Agenda and draft minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 12 September 2024.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 12 September 2024 were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To consider outstanding actions from previous meeting(s).

Progress on actions from the previous meetings was noted.

Comments were made in relation to the following actions:

·       245 – It was confirmed that a response had been received from Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, so this could be marked as complete.

·       267 – This was now ongoing work regarding development of the Place Based Partnership Programme and had changed from when the action had first been added to the list.

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

The following are considered to be standing declarations applicable to all Health and Wellbeing Board meetings:

·       Councillor Patrick Clark – Governor of Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Governor of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and West Berkshire Council representative on the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Partnership; and

·       Councillor Jo Stewart – spouse is Head of Contract Management at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

No declarations of interest were received other than the standing declarations given in the agenda papers.

Members of the Health and Wellbeing Board to answer questions submitted by members of the public in accordance with the Meeting Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution.

(Note: There were no questions submitted relating to items not included on this Agenda.)

There were no public questions submitted to this meeting.

Councillors or Members of the public may present any petition which they have received.

There were no petitions presented to the Board.

Purpose: To agree any changes to Health and Wellbeing Board membership.

The following changes to the Board’s membership were noted:

·       Dr Heike Veldtman had resigned from the Board (the Chairman thanked her for her contributions).

·       Rebecca Morgan was the new Sovereign Network Group representative, replacing Matthew Hensby.

It was confirmed that discussions were taking place within the ICB following agreement of its operating model. An update would be sent to stakeholders shortly, including details of the ICB Executive sponsors for each place and associated membership of and clinical input to Health and Wellbeing Boards.

It was noted that the planned Local Government Association review of the Health and Wellbeing Board would consider its future membership needs.

It was highlighted that April Peberdy’s job title was incorrect.

It was noted that Supt Andy Penrith had not attended recent meetings.

Actions:

·       Update April Peberdy’s job title.

·       Contact Supt Andy Penrith to request a TVP presence at future meetings.

Purpose: To provide an update from Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust on their hospital redevelopment proposal.

Alison Foster (Programme Director, Building Berkshire Together) presented the Building Berkshire Together Update (Agenda Item 8).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       Members welcomed the update and expressed support for the proposed clinical model that would see more services delivered in local community hospitals.

·       It was noted that West Berkshire residents had been well represented in the recent public engagement around the impact assessment.

RESOLVED to note the presentation.

Purpose: To present the outcomes of the Housing and Health Hot Focus Session, and the Housing Condition Survey.

Sean Murphy (Service Lead – Public Protection) presented the report on Housing and Health (Agenda Item 9).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       Members asked how many families with children were in temporary accommodation. It was confirmed that there were 29 single people and 29 families in bed and breakfast accommodation. Of these, 38 had children and there were also 4 pregnant women. The Council had been in touch with the government to see if there was anything that could be done, but the situation was the same in other local authorities.

·       There was agreement about the need for the Council’s statutory housing function to be represented on the Board.

·       It was noted that the LGA review would consider governance, including the work of the sub-groups, but it was suggested that housing should be routinely reflected in report to the Board.

·       Members asked whether there could be more proactive interventions around damp and mould, since this would help to reduce associated health conditions and consequent demand on the NHS. It was confirmed that the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) saw cases where damp or mould was linked to health conditions. It was suggested that a holistic approach was required and that in future, there may be opportunities to provide grant funding to help tackle cold homes. The report was seen as a starting point for discussions on how housing and health could be linked. The ICB welcomed the opportunity to explore this further.

·       It was suggested that more should be done in terms of promotion to residents and landlords. It was important that residents reported issues/ concerns so inspections and interventions could be undertaken. Similarly, it was important that landlords and letting agents were aware of their responsibilities. It was suggested that information could be distributed via libraires and leisure centres.

·       It was suggested that technology solutions could be explored to monitor damp and temperature in homes.

RESOLVED:

·       To appoint the Executive Portfolio Holder: Planning and Housing as a Member of the Health and Wellbeing Board (currently Councillor Denise Gaines).

·       To establish a working group to develop an action plan to respond to the housing stock condition survey findings set out in 4.1 to 4.6 of the report.

·       That the action plan proposed in 2(b) of the report be presented to a future meeting of the Board for consideration.

·       That the Service Lead for Public Protection provide an update to the Board at its next meeting on the implementation of the Renters Reform Bill.

Purpose: To present the work undertaken by Healthwatch West Berkshire into the public’s understanding and experience of the new ways of working in Primary Care.

Fiona Worby (Lead Officer, Healthwatch West Berkshire) presented the item on GP Access (Agenda Item 10).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       The Board was struck by patients’ comments quoted in the report, and asked about how it had been received and acted upon by colleagues in primary care. It was confirmed that primary care providers had been engaged to help develop the survey. Healthwatch recognised that those involved in primary care were working hard to make improvements and many changes had been made since the survey had been carried out. It was unfortunate that there had been a delay in producing the report and things had moved on. However, Healthwatch was still hearing the same issues, and it was suggested that patients were not aware of the changes.

·       It was suggested that more needed to be done to engage with primary care colleagues so there was a positive outcome from the survey. It was noted that Healthwatch was working with Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) and GPs to understand how communications could be improved. While PPG arrangements varied between practices, engagement with patients about their experiences, and support for practices to work with their PPGs were key to developing and improving services. 

·       The ICB recognised that there was important feedback in the report, and they had provided a formal response. The ICB had undertaken work around the Primary Care Strategy concurrently with the Heathwatch study, including engagement with patients. It was stressed that ongoing engagement would be needed as they delivered the Strategy, and they indicated that they would be happy to work with Healthwatch to build on the report’s recommendations.

·       While work had been ongoing for a number of years to communicate changes to patients, it was recognised that messages hadn’t reached everyone. Some patients visited their GP very infrequently and would be unaware of recent changes. It was suggested that leaflets could be distributed via libraries, GP surgeries and other outlets about care navigators and how to use the NHS app. The infographic used in the Healthwatch report had been welcomed by the public, and this had been offered to primary care services for use in publicity. At a recent Community Forum, older residents had indicated that they valued having leaflets, and that infographics were helpful to aid understanding. Although there had been publicity about recent changes/new ways of working, people tended to miss information and only took note when they needed to use services.

·       It was highlighted that the Libraries Service would be happy to help distribute leaflets. They also had a Digital Officer who could help people download the NHS app.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Purpose: To update the Board on plans to develop the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for West Berkshire.

Steven Bow (Consultant in Public Health) presented the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment report (Agenda Item 11).

During the debate, the following points were discussed:

·       A number of changes to pharmaceutical services had been discussed at recent meetings, and the perception amongst residents was that there were not enough pharmacies in West Berkshire, and a recent report had stated that West Berkshire had the lowest number of pharmacies per head of population in England. This issue had also been highlighted by one of the local MPs.

·       It was suggested that officers should liaise with the Council’s Communications Team to ensure that messages were disseminated to reassure residents that work was underway, which would give clearer insights as to the availability and sufficiency of pharmacies.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  Note the proposed process for developing the West Berkshire PNA.

(2)  Agree that the Director of Public Health will take responsibility for ensuring the document meets the regulatory requirements and is published in a timely manner.

(3)  Agree that the decision to approve the consultation draft version of the PNA be delegated to the PNA Steering Group.

Purpose: To provide an update on the impacts of the cost of living on local residents and the support being provided locally.

Sean Murphy (Service Lead – Public Protection) presented the Cost of Living Update (Agenda Item 12).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       Concerns were expressed in relation to the possible impacts of the Renters Reform Bill. Landlords were concerned about the potential ban on no-fault evictions, and it was considered likely that some may sell their properties, which could lead to a shortage of rental properties in the market. This could in turn lead to more people being made homeless or being added to the housing list. It was confirmed that officers would bring a report to the Board once more was known about the implementation timetable of the Bill.

Action: Bring a report to a future HWB meeting on the Renters Reform Bill.

·       Members asked about the impact of the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions on local voluntary sector organisations. Volunteer Centre West Berkshire had surveyed local organisations, which had elicited 16 responses. This showed that the financial impact would be £455,000 for those organisations. This could result in organisations reducing the number of services offered, reallocating staff, or achieving savings in other ways.  Alternatively, they would need to raise more funds to cover the additional cost. A more detailed survey was planned, which would provide a more comprehensive picture. Lee Dillon MP had been asked to raise this in Parliament.

·       It was noted that sessions had recently been held in local libraries to highlight the support available to local residents through the Household Support Fund and Pension Credits. This had resulted in 30 enquiries at Newbury and 10 enquiries at Theale. The sessions were also attended by a range of external partners, and Council services. It was confirmed that further sessions were planned for communities in the west of the District.

RESOLVED to note the report and for a further cost of living update to be provided to the next meeting.

Purpose: For the Board to note the Better Care Fund quarterly monitoring report for Q1 2024/25.

Paul Coe introduced the Better Care Fund Monitoring Report for Q1 2024/25 (Agenda Item 13).

The Quarter One report had previously been approved by the HWB Chairman and had been submitted to NHS England on 28 August 2024. As such, it was presented for information only and was not discussed in detail.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Purpose: For the Board to note the Better Care Fund quarterly monitoring report for Q2 2024/25.

Paul Coe introduced the Better Care Fund Monitoring Report for Q2 2024/25 (Agenda Item 14).

The Quarter Two report had been previously approved by the HWB Chairman and had been submitted to NHS England on 31 October 2024. As such, it was presented for information only.

It was noted that information on reablement had been omitted from the report, but reassurance was provided that the Council’s performance on this was improving.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Purpose: To update on progress in implementing the actions set out in West Berkshire’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan, and highlight any emerging issues.

Steven Bow (Consultant in Public Health) presented the report on the Joint Local Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan Monitoring Report - Q2 2024/25 (Agenda Item 15).

It was noted that the Delivery Plan would be updated following the LGA Review.

RESOLVED to note the report.

Purpose: To receive an update from the Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.

Helen Clark (ICB Deputy Place Director (Berkshire West)) presented the ICB Update (Agenda Item 16).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       It was noted that all five of the local authorities across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West had expressed reservations about the proposed ICB reorganisation. This was perceived to be a dilution of the function of Place, with functions being controlled at System level rather than devolved to Berkshire West or West Berkshire. The ICB committed to providing a further update on the implementation of the revised operating model to a future meeting.

·       It was suggested that information could be distributed to residents attending vaccination appointments (e.g., information about keeping well over winter, pension credits, Household Support Fund, etc).

Action: Helen Clark to liaise with the Vaccinations Team about distribution of additional information to patients.

RESOLVED to note the update.

Purpose: To provide a summary of recent activities and future actions for each of the Health and Wellbeing Board Sub-Groups.

The Board considered the Sub-Group Updates (Agenda Item 17).

No comments were made in relation to the updates.

RESOLVED to note the updates.

Members of the Health and Wellbeing Board to answer questions submitted by Councillors in accordance with the Meeting Rules contained in the Council’s Constitution.

(Note: There were no questions submitted relating to items not included on this Agenda.)

There were no Member questions submitted to the meeting.

An opportunity for Members of the Health and Wellbeing Board to suggest items to go on to the Forward Plan.

The Board considered the Health and Wellbeing Board Forward Plan (Agenda Item 19).

It was noted that the Annual HWB Conference had been discussed by the HWB Steering Group. It was recommended that the conference be postponed until June in order to focus on the LGA review and delivery plan update.

The following changes to the Forward Plan were agreed:

·       An update on the Community Wellness Outreach Programme to be brought to the May meeting.

·       A report to be brought to the May meeting on the implications of the new tobacco and vaping legislation.

6 March 2025

8 May 2025

(All meetings to start at 9.30am)

The dates of the future meetings were noted.

Members were encouraged to attend future meetings in person where possible.