii.      Using exiting newsletters and publication to spread awareness.

            ix.      Using the local knowledge of networks such as Friends of … groups.

              x.      Placing the navigators in GP surgeries for special sessions such, as flu inoculations, where older people were likely to attend.

 

The Partnership discussed using the Council’s Diversity Forum to consult local stakeholders about the need for a CambridgeAgeing Well Forum. The Diversity Forum is only held twice a year and the next meeting was six months away. Memebers felt there was a lot of good joint working going on in Cambridhge and that events held by other groups such as COPE,  could explore how an Aging Well Forum might contribute. Sally Roden said that she would meet with the local Community Navigators to make sure that they were aware of existing networks and contacts.  The panel said that it would look again at this issue once the local Community Navigator had got a feel for the Cambridge situation, so that any decision to set up an Aging Well Forum was better informed.

Action: Sally Roden

 

There was also concern that frail, elederly, people who were presently isolated and removed from existing networks would  only come to notice when they presented to GP’s at a point of a crisis. The Partnership felt that additional work was required to help identify these people and that this could be considered in any future Community Navigator report.  

Members are asked to give their initial views on this developing strategy. A summary of its purpose and scope is attached. This item is intended for information as scrutiny of this strategy is taking place elsewhere. Members may wish to give their initial views.

This item had been included on the agenda for information and the Partnership was asked how they wished to approach this subject.

 

The following points were raised:

          i.      This matter is under discussion elsewhere.

        ii.      The approach is unclear, was it a medical issues or something wider?

      iii.      Was funding in the correct place?

      iv.      Should the focus be in prevention (linked to improved social care) or treatment?

        v.      There was a discrepancy between the national and local agenda on this matter.

      vi.      How helpful was it to divide the issues along age lines when this was a whole life issue?

    vii.      Physical health was also linked to mental health.

 

The Partnership agreed to keep this item on the Forward Plan in order to keep abreast of developments and work taking place elsewhere.

A copy of the Panel’s Forward plan is at attached. Members are invited to consider the issues they wish to discuss at future meetings. 

The Partnership agreed the following Forward Plan:

 

MEETING DATE	ITEM
10th January 2013	Progress with developing Joint Commissioning Strategy for Mental Health and Well-Being of Adults of Working Age
	Consider arrangements for Healthwatch in Cambridge
	Action Plan: to link to Council Portfolio Plans and the plans of partners
MEETING DATE	ITEM
7th March 2013	Progress with project looking at information flows between GP’s and Housing Officers
	Update on Ageing Well project and work in Cambridge
	Looking at Community Safety and Health including Streetlife issues

 

 

Action: Jas Lally and Rachel Harmer in consultation with Tom Dutton regarding developing the Partnership’s contribution towards the SHWB’s action plan.

Action: Graham Saint to draft a paper showing suggested priorities forthe Partnership – so that this can be circulated wider amongst local stakeholders, to show what the Partnership is doing and going to do. 

The next meeting is scheduled for 10 January 2012, starting at 12 noon. 

Future meeting dates to be agreed by email.