Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Ian Brookfield, Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, Marsha Foster, Ian Darch, John Denley, Samantha Samuels and Laura Thomas.

Stephen Dodd attended in person for Ian Darch, Dr Ainee Khan attended in person for John Denley and Alison Hinds attended in person for Emma Bennett.

Chris Masikane represented Marsha Foster online.

There were no declarations of interest.

[To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.]

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting of 27 April 2022 be approved as a correct record.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.]

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

[To receive the Health and Wellbeing Together Forward Plan 2022 - 2023.]

Madeleine Freewood, Public Health Partnership and Governance Lead presented the Health and Wellbeing Together Forward Plan 2022 – 2023 and outlined future agenda items.

Members were invited to suggest items for presentation at future meetings by contacting either the Chair, Madeleine Freewood or Democratic Services.

Resolved:

That the Health and Wellbeing Together Forward Plan 2022 – 2023 be noted.

[To receive a briefing note providing an overview of the Health Inequalities Dashboard.]

Madeleine Freewood, Public Health Partnership and Governance Lead presented the Health Inequalities Dashboard Update and highlighted salient points. The briefing note provided the Health and Wellbeing Together membership with an update regarding the development and implementation of a Health Inequalities monitoring framework.

It was outlined that the dashboard had been created to provide a database resource to capture and access information on Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy priority areas and associated activity across the City. This was intended to support all partners align activity, enable system join-up, identify gaps and prevent duplication.

It was proposed that a high-level update with accompanying topic-specific ‘deep dive’ be provided as a standing item on the Health and Wellbeing Together agenda for each full board meeting going forward.

Resolved:

That a high-level Health Inequalities Dashboard Update and topic-specific deep dive presentation be included as a standing item on the Health and Wellbeing Together agenda for each meeting of the full board.

[To receive a demonstration of how the Health Inequalities Dashboard will support the delivery of the Wolverhampton Financial Wellbeing Strategy.]

Alison Hinds, Deputy Director for Social Care delivered the Health Inequalities Dashboard Deep Dive: Wolverhampton Financial Wellbeing Strategy Implementation presentation.

The presentation detailed the Cost of Living Action Plan in response to the cost of living crisis which included partnership working to deliver a wide range of financial services, support and advice for residents.

The Household Support Fund had been in place since 24 June 2022 for residents to apply for support with food and energy costs with the average successful claim taking within three working days to complete.

Community Shops and Food Support Networks had been established across the City as well as the provision of access to funding towards energy costs or supplying other means of keeping warm, such as blankets, clothing and heating appliance supply or repair.

The work around responding to the cost of living crisis was commended.

In response to a query around residents who were unable to access any of the online support or services, it was noted that printed copies of all information on services would be made available in areas accessible to the public.

Resolved:

That the Health Inequalities Dashboard Deep Dive: Wolverhampton Financial Wellbeing Strategy Implementation presentation be received.

[To approve the next steps following Health and Wellbeing Together 2022 Development Session and for formal approval of the Public Health Annual Report.]

Madeleine Freewood, Public Health Partnership and Governance Lead presented the Health and Wellbeing Together 2022 Development Session - Feedback and Recommendations report and highlighted salient points.

The report provided a summary of feedback from the July 2022 Annual Development Session and sought Board approval to progress recommendations proposed following that feedback. It was highlighted that the main conclusions from the session included that the creation of the Integrated Care System presented a unique opportunity to build upon already strong partnerships, simplify priorities and re-evaluate ways of operating. In addition, addressing health inequalities had been noted as a recurring theme therefore this would be a key consideration when planning activity and setting priorities.

It was then noted that the Public Health Annual Report for 2021-2022 had been circulated during the development session however, as this had been informal, the report required endorsement at this public meeting of Health and Wellbeing Together, which was then agreed.

Resolved

1.    That Health and Wellbeing Together authorise progression of Health and Wellbeing Together 2022 Development Session recommendations:

a.    Review the governance of the Board and its Terms of Reference to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose within the new health and care landscape.

b.    Commence work to refresh the current Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018-2023 to be in the best position to inform/ align to the emerging ICP Integrated Care Strategy, a first iteration of which is to be published in December 2022.

c.     Reduce and simplify the current number of priorities in the existing Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy with a focus on where Health and Wellbeing Together and partners can make the biggest collective difference at place and system.

2.    That the Public Health Annual Report for 2021- 2022 be formally endorsed by Health and Wellbeing Together.

[To receive a briefing note detailing the Better Mental Health Programme and the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health.]

Dr Jamie Annakin, Principal Public Health Specialist presented the Better Mental Health 2021-2022: Outcome Summary and Case Studies briefing note and highlighted salient points.

The briefing note provided Health and Wellbeing Together (HWT) partnership with an update on outcomes from mental health promotion and prevention interventions delivered to over 1600 people in the City of Wolverhampton during the year-long Better Mental Health Programme 2021-2022.

The briefing note also outlined the potential benefits of signing up to the National Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health which provides a framework for local authorities and system partners to map and assess further progress against strategic ambitions to promote good mental health and wellbeing and prevent mental health problems in the City.

It was acknowledged that the use of communication technology had provided protection from physical contact and the spread of COVID during the pandemic and introduced more flexible and efficient working methods moving forward. It was urged that, now it was less of an urgent threat, in-person engagement methods should still be a consideration where appropriate, particularly due to the isolation experienced by many.

It was noted that the work carried out had formed strong foundations to build upon as more organisations and voices became involved. It was recognised that, following the lockdowns, many voluntary groups were no longer active or only operating virtually however it would be positive to encourage communities to return to meeting face to face.

The work undertaken was commended by partners and its pertinence noted because, although the threat of COVID had lessened, the impact on mental health was still being felt and had been worsened by the cost of living crisis. Lengthy waiting lists for mental health support were highlighted as an area of particular concern and it was noted that collaborative work would be undertaken to address this.

Members of the Board expressed their support in exploring further the potential benefits of signing up to the National Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health’.

Resolved:

1. That Health and Wellbeing Together endorse the proposal for the City of Wolverhampton Council (CWC) to explore the potential benefits of signing up to the national Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health.

2.    That Health and Wellbeing Together agree to receive future progress updates on work under the National Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health.

[To receive a verbal update on work being undertaken in response to the Adult Social Care Reform Trailblazer.]

Becky Wilkinson, Director of Adult Services provided an interim verbal update on the Adult Social Care Reform Trailblazer ahead of a formal update planned for January 2023 once funding had been confirmed.

It was reported that City of Wolverhampton Council had been approached by the Department of Health and Social Care to be a Trailblazer for the National Health and Care Reform. The Council had been one of five local authorities working in close partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care on plans to implement the reforms ahead of the rest of the country.

It had originally been planned to go live in January 2023, however a revised date of April 2023 had been proposed in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care based on the amount of work envisaged as an analysis had revealed that the work required outstripped the current budget. Adult Services had been working hard in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care and remained on target, although it was noted that the final date would be determined by the funding. 

It was agreed that a formal update be delivered in January 2023 setting out the implications of the reform and an update on the implementation date.

Resolved:

That a formal Adult Social Care Reform Trailblazer Update be provided at the January 2023 meeting of Health and Wellbeing Together.

[To receive an overview from Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust on the new Strategy.]

Professor David Loughton CBE, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust provided a verbal update on the newly published NHS ‘Our Strategy’. It was reported that the joint Strategy straddled Wolverhampton and Walsall NHS Trusts, which would be mutually beneficial to both areas in providing quality services.

The five-year Strategy was underpinned by four strategic aims: Care; Colleagues; Collaboration and Communities. The ‘Colleagues’ theme was clarified as support for colleagues, along with recruitment and retention of quality staff.

The commitment of NHS staff from the start of the pandemic was acknowledged, particularly during the period when the full physical effects of COVID and its treatment were still unknown. It was noted that clinical research had suffered due to the pandemic and the Strategy sought to address this. 

There were concerns expressed for the coming months around COVID still being in circulation alongside the winter influenza virus, with the addition of the impact of the cost of living crisis. An overview was given of plans put in place to bolster and support staff and community wellbeing in preparation for the challenges ahead.

Strong partnership working was noted as being a key factor in navigating the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic and it was pledged to continue in this way. Special thanks were extended to John Denley, Director of Public Health and his team for their ongoing support during this time. Thanks to the Trust were reciprocated by the Chair.

Resolved:

That the 'Our Strategy' - Invitation for Comment verbal update be received.

[To endorse the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment - 2022-2025.]

Parmdip Dhillon, Principal Public Health Specialist presented the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment - 2022-2025 report for approval and highlighted key points. The report sought to inform Health and Wellbeing Together that Wolverhampton’s Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) had been completed and was ready to be signed off by the Board and published, in line with the national deadline of October 2022. The PNA attached at Appendix 1 covered 2022 – 2025 and detailed key local health needs and the range of services available in community pharmacies (local chemists) across Wolverhampton.

It was noted that the draft of the PNA had been submitted to the Health and Wellbeing Together Executive Board in June 2022 prior to its mandatory 60-day consultation period. Following the consultation, the feedback had been considered and all appropriate changes had been made.

It was acknowledged that the range of services residents were able to access was positive and the PNA had been informative on what was available.

Resolved:

That Health and Wellbeing Together agree to sign off the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for Wolverhampton covering the period from 2022-2025.

[To consider any items of business by reason of special circumstances (to be specified) that in the opinion of the Chair are matters of urgency.]

Resolved:

That the full set of slides used during the meeting be shared with Health and Wellbeing Together members for reference.