Agenda item - Formal Public Involvement

skip navigation and tools

Agenda item

Formal Public Involvement

This is the part of the meeting when members of the public can formally ask questions of the Board or present a petition.  These need to be notified to the Board in advance of the meeting Contact the Secretary to the Board at penny.jennings@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Minutes:

            Written Questions From Members of the Public

 

4.1       The Chair informed the Board that one public question had been received from Mr John Kapp. The Chair invited Mr Kapp to put his question:

 

            “Does the Board agree that health inequalities and the crisis in primary care would be reduced if a new social prescribing system were co-created with complimentary therapists, by which they would be paid as pharmacists are paid for drugs, and if so, what plans has the Board to use their budget of £540mpa to implement this new system.”

 

4.2       The Chair thanked Mr Kapp for his question and explained for the  benefit  of  the  public who were present  that Social prescribing is a way of enabling healthcare professionals to refer patients to a link worker to co design a non clinical social prescription to improve their health and wellbeing, in ways that address the environmental, social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing. It works holistically and flexibly in a person centred way to understand people’s issues and find and connect them to services and/or activities that will support and help them. Most issues at the centre of social prescribing and its approach included: loneliness, housing, work/skills and finance/debt.

 

4.3       The Chair stated that she considered that it was important to highlight that this was not an alternative to clinical/medication intervention and did not include counselling. The detailed written response which was provided and is set out below response provided information about the NICE guidance and the national picture which helped with the understanding of the anticipated provision.

 

“Social Prescribing in Brighton and Hove.

 

            Brighton and Hove Impetus have been the provider of SP within primary care through “Community Navigation” for approx. 5 years, growing from a 16 practice pilot to a city wide model. The service developed to cover all GP “clusters”, however approx. half of the GP practices in the city either do not use the service or have a very low level of referral. Referral is currently by GP or practice nurse; the service is working with the “Cluster”/PCN 6 pilot to trial referral by District Nurses, and is also working with Adult Social Care to explore referral.

 

Impetus are one of 23 organisations to bid successfully for additional funding for SP, which is match funded by the CCG; this funding facilitates specialist SP for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, Transgender people and people with an overseas language need, support in the Whitehawk area – recognising its particular health inequalities, and support for cases which are particularly complex.

 

The Impetus service underwent a Public Health led rapid evaluation in late 2018; this, plus the introduction of PCN Link Workers and associated national guidance is forming the basis of a review in Brighton and Hove. An options paper will be produced to outline potential modelling which encompasses both the existing service and PCN Link Workers, and develops the service further in line with guidance and best practice.

 

Early conversations with PCNs are taking place, and PCN Clinical Directors were invited to a workshop in June 2019 to overview SP and to gather feedback to inform local principles and options development.

 

Services people have been signposted to include:

Befriending;

Day activities;

Self-run older people’s groups;

Information advice and guidance services;

Advocacy services;

Carers Centre support;

Adult social care”

 

4.4       The Chair invited Mr Kapp to ask a supplementary question and he referred to details in relation to “Possibility People” which had been considered at the Health, Overview and Scrutiny Committee recently.

 

4.5       In response the Chair confirmed that she was aware that a report and also questions at the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) the previous week had covered that area. In addition, she was mindful that there could be further activity at HOSC. The council tried to ensure that there was to put one report to one committee unless a matter was referred elsewhere. This issue had not been referred to the Board for consideration. However, she would ask officers to place the link to the HOSC meeting in the minutes (see below) so that people could access that information should they need it.

 

            [link to go in here]

 

4.6       RESOLVED – That the position be noted.

Supporting documents:

 


Brighton & Hove City Council | Hove Town Hall | Hove | BN3 3BQ | Tel: (01273) 290000 | Mail: info@brighton-hove.gov.uk | how to find us | comments & complaints