Agenda and minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2019 as an accurate record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2019 were agreed as an accurate record

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

There were no disclosures at this meeting.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was none.

There are none.

There were none.

The areas in the report and outcomes from implementing Social Prescribing and Local Voluntary Partnerships in Croydon address the following priorities in our Health and Wellbeing strategy: 

·       Strong, engaged, inclusive and well connected communities

·       Mental wellbeing and good mental health are seen as a driver of health

·       Get more people more active, more often

·       A stronger focus on prevention

·       The right people, in the right place, at the right time

The Group Operational Manager, Brian Dickens, introduced the report and did a presentation for the Board explaining that the Croydon Social P had been built on creating engagement opportunities, providing support with the aim of affecting long term behavioural change and developing local opportunities to assist in health self-management.

The Director of Alliance Programme, Rachel Soni, provided an update for the Board regarding the Local Voluntary Partnership. It was explained that there was funding available up to £5,000 per project and it was hoped that all funding would be distributed by the end of July 2019.

Councillor Hopley explained that there were initial concerns in Purley; however, it was a fantastic initiative and the community within the ward, including local GPs, were noticing the positive impact. She noted that the Selsdon ward had similar concerns to those in Purley and invited them to network with the Purley Ward Councillors. She thanked everybody involved for their hard work and added that data collection would be key to ensure the data was utilised by all services. The Group Operational Manager noted that data was being collected in three ways; the GPs were using an online system to track the changes made, there was an independent research team working closely with NHS England and CCG, and community orientated research was also being collected.

Councillor Avis stated that she was very supportive of the work; however, noted concern that large, private businesses (such as; Apple, Barclays and Facebook) were in partnership. As a local authority, it was important to ensure that these businesses were in-line with the ethical guidelines and paid the living wage. The Group Operational Manager confirmed that the relevant checks were being made.

The Director of Public Health explained that it was positive to have a large number of GPs supportive of the scheme and she was pleased to see all the different partnerships and sectors that were involved. It was noted that sustainability should be focused on to ensure that it was still relevant and active in 10 years’ time.

The Croydon Voluntary Action representative, Steve Phaure, echoed the Director of Public Health’s comments regarding sustainability and added that it was important to find a sustainable way to support the funding process for at least five years and engage with the community through organised activities.

The Croydon Health Services NHS Trust representative, Michael Bell, noted that in 2014/15 NHS England were promoting the scheme and it was positive that the London Borough of Croydon had embraced it. He explained that the London Health Commission had completed their work in 2010-12, which had mirrored the work of Social Prescribing. The programme was unfortunately stopped; however, a lot of positive work had been completed which could be utilised through the Social Prescribing.

In response to Councillor Bird it was noted that the full data collected would be reported to the Health & Wellbeing Board at the end of 2019.

RESOLVED – That the Board agreed to:

1)    Note the progress made to date  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5/19

The report will provide an update from Gateway regarding the impact of Universal Credit.

The Director of Gateway Services, Julia Pitt, and the Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services, Councillor Alison Butler, introduced the report and did a presentation for the Board.

The Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services gave an overview of Universal Credit and noted that the London Borough of Croydon was one of the pilot schemes for the enrolment in June 2015. She noted that when it was first introduced payments were delayed for up to 12 weeks; however, this had now been improved. This was mainly due to a high number of private landlords beginning to accept Universal Credit. It had a large financial and resource impact on Croydon Council and it had been difficult to retain staff; however, these problems were currently being scrutinised by Gateway Services.

The Enablement Service Manager, Paul Garlick, gave an overview of Gateway Services, the ongoing work and projects and challenges being faced. He noted that there were concerns for vulnerable patients receiving one large payment of benefits, especially when there were existing addiction problems. Universal Credit could also not be backdated which had been causing issues.

The Enablement Service Manager outlined the joint working slide in the presentation and noted that the partners were: Gateway Services, Social Services, Public Health, Housing, Collection Teams, Education, the Energy Team, and the external key partners were CABx (the Citizens Advice Bureaux) and JCP (Job Centre Plus). From 1 April 2019, it would be moved to CABx and the funding had been cut by the Government; Gateway Services staff were continuing their employment to assist with Universal Credit support due to this.

It was explained to the Board that the introduction of the Community Food Stop had helped retained 51 tenancies and 50 of these residents were now working full time. It was noted that the Community Food Stop was not a food bank, but provided fresh goods for an affordable price and also had access to support services regarding debt and poverty through Credit Union and information on immunisation was available.

In response to Councillor Hopley the Director of Gateway Services recognised that there could be improvement of communication to local Councillors concerning the available services and noted that Gateway Services would focus on liaising with the Health & Wellbeing Board further regarding this. She noted that there were currently discussions with local churches in the Coulsdon area regarding the introduction of another Community Food Stop. The Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services agreed with the concerns raised by Councillor Hopley and added that every ward had deprivation and urged Councillors to approach Gateway Services as soon as problems become apparent.

Councillor Avis thanked the officers and Cabinet Member for the presentation and noted that the work conducted by the Credit Union was very positive; however, they did not have the funding to advertise on a large scale. She suggested that the GPs could refer patients to Credit Union.

In response to Councillor Campbell the Enablement Service Manager noted that all staff members within Gateway Services had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/19

This report includes the full Croydon’s Health and Care Transformation Plan following from the discussing on the draft version presented to the Board in February 2019.

The Director of Commissioning - Croydon CCG, Stephen Warren, introduced the report and noted a draft report had been discussed at the Health & Wellbeing Board on 27 February 2019 and the final report would be presented in summer 2019, where there would be an opportunity for final engagement. The Executive Director of Health, Wellbeing and Adults, Guy Van Dichele, noted that there was a co-produced plan to ensure the strategy was delivered effectively.

It was noted that the London Borough of Croydon was doing well integrating health and social care; the award winning One Croydon Alliance was a testimony to the hard work already taking place for older people.

The Executive Director of Health, Wellbeing and Adults explained that work was underway following the publication of the NHS Plan. The Local Plan would require changes to governance but assurances by SWL to delegate resources to Croydon as a place had been made. It was noted that Croydon was increasingly getting recognition for the work already in place and its plans for the future and was committed locally to doing what was right for its residents.

RESOLVED – That the Board agreed to note the One Croydon Directional Statement and the next steps for integrated community networks.

This report is an update on One Croydon’s ‘Mental Health Community & Crisis Pathway Transformation‘.

The Director of Commissioning - Croydon CCG introduced the report and did a presentation for the Board. He highlighted that a more holistic approach for patients would be introduced through hubs across the borough to provide multiple services in one location. He also explained that it was important for primary care to be strengthened and to allow GPs longer appointment time for patients with mental health issues.

The Croydon Voluntary Action representative noted that it was important to consider all existing services within the borough for the introduction of the hubs.

In response to queries regarding violence within the borough, the Director of Commissioning explained that it had been identified as a key area, along with the mental health issues around this, and consequently would be reflected in the Transformation Plan.

In response to Healthwatch it was agreed that early intervention work needed to be emphasised further in the plan and the CCG had been working closely with Public Health regarding preventative work.

The Director of Public Health stated that there was a link between physical ill-health, housing poverty issues and mental health issues; she advised that this was included within the plan.

Chief Operating Officer Croydon CCG, Andrew Eyres, noted that mental health was complex and it was important to develop a service to help all of these complex needs.

RESOLVED – That the Board agreed to note the approach outlined within the report.

The report provides an update on plans for identifying and responding to short and longer term risks to health and wellbeing due to Brexit.

The Director of Public Health and the Public Health Consultant, Helen Harrison, introduced the report and assured the Board that there were a lot of people within the borough working on mitigating the impacts from Brexit. It was explained that currently the main focus was on the short term impacts on the health system as it was not possible to predict the long term impacts, and would not be until the Brexit approach was agreed.

The Vice-Chair confirmed that contingences within the GP surgeries were being made and patients were being reassured.

RESOLVED – That the Board agreed to note the potential impacts of Brexit on health and wellbeing and the national guidance on local and national preparedness.

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

This was not required.