Agenda item

The Board received a presentation entitled Experience Counts: Haringey’s Strategy for improving the quality of life for older people 2005-2010 – a report of progress on Year One: 2005-06. The presentation outlined the vision of the Strategy and highlighted in bullet point the ten goals drawn from the consultation with older people that gave focus to the Strategy. The Board heard that in its first year, the Strategy had been a success but that the challenge in the future would be to keep up this momentum.

The Board was informed that there had been no funding shortfall despite suggestions, but that there had been some ambiguity over the resources available which would need to be investigated in order to sustain the successes. It was highlighted that existing funds might not meet demands that stem from the success of the Strategy, but that this would be monitored.

The Board raised the need to ensure that the Strategy related to the provisions set out by the Mayor of London’s Older People’s Strategy which had four key priority areas. The Board heard that in the consultation period for Experience Counts, these priority areas had largely been picked up and that once the Mayor updates his draft Strategy, Haringey’s document will consolidate on this too. The Board sought confirmation that part of the outcomes of the Strategy should be to see more older people attending and having access to Area Assemblies and that this would highlight wider issues over communication and access.

The Board discussed the refreshing and renewal of Experience Counts to ensure it vibrancy. It was highlighted that the Older People’s Partnership Board (OPPB) were responsible for keeping up-to-date with the progress of the Strategy, and to produce a quarterly report on this. It would also report to this Board annually with its views.

The Board raised the issue that older people and mental health issues were absent from most areas of Experience Counts. It agreed that it would ask the OPPB to include more on this when the Strategy is refreshed. The Board highlighted that the OPPB was not work in isolation on the future of the Strategy, and that it needed to widen its scope in terms of which agencies/directorates can lead/engage with the actions filtering from the Strategy especially in relation to the key initiative of developing community mental health teams in the East and West of the borough, as well as the dignity and respect agenda.

The Board agreed that in future, a brief highlight report of problem areas would be required in order to enhance the role and impact of the Board in terms of strategic leadership and monitoring in relation to the Strategy.

RESOLVED

(i)                 That the Board note the presentation and successes achieved so far, recognising and encouraging the needs and challenges of continuing this success.

(ii)               The Board to instruct the OPPB to include mental health issues in refreshed versions of Experience Counts.

(iii)             The Board to receive, in future, brief reports on the progress of the Strategy, which highlights in stark terms any problem areas.