Agenda and minutes

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the ‘meeting room’, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Tricia Clarke and Cllr Philip Cohen.

As the meeting was not quorate, it was noted that it could only continue as an informal briefing and that any formal decisions would need to be deferred to a future quorate 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 10 below).

None.

None.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

None.

·         Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

·         Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust

Cllr Pippa Connor introduced the meeting, highlighting a useful definition of Quality Accounts set out on page 57 of the supplementary agenda pack as “an annual report including information about the quality of the services provided to service users and other stakeholders by the Trust.”

Amanda Pithouse, Chief Nurse for Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust (BEH-MHT) and Camden & Islington NHS Trust (C&I), presented slides on the Quality Accounts for the two Trusts, highlighting key points which included:

• The partnership between the two Trusts had been further developed with a single Chair, Chief Executive and Executive Team. A five-year joint strategy with four key strategic aims had been developed in consultation with staff, service users and others.
• The redevelopment of St Ann’s Hospital in Haringey had been completed.
• A new inpatient building at Highgate East and a new community building at Lowther Road were due to open in late 2023.
• Progress was continuing in transforming community mental health services across all five boroughs.
• Enfield Community Services were transferred to North Middlesex University Hospital (NMUH) in April 2023.
• Specific actions taken on Quality Priorities at BEH-MHT and C&I including reductions in restrictive practices, suicide prevention, building the workforce around people with lived experience, launching a Recovery Strategy, supporting staff well-being and improving service experience and involvement.
• The ‘Brilliant Basics’ initiative was aimed at getting the fundamentals of care right for every person every time.
• The Partnership Quality Priorities identified for 2023/24 were patient safety, patient experience and clinical effectiveness.

Amanda Pithouse, Vincent Kirchner (Chief Medical Officer), Andrew Wright (Chief of Staff), Caroline Sweeney (Director of Nursing) and David Curren (Deputy Director of Nursing) then responded to issues raised by the Committee:

• Cllr Connor referred to the £25m three-year project to develop a new model of community services and wraparound care which every resident was expected to have access to by summer 2024 (page 55 of supplementary agenda pack) and asked what residents could expect to experience. Vincent Kirchner explained that this was a population health model with place-based community mental health teams that get to know their local populations and statutory/voluntary partners in that area. This involved working with people with complex needs but also had a social health aspect, helping to link people to appropriate services and networks as well as early intervention/prevention while considering the social determinants of mental ill-health. These multi-disciplinary teams include psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers but would also refer to housing, benefits or other staff where appropriate.
• Cllr Revah expressed concern about support for people with disabilities and mental health problems. She noted that some centres that provided acute services and drop-in centres in North Central London had been closed in recent years and queried how people dependent on such services would be supported. Vincent Kirchner explained that the model had been shifting towards providing services in the community rather than requiring people to come to far away clinics and this involved choices about where to spend limited resources. The new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.