Agenda and minutes

To welcome those present to the meeting and receive any apologies for absence.

The Chair welcomed those present to the meeting and noted that apologies had been received from Councillor Gideon Bull.

It was noted that the membership of the Board had altered and the agenda papers need to be amended to reflect this prior to the next meeting. 

To confirm the minutes of the 13 December 2007 as a correct record of the meeting.

Councillor Harris noted that minute number OBHC19, paragraph, referred to the Haringey Federation being given an ‘observer’ place on the Board. He contended that this was not an observer place and it had been agreed that a full place should be given to the Haringey Federation.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to the amendment referred to above, the minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2007 were confirmed as a correct record of the meeting.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business. (Late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with under Item 13 below).  

Under this item Councillor Bevan requested that an item on The Laurels be tabled as a new item of Urgent Business and considered by the Board.

Councillor Bevan noted that since the last meeting he had visited The Laurels and as a result he had concerns regarding its organisation and the way it was managed.  Given the reoccurring nature of concerns over The Laurels, Councillor Bevan and other Councillors contended that this item should be considered by the Board.

The Chair noted the concerns raised in relation to The Laurels. However, given that the Board was a forum for strategic issues, he considered that it would be more appropriate if the Board requested that a meeting was organised, outside the Board meeting, in order to address this. 

After further discussion the Chair did not accept this as an item of Urgent Business and requested that officers from the PCT and Council liaise to arrange a meeting, prior to the Board’s next meeting, in order to discuss The Laurels and the concerns raised in relation to its management. The outcome of this meeting would then be reported to the Board.

RESOLVED:

That a meeting should be arranged, prior to the Boards next meeting, between the Council and the PCT, to discuss the issues of concern raised regarding The Laurels.

Members of the Board must declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests with respect to agenda items and must not take part in any decision with respect to these items.

Councillor Dilek Dogus advised the Board that she worked for the Mental Health Trust. However, she did not make a formal personal or prejudicial interest in respect to any specific item.   

The Board considered a report that set out the next steps for the development of the Primary Care Strategy for Haringey. It was noted that this now took into account the recent consultation and Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA).

The Board was advised that following this meeting, the final Strategy would be produced, which would take into account the outcome of Healthcare for London and would then be brought back to the Board for consideration in May. The next phase would engage stakeholders, particularly members of the public and GP’s. During this phase detailed plans in relation to each Super Health Centre would be drawn up prior to the consultation process.

It was noted that many members of the public attached significant value to the personal relationship that they had built up with their GP and it was likely that there would be a lot of concern in relation to the proposals. This would particularly affect vulnerable groups and other groups who had a particularly close relationship it their GP. It was recognised that vulnerable individuals used to receiving regular support from their local GP may require specific support to address the vacuum this may create. 

In response to the concerns raised, the Board was advised that the loss of GPs was recognised as an issue that would require attention within the Consultation document. In addition to this, the Health Equalities Impact Assessment addressed this issue and made a series of recommendations. The Board was reminded that there was a balanced argument in relation to the introduction of the Super Health Centres and that work at a local level was required to address specific issues of concern. 

It was noted that at present, the lack of detail in relation to the proposals made it difficult for the Board to sign up to the document and there was agreement that, once available, the Issues and Options paper should be submitted to the Board for consideration. The Board was advised that the revised version of the Strategy would set out how the PCT planned to retain the positive aspects of the old system and would explore how these aspects would be balanced in more detail.

The Board was advised that in terms of improving access the PCT were working closely with Transport for London, Dial-a-Ride and local taxi firms.

RESOLVED:

1. That the report be noted.

2. That the Issues and Options Paper and an update be brought to the next meeting of the Board.

The report will be sent to follow.  

The Board considered a report on the Welfare to Work for Disabled People Strategy.

The Strategy was launched in October 2005 with the aim of providing a clear focus point to all those working in the field of employment and disabilities. Partnership working was key to the Strategy, which encouraged collaboration across a range of agencies.  The Strategy was strongly linked to one of the Boards key priorities around improving access to employment and mainstream provision for people with physical and mental health disabilities.

It was noted that as part of the Strategy a community interest company had been established that was staffed by disabled people who provided training on disability awareness to mainstream employers.

The Governments agenda for tackling Worklessness provided an emphasis on reducing the number of long term Incapacity Benefit claimants. It was noted that although there was a degree of cross over between this and the Strategy, there were different issues affecting these groups and therefore different approaches were required.

It was noted that the progress against the Strategy had not been reported to the Well Being Board during 2006/07 and there was agreement that a report should be submitted for 2007/08. 

Concern was expressed that the Strategy did not set out in enough detail how BME groups would be assisted. It was noted that there were specific issues in certain parts of the Borough affecting BME groups and it was suggested that stringent targets were required to ensure that these groups were reached. It was also suggested that specific measures to improve skills levels amongst BME groups were required.

It was suggested that it may be useful for Services to meet in order to discuss how Social Enterprises could be supported by the Partnership and HAVCO stated that it would be happy to support this.

The Chair noted that the recommendations set out in the report were wide ranging and considered that, given the level of information available at present, the Board was not able to respond to all of these at this meeting. There was agreement that officers should be tasked with looking at the recommendations set out in the report in more detail and that a report should be brought back to the Board in July setting out detailed options.

RESOLVED:

1. That the report be noted.

2. That officers consider the recommendations set out in the report and that a report should be brought back to the Board in July setting out detailed options.

The Board received a report setting out revisions to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy and Procedures.

It was noted that a multi-agency approach to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults in the Borough had first been implemented across the Council and Partner organisations in 2002. Since 2002 there had been significant improvements in awareness and the number of instances of suspected abuse being reported had risen. In order to increase capacity and support stakeholders, the post of Adult Protection Manager had been created. Resources for this post had been identified within budget proposals for 2008/09.

The Board discussed the new policy and procedures and in response to a query, the Board was advised that although a multi-agency approach was being taken, each individual organisation would still be accountable, via its own internal procedures, if a serious incident were to occur.

It was noted that family members were informed, where appropriate, if there was a suspicion of abuse. However, if there was any suspicion of abuse by a family member, they would not be informed of an investigation.

The Board discussed training arrangements and it was recognised that organisations across the partnership would require further training in order to meet the requirements placed on them under the policy.  It was recognised that the Council had made a significant investment in relation to training around the new Safeguarding arrangements and that further training would be arranged as required. 

The Chair emphasised the need for there to be clarity around the reporting process and for all organisations to report instances of suspected abuse to the Local Authority as the central contact point.

It was noted that the Terms of Reference currently stated that the quorum for the Haringey Safeguarding Adults Board should consist of a minimum of five members. However, the wording around the mix of the five members was unclear and it was agreed that this should be amended to reflect that the quorum should include at least three members from both the Council and PCT with a minimum of one from each.

There was agreement that Board should receive regular report on this issue in order to monitor how the Strategy was being implemented across the partnership.

RESOLVED:

1. That the revised policy and procedures be endorsed by the Board and commended to all stakeholders across the partnership for implementation.

2. That stakeholder within the Partnership review internal procedures to ensure that they are aligned to the revised policy and procedures.

The Board considered a report that provided an update on the on development of an over arching Tobacco Control Strategy for the Borough.

It was noted that the Strategy formed part of the Tobacco Control Project funded by Neighbourhood Renewal Funding (NRF). Tobacco consumption was recognised as being a significant contributor towards ill health and premature mortality. Therefore, specific strategies were being devised to target BME residents and residents’ living in deprived areas as there was often a greater level of tobacco consumption amongst these groups.

Smoking cessation classes were also being held specifically for BME groups and vulnerable adults.  

In response to a question the Board was advised that the Performance Management system in place to monitor the performance of the PCT would ensure that the figures that the information was based on were accurate. This information was also subject to audit.

It was requested that a meeting be held between the PCT’s Substance Abuse Team and the Council’s Drug and Alcohol Team to discuss this issue further. There was agreement that this would be useful.

The Chair noted that using schools as a forum to ensure that young people were given information regarding smoking was important and also provided a good method for engaging young people from BME backgrounds. In terms of engaging employers, the Chair noted that as part of other projects, exemplars were needed. This approach could be used to highlight employers who assisted supported employees to stop smoking.

RESOLVED:

That the specification and timescales attached to the project be noted.

The Board received a report setting out the progress that had been made towards agreeing the thirty-five National Indicators to be included within the new Local Area Agreement (LAA).

The Board was advised that a second meeting had taken place between the HSP Performance Management Group (PMG) and GOL on 25 January where GOL had confirmed that the HSP was on track to meet the June deadline for selection of the targets. However, GOL had proposed a number of amendments at that meeting and these were now being considered by each of the Thematic Boards. 

The Board discussed the suggestions made by GOL in relation to the Indicators within its responsibility. It was noted that existing Stretch Targets were included as Local Indicators. Although there was not a statutory obligation to report on Local Indicators they would be monitored and form an important role in the LAA.

Concern was expressed at GOL’s suggestion that NI 198 should become a Local Indicator and there was agreement amongst the Board that this should remain included within the list of thirty-five indicators.

RESOLVED:

1. That the suggestions made by GOL, as set out in the report, be accepted, with the exception of the suggestion that NI 198 should be replaced by NI 56.

2. That the HSP PMG should be advised of the Board’s view in relation to NI 198.       

Report to follow.

The Board received a report, which provided a broad overview of its allocation under the new ABG and it was noted that approximately £5.3M had been allocated to the Board.

The Board was advised that a more detailed report would be submitted in June.

RESOLVED:

To noted the report.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a presentation from the Councils Assistant Director of Strategic & Community Housing on the Move on Strategy.

It was noted that the Well-Being Strategic Partnership Board and the Integrated Housing Board, would be working closely together on housing related issues and that the Move on Strategy formed a key part of this.

The Chair noted that one of the aims of the Strategy was to include a variety of partner organisations and ensure that these had a sense of ownership and a responsibility for delivering the Strategy.

The Director of Public Health noted that the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) would provide a useful tool to enable partners to take a more joined up approach to achieving the goals of the Strategy.

In response to a query regarding the re-housing of people being released from prison, the Board was advised that at present there was not a consistent partnership approach to addressing this. However, it was envisaged the Strategy would help establish a more joined up approach to this and other issues.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.

The Board was advised that the Families into Work (FiW) project aimed to improve the life chances of people living in Northumberland Park by working with families to identify and provide the services they required to assist them back into work.

A key part of the project was the multi agency approach that would be employed. It was proposed that a team of four people was established that would work closely with one hundred families in Northumberland Park over a two year period.  Existing resources would be used rather than using new funding and one of the aims of the project was to better utilise existing resources and improve the coordination Services.

The Board was advised that as part of the project, forty children, at risk of becoming NEET had been identified and thirty of these were being worked with to help prevent this happening. As part of this action the parents of children at risk of becoming NEET were also being targeted and measures to help raise their skill levels would be included.

If successful the project would act as a model that could be replicated and rolled out in other areas.

In response to questions regarding how the families would continue to be supported after the internal three year period, the Board was advised that it was recognised that ongoing support would be required and that provision was being made for this. A mapping exercise had been carried out and the Steering Group was looking at developing measures to address this.

The Board noted that substance abuse was a common factor affecting people in deprived areas and it was suggested that organisations that specialised in working with people to address this should be included within the Programme.  

The Chair concluded discussion and noted that the Board supported the Programme in principal and requested that a more detailed report be submitted to the Board for endorsement once completed.

RESOLVED:

1. That the specification and timescales for the project be noted.

2. That a more detailed report be brought back to the Board for endorsement once the project was further advanced.

To consider any new items of Urgent Business admitted under Item 3.

No new items of Urgent Business were considered.

The Board considered a report setting out progress against the key strategic objectives within its responsibility.

Councillor Bevan noted that the totals in columns nine and ten did not tally and queries were also raised as to whether estimates in relation to column thirteen, which referred to Community Alarms were correct. It was agreed that Councillor Bevan should be provided with a response to his queries outside the meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Board received a report on the progress of projects funded by NRF funding.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Board received a report that provided an update on Communities Funding.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

A verbal update will be provided.

The Board received a brief update from the PCT regarding the Strategy.

It was noted that structures for implementation of the Strategy had now been established and that more detailed work particularly around elective surgery had begun.

RESOLVED:

That the verbal update provided be noted.

To raise any items of AOB.

The Board was advised by Robert Edmonds of HAVCO that there had been a good response to the Community Link Forum elections from members of the public.

By July the representatives from the Community Link Forum should be appointed to each of the HSP Thematic Boards. 

Please note that the Council’s Calendar of meetings has yet to be finalised.

Dates have been provisionally set for:

10 June

20 October

8 December

2 March

Once dates have been confirmed the Board will be contacted.

RESOLVED:

1. That the tentative dates for future meetings be noted.

2. That consideration should be given to moving the two Autumn meetings further apart.