Agenda and minutes

          The Minutes of the meeting held on 20 March 2024 having been circulated were signed as a correct record.

The Board received a report and presentation from the Director of Public Health, on the Public Health Annual Report (PHAR) for 2023-24, Healthy Start, Healthy Future.

The 2023-24 Public Health Annual Report focussed on the impact of empowered young people who had embraced key messages from the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum and who had been inspired to promote change within their school community.  The young people were supported to make these changes through the work of the Healthy Schools Team in collaboration with schools and other partners.

The report highlighted some of the key health challenges as well as some of the ways that the Healthy Schools Programme tackled these.  The report also highlighted several school and educational setting approaches to vaping on school grounds; peer-led health messages; role modelling to parents around health food and physical activity; five ways to wellbeing and an intergenerational approach to reducing loneliness. 

The Director of Public Health circulated a copy of the Annual Plan to each Board Member present.

RESOLVED:  That the Board:

1)    note the report; and

2)    support the recommendations.

          The Board received a report and presentation which was delivered by the Chief Executive of Halton Housing Trust.  The presentation provided an overview of the scale and context of social housing activity across Halton, with a particular focus on links with health outcomes for residents.

          The presentation provided a focus on:

·       Health and Safety;

·       Key housing and health issues in Halton;

·       Poor housing – the cost to the NHS; and

·       Improving living conditions and opportunities to collaborate.

Case studies were also included, which outlined how the work of housing associations in Halton had improved the health and wellbeing of its tenants.

The Board discussed the information presented to them and agreed that organisations needed to jointly identify an integrated approach to prevent duplication of work.  It was agreed that this should be discussed further and  progressed via the One Halton Group.

          RESOLVED:  That the Board note the contents of the presentation.

The Board received a presentation from the Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Warrington and Halton Hospitals on the Warrington and Halton Integration Programme.

          In order to make improvements for both patients and staff working at the front line, opportunities had been identified via a programme of work.  This would deliver integrated and collaborative models of care between Warrington and Halton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Bridgewater Community NHS Foundation Trust. 

The presentation provided information on the following:

·       Work undertaken to date;

·       Local Governance;

·       Proposed Programme Workstreams;

·       Financial opportunities; and

·       Communications and engagement to date and immediate next steps.

It was noted that the first meeting of the Joint Committee would take place in September 2024 and it was proposed that milestone targets and delivery expectations for the eight programmes and overarching objectives would be identified and agreed.

          RESOLVED:  That the Board note the contents of the presentation.

          The Board received a report from the Director of Public Health, which provided an update on some of the work of the Trading Standards Service and the contribution this work had made in protecting public health, children and vulnerable adults from harm.

          It was noted that the Trading Standards team provided a wide range of statutory services to protect consumers and legitimate businesses from unfair, misleading or unsafe trading practices. Amongst others, these services included weights and measures, product safety, restricted sales, explosives, scams awareness, fair trading, doorstep crime, counterfeit and illicit goods – including tobacco and vapes.  The team also provided an enhanced consumer advice service to help consumers enforce their own civil consumer rights.

          The report focussed on the following services which contributed to protecting public health and safeguarding children and adults:

·       scams awareness;

·       doorstep crime;

·       illegal money laundering;

·       tobacco and vapes;

·       age restricted sales;

·       consumer advice and the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline; and

·       iCAN consumer alert network.

The report also provided case studies for each of the services, which the Board noted.

Following discussions, some additional information was noted and agreed:

·       Stop Loan Sharks was operated by Birmingham City Council on behalf of Local Authorities throughout the country;

·       It was acknowledged that more promotional work needed to be undertaken on the referral process; and

·       It was suggested that there were opportunities for joint working and this would be discussed at a future housing partnership meeting.

     RESOLVED: That the Board:

1)    note the report;

2)    endorse the approach to doorstep crime and illegal money lending;

3)    endorse the multi-faceted approach to both prosecute and disrupt illegal activity by seizing illegal an illicit products to remove them from the market; and

4)    encourage partners to sign up to and share the iCan alert system.

          The Director of Public Health, presented a report which provided members of the Board with a briefing on the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) which included risks associated with it and proposed local governance arrangements.

Every Health and Wellbeing Board in England had a statutory responsibility to publish and keep an up-to-date statement of needs for pharmaceutical services of its local population. This was referred to as a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) and included dispensing services as well as public health and other services that pharmacies may be commissioned to provide. 

          The report set out the commissioning arrangements; proposed arrangements for producing Halton’s next PNA; and the resources required.

          The report also outlined the next steps which would be undertaken by a steering group.  It was noted that once a final draft document had been completed, a 60 day statutory consultation would be undertaken and the results would be reported to the Board before its publication on 1 October 2025. 

RESOLVED:  That the Board:

1)    note the contents of the report;

2)    agreed that the Director of Public Health be the lead; and

3)    agreed that the PNA be managed by a local steering group, led by Public Health.

          The Board received a report from the Director of Public Health, which outlined the effects of the cost of living crisis on those living in poverty in Halton.

          The report outlined the Halton and multi-agency approach and the support offered during the cost of living crisis.  Local Councils received Government funding  to help programs supporting residents and some of the main food and fuel services funded were as follows:

·       food support for families;

·       fresh food at social supermarkets;

·       foodbanks; and

·       energy payments.

The Board was advised that some research had also been undertaken which looked into housing conditions and how the effects of damp and mould have on the health of residents.  Some of this work was done in collaboration with Bridgewater and Halton Housing Trust  who were able to provide additional data on health and home conditions. 

There were different reasons why residents required support e.g. financial, behavioural and structural.  For those struggling to heat their homes, fuel vouchers had been offered.  Energy Project Plus offered home visits, as part of their Warmth for Health Scheme, which advised residents on causes of mould and how to ventilate their homes properly.  For homes that needed structural improvements, the Eco Flex Scheme offered grants for improvements such as wall and loft insultation and over the Winter period, 40 successful applications had been granted.  

          RESOLVED:  That the Board:

1)    endorse the work taking place in Halton;

2)    note the importance of multi-agency approaches to tackling inequalities and collective work;

3)    note the requirement for a long-term focus on prevention to combat the drivers of poverty and health inequalities; and

4)    discuss how to sustain support for interventions to ensure they remain open and available to all.

The Board received a report from the Executive Director of Adult Social Services, which provided an update on the Better Care Fund 2023-24 Year-End return, following its submission on 21 May 2024. The update provided the Board with information on the four national conditions which had been met, progress on the four national metrics, income and expenditure actual, year-end feedback and adult social care fee rates.

          RESOLVED: The Better Care Fund Year-End return for 2023-24 be noted for information.

          The Board received a report from the Executive Director of Adult Social Services, which provided an update on the Better Care Fund (BCF) Plan 2024-25, following its submission on 4 June 2024. 

          The aim of the BCF Plans was to support people to live healthy, independent and dignified lives through joining up health, social care and housing services. 

          The Board noted that in order to support the BCF Plan 2024-25, the current Joint Working Agreement was reviewed and updated to reflect recent changes in governance arrangements and to include 2024-25 pooled budget financial details.

          Following discussions, the Board noted the request from Mersey Care NHS Trust to join the Better Care Commissioning Advisory Group. 

          RESOLVED: That the Better Care Fund Plan 2024-25 be noted for information.