An opportunity to question the Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care & Well-being, Cllr Lucia das Neves, on developments within her portfolio.
Minutes:
Cllr Lucia das Neves, Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care & Well-being responded to questions from the Panel on issues relating to her portfolio:
· In the context of the current financial pressures, Helena Kania questioned the effectiveness of prevention initiatives such as on weight management. Cllr das Neves said that Haringey was one of the only London Boroughs that has a holistic service looking at people’s smoking, weight, psychological needs and other factors together. Will Maimaris, Director for Public Health, added that the new weight management service offered a 12-week course which included a series of sessions on the various factors mentioned. He clarified that the Council commissioned ‘Tier 2’ weight management services while the NCL ICB commissioned ‘Tier 3’ weight management services which could include prescription of weight loss drugs. There were currently some gaps in Tier 3 provision in NCL which the ICB was currently looking to address. Cllr das Neves suggested that some detailed data on outcomes could be brought to a future scrutiny meeting (ACTION) but that Haringey outcomes were broadly in line with or better than London averages. She also noted that much of the public health budget was ring fenced. On a specific case raised by Helena Kania, she suggested that further details could be provided outside of the meeting.
· Cllr Mason expressed concerns about people with long-term health needs living in poor housing conditions. Cllr das Neves acknowledged the increasing difficulties of housing people in London and said that the Council was looking at a refreshed allocations policy. She added that issues such as exposure to damp and mould were also important to address as this could impact on long-term health and well-being. Sara Sutton, AD for Partnerships & Communities, explained that the intention was for the refreshed allocations policy to go out to consultation in the New Year and that there were some proposed changes that took account of the priority status that might be required for people with different types of complex health needs. Other relevant areas of the Council’s work in this area included:
o The building of new homes including bespoke homes built around the needs of individuals.
o The Housing Improvement Board which looked at issues including repairs, damp and mould.
o A recently implemented Responsive Repairs Policy which prioritised vulnerable residents.
o A Vulnerable Residents Policy which focused on cases involving greater need and complexity and how they are prioritised.
o The work of the Private Rented Sector team and the licensing arrangements which aimed to raise standards in that sector.
o The new Adults, Housing & Health Directorate would provide an opportunity to integrate areas of working, particularly where there was complexity and vulnerability.
o A complex needs panel which took referrals from relevant social care teams and considered evidence about needs to inform recommendations on housing outcomes.
· Cllr Iyngkaran raised the issue of the surge in RSV virus cases nationally and asked about the situation in Haringey including vaccine uptake. Will Maimaris said that the figures for RSV hospital admissions at the North Middlesex and Whittington could be provided in writing. (ACTION) He added that a recent success had been the schools-based flu vaccination programme and that Haringey had now moved from being the worst performing Borough in North Central London to the best performing. The Council also worked with the NHS on flu vaccination for over-65s and other at risk groups. Across London as a whole, the rate of vaccine uptake was lower than before the Covid pandemic which was a concern. The vaccine for RSV had recently been introduced for people in the 75-79 age groups and for pregnant women and the uptake had been better than expected. Cllr Peacock expressed concern that people aged 80 or older were not currently eligible for the vaccine and requested an explanation for why this was the national policy. (ACTION)
· Cllr O’Donovan raised the issue of self-neglect and hoarding and what more could be done to support such individuals and their families. Cllr das Neves acknowledged that these could often be difficult and complex cases, balancing the need to ensure that people are safe and well and respecting the rights of individuals to make decisions for themselves. She added that the Council had an existing policy in this area which was due for renewal in 2025 and there were voluntary sector organisations that worked in this area so there could be an opportunity for the Panel to do some scrutiny work in this area. (ACTION) Beverley Tarka informed the Panel that self-neglect and hoarding had been a recent focus of the Haringey Safeguarding Adults Board (HSAB) including recent input from the local Fire commander with the Fire service able to carry out house visits and risk assessments. Cllr O’Donovan noted that information on this issue was not easy to find on the Council’s website (though there was information on the NCL ICB website) and Cllr Connor suggested that the relevant page of the website should be updated including information about the various sources of support available and how to contact them. (ACTION)
· Asked by Cllr Connor about the implications of the creation of the new Adults, Housing & Health Directorate, Cllr das Neves said that this would hopefully enable more cross-working in certain areas and maximising impact, for example with the house building programme and in ensuring that housing was prioritised within the Health and Wellbeing strategy.