Agenda and minutes

            The minutes of the meeting held on the 18^th September 2013 were taken as read as a correct record.

            The Board received a presentation on behalf of North West Ambulance Service from Donna Hooley, Sarah Smith and Karl Hough which gave an overview of the service and outlined current priorities, performance figures including response times and key achievements. Members also received information on ambulance stations within Halton and the number of staff employed.  

            Arising from the discussion it was noted that:

·         Members of the Board were invited to the emergency control centre in Anfield;

·         calls were increasing but resources were reducing;

·         2 Urgent Care Centres, 1 in Runcorn and 1 in Widnes were being developed and would be launched shortly;

·         the Ambulance Service had reached agreement with local GP’s to provide a joined up 24 hour service;

·         16 out of 17 GP surgeries had signed up to multi-disciplinary meetings each month with the 1^st meeting in October, it was proposed that the Ambulance Service and the Police Service should be invited to a future meeting; and

·         as at October 2013, 17 public defibrillators had been installed in sites within Halton       

RESOLVED: That the presentation be received.

            The Board considered a copy of the Halton Model of Care for Adults with Learning Disabilities which set the range of local community based and acute sector support for adults with learning disabilities and their family carers. The Model had been developed by the Learning Disability Quality and Performance Board.

            Members were advised that the model was based on the values set out in Valuing People and Healthcare for All and took on board the recommendations of the Winterbourne View Final Report. The model was intended to facilitate reduction in the number of individuals requiring admission to hospital or being sent out of area by offering local community-based services that were consistent with best practice.

            Also included within the model was a performance framework of both quantitative and qualitative measures and outcomes to monitor progress and ensure that what was envisaged was being delivered.             In addition, a Quality Check Template and guidance was being tested and amended by practitioners as a prompt “to open their eyes wider” when visiting individuals in supported living or residential services to identify both best practice and any areas of concern.

            RESOLVED:

1)    The report be noted; and

2)    The Halton Model of Care for Adults with Learning Disabilities be endorsed.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Enterprise, which provided information on the programme of Children Looked After and Safeguarding Reviews being undertaken by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Following deferment of the planned multi-agency inspections of child protection arrangements, the CQC announced its intentions to undertake review of how health services keep children safe and promote the health and wellbeing of looked after children. The CQC implemented its programme of Children Looked After and Safeguarding Reviews on 30^th September 2013 and this would run until April 2015.

            It was noted that the inspections would take place in areas where the CQC believed there was a greatest risk within health services and where they identified that there were deficiencies in the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and services for looked after children in the NHS. There would be two working days’ notice of the review prior to a five day site visit by CQC children’s services inspectors. Following the review a report would be published within each local area, there would also be a national report to bring together findings from across the country.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board was advised that Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) and the Children’s Trust, Tadworth, had developed a Disabled Children’s Charter for Health and Wellbeing Boards. The Charter had been developed to support Health and Wellbeing Boards to meet their responsibilities towards disabled children, young people and their families. The Charter contained a vision statement and specific commitments and Boards who signed up to the Charter must agree to each of the seven commitments within a year of signing. Health and Wellbeing Boards would be asked to provide evidence of how they had met the commitments and this information would be published on the EDCM website.

            The seven commitments which Health and Wellbeing Boards were being asked to make were outlined in the report. A copy of the Charter had been previously circulated to Members of the Board.

            It was noted that a Strategic Group had been set up to address the changes required in the Children and Families Bill in terms of children and young people with health and special educational needs. It was suggested that this group would be asked to ensure each of the seven commitments were addressed and to provide an update report to the Board in six months’ time.

            RESOLVED: That –

1)    the Board assign the Disabled Children’s Charter for Health and Wellbeing Boards; and

2)    an update report on progress be submitted to the Board in six months’ time.

            The Board considered a report on the Government’s Pledge to improve health outcomes for children and young people. On the 20^th July 2013, the Children’s Health Minister, Dr. Dan Poulter, wrote to lead members for children’s services and Chairs of Health and Wellbeing Boards to invite them to sign up to the Government’s pledge: Better Health Outcomes for Children and Young People. The Pledge was part of the February 2013 system-wide response to the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum Report (2012). 

            The introduction to the pledge emphasised that whilst children and young people growing up in England today were generally healthier than they had ever been, international comparisons and worrying long-term trends demonstrated there was room for improvement, with poor health outcomes for too many children and young people compared with other countries. The document also stated that vulnerable groups, such as looked after children suffered much poorer outcomes.

            The report provided an outline of the shared ambitions set out within the Pledge and examples within Halton that demonstrated the commitment of the Health and Wellbeing Board towards considering the Health and Wellbeing needs of children and young people.

            RESOLVED: That

1)    the report be noted; and

2)    the Board agree sign up to the Pledge.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Communities, which described the benchmarking process that had been set up in the North West region to inform the process of Sector Led improvement and highlighted the performance in Adult Social Care in Halton over the last 12 months.

            The Board was advised that Sector Led Improvement (SLI) was the new framework for ensuring continuous improvement and development within adult social care services. Led nationally by the Towards Excellence in Adult Social Care Board, it was driven in this region by the North West Towards Excellence Board. It was noted that the North West Performance Leads (NWPL) group had in place a framework for lead performance officers to benchmark their performance against key national adult social care performance indicators. The first submission was in September 2012 but was backdated until the start of that financial year.

            Members were advised that Halton’s data showed exceptional performance and a sustained picture from previous years, this applied to at least 75% of submitted items. The Towards Excellence in Adult Social Care overview analysis for 2012/13 provided the Council with very positive outputs across a number of domains and these were detailed in the report.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

            The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Communities, which presented a draft copy of the Safer Halton Partnership Drug Strategy 2014-2018 and an accompanying evidence document. The Strategy had been drafted during a period of change as drug budgets and services transferred to Public Health England and the Police and Crime Commissioners. This provided an opportunity to draft a four year Drug Strategy with an action plan that all key partners could deliver upon. It was noted that the Strategy had been extensively consulted upon with a range of partner agencies, service users, carer groups and voluntary agencies.

            The Board was advised that the draft Strategy was designed to be a short document that focused on the strategic objectives and priorities linking to a drugs service action plan that would become the focus of the substance Misuse Task Group, with quarterly themed updates to the Safer Halton Partnership Board and annual amendments and updates.

            RESOLVED: That

1)    the be noted; and

2)    progress with the Health and Social Care settlement 2015/16.

            The Board considered an update report on the progress on the Health and Social Care Settlement 2015/16. Since the last meeting of the Board on the 17^th July 2013, when the Strategic Director, Communities tabled a report which outlined the Department of Health approach to integrating health and adult social care services, the following had taken place:-

·         A letter was received on the 10^th October from NHS England on “Planning for a Sustainable NHS responding to the “call to action”;

·         A letter was received on the 17^th October from NHS England and the Local Government Association on “the next steps” on implementing the Integrated Transformation Fund”, along with a spreadsheet template of the plan;

·         Meetings had taken place to discuss the requirements of the guidance that had now been issued and the process of the development of the plan had begun;

·         A small working group had begun populating each of the sections within the spread sheet template for the plan; and

·         It was proposed that NHS providers on the Board, as well as Health and Wellbeing Board Members, be consulted on the plan by arranging a facilitated event in January 2014.

            RESOLVED: That

1)    the report be noted; and

2)    the proposals as set out in 3.5 of the report be agreed.

            The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health, which provided details on the branding guidelines for the use of the Health and Wellbeing brand and logo. It was noted that the logo was not intended to displace an organisations individual logo but rather complement and sit alongside this. It was also recognised that embedding the usage of the logo would need to be driven from a senior level in partner organisations.  Marketing and Communications teams would need to be made aware of the existence of the logo and the guide lines for usage. Additional help and support would be provided from within the Council’s Communications and Marketing if required.

            RESOLVED: That

1)    the report be noted;

2)    the proposed guidelines be endorsed; and

3)    the Board agree and support the usage of the guidelines and logo within partner organisations.

            The Board received a report which provided details on the 2013/14 season flu vaccination campaign and local implementation. In order to protect those at risk immunisation was recommended, it was particularly important that front line staff that had direct contact with patients of all ages were offered immunisation against influenza. Therefore staff had been offered free seasonable flu vaccinations on the 29^th and 31^st October. They had also been given the opportunity to attend at the ASDA Pharmacy in Widnes or Runcorn up until the first week of December.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted and Senior Managers be requested to promote the benefits of the vaccine to all appropriate staff.