Agenda item - CHAIR'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chair of the Board will start the meeting with a short update on recent developments on health and wellbeing.

37.1                 The Chair stated:

“Agenda

In terms of the Agenda, we have moved the Moving Towards Integration item further down, to enable Chris Clark from the Clinical Commissioning Group to first attend the MINDOUT AGM.

Integration progress and January report

Members will see from the minutes of the September HWB that a paper to this Board was expected on joint commissioning intentions between the Council and CCG for 2019/2020. Whilst later on the agenda today we will receive a paper from Chris Clark on behalf of the CCG, this is not a joint paper and will largely focus on how the NHS expects an Integrated Care System across Sussex to work, although it does also refer to Brighton and Hove specifically. Whilst I welcome the debate this may stimulate, I have asked officers to explain why the requested paper could not be presented.

The HWB in September 2017 endorsed an integration direction of travel with an agreed scope and established initially a shadow year in 2018/2019. Members will recall that this was then extended to a shadow period as a set year with a specific end date no longer fits with the national and regional timelines. 

Whilst the commitment of both the Council and Brighton and Hove CCG toward integrated working remains undiminished, there have been significant changes to the external landscape over the past year.

·                 The establishment of the Central and East Sussex Alliance was not known at time of agreeing our city based direction of travel.  This has understandably added complexity and been a distraction through much of 2018. Organisationally we continue to work through and within this significant structural change to local organisational form.

·                 Capacity for us all to engage with key partners across both the system and locally has in reality been challenging with various changes of personnel in key positions across different organisations. This has slowed the rate of progress we were hoping for in our original plans.

As Chair of the HWB I recognise that we operate within a dynamic environment and note the significant changes to the landscape within which we operate, not only structurally but equally financially and performance wise.

I am satisfied that on an operational level there is much good joint working which can be evidenced in the sustained improvement of our Delayed Transfers of Care performance and services to carers, to name but two.

Further to the CCG paper that Chris will present later today, I have been clear with officers in my expectation that the Health and Wellbeing Board on 29th January 2019 will receive the overdue paper outlining a proposal for a more formalised approach to future integration, including reference to aligned governance arrangements to ensure appropriate oversight and accountability for areas, such as finance and performance.

Kendal Court

I now move onto Kendal Court and can update you on the actions taken following the Notice of Motion received at Health and Wellbeing Board and Housing and New Homes Committee on ‘deaths in temporary accommodation’.

Officers across Housing and Health and Adult Social Care directorates are currently seeking the following:

·                 Information on the number of deaths in all the different forms of temporary and emergency accommodation over the last 2 years. This information will be presented to the Housing and New Homes Committee tomorrow evening as part of the paper identifying the scope of the review that is being undertaken.

·                 Therefore, following understandable  concern over deaths in Kendall Court, Newhaven, the Council is undertaking a review of  the support services that residents can access in Newhaven and a comparison with those available to residents in Brighton & Hove (including rough sleepers), including any changes to the support provided over the last 2 years.  This review is now underway.

·                 A review of the support needs of the 54 Kendal Court residents, analysis of how well they are being met and what steps may need to be taken should more support be needed.

·                 An independent survey of residents in Kendal Court has been commissioned to identify their issues and concerns that we may seek to address.

Officers are in discussion with relevant colleagues across East Sussex to ensure a joined up and coordinated approach where appropriate.

Following completion of this review a more detailed joint report will be submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Board and Housing and New Homes Committee reporting on the findings of this review. In light of the importance of this review but members will appreciate the complexity this work entails means it is likely this review will not report until early summer. With this in mind I intend to meet with the Chair of Housing and New Homes Committee to suggest that any initial findings and early learning can be reported ahead of the summer.

I would like to give you an update on the mobilisation of the rough sleeping provisions for this winter. These were outlines in the Board paper in September 2018.

The rough sleeper hub is in operation with 17 beds and the churches night shelter is already open with 15 beds. The council run night shelter at the Brighton Centre, with 30 beds, will be open on 24^th Nov. There has been a few weeks delay in the opening of this service as we did not receive any tenders for the service, so have had to make alternative arrangement. However, I am please the service will be up and running in 11 days time. Our Severe Weather Shelter is in operation and will convert to the new lower trigger at the end of the month. This is an emergency provision for any rough sleeper in the city, when it is very cold or there is a severe storm.

Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy Policy Panel update

You may recall that the Board asked that a policy panel be set up to support the refresh of the Health & Wellbeing Strategy for the city. I am happy to report that the panel, made up of key stakeholders across our City, met again in October to further this work. Engagement on the draft document will be conducted in December and January.  It is anticipated the Strategy will come to the Board in March for approval.

Food Strategy Action Plan

At the Heath & Wellbeing Board meeting in July, the Board agreed to receive reports on progress against the new city-wide food strategy action plan. The action plan has now been completed and a condensed version will be attached as an appendix to the Minutes of this meeting.

The full version will be unveiled online at www.bhfood.org.uk  from 26th November, the public launch date for both the action plan and for the Brighton and Hove bid to become a Gold Sustainable Food City, which the Board endorsed at the same meeting. Cllr Daniel Yates as Leader of the Council, will be formally launching both the action plan and the bid.

The five year action plan is believed to follows a year-long consultation to gather commitments and ideas from across the city and beyond.  The action plan sits under the Brighton & Hove food strategy Spade to Spoon, which sets out a 20-year vision of achieving healthy, sustainable and fair food for all.

There is a particular focus in the plan on food poverty and the citywide ‘Veg City’ campaign, both of which have been chosen as areas of excellence in the bid for Gold which is on schedule for achievement in Spring 2020.

Allied HealthCare

We have been informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)  that Allied Healthcare (Homecare Provider) is experiencing significant financial difficulties and that local authorities should start contingency planning.

At this stage, provider failure has not been confirmed but we are working on the basis that this may occur and so plans need to be developed that will address this if and when this occurs. 

Currently, Allied Healthcare provide support to approximately 49 clients which commissioned by Adult Social Care totalling around  474.75 hours a week, as well as a number of private clients.

Officers are monitoring the situation and working at a national and local level on contingency plans.

RightPro

The Board recently received a letter via Councillor Wealls from Rightpro. This is an organisation that supports parents with children who have autism.

The Children, Young People and Skills Committee met yesterday to discuss support for children with autism, including the concern raised by Rightpro. 

The Children, Young people and Skills Committee is therefore well placed to consider the concerns raised and this committee met yesterday. Councillors Wealls is also a member of this committee and was supportive that the letter was dealt with there.”