Meeting documents

Apologies for absence were received from Mike Colston (Healthy Communities Partnership), Doug Ebdon (Chiltern LSP), Jill Goddard (Learning and Skills Council, Thames Valley), Janet Godden (OBMH), Sam Knollys (Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust), Warren Ralls (SEEDA), Irene Thompson (BALC), Paul Tinnion (Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board), Linda Walton (Business Representative) and Warren Whyte (Aylesbury Vale LSP).

Members noted that the following substitutes were in attendance for the duration of the meeting:

·       Noel Brown as substitute for Mike Colston

·       Roger Reed as substitute for Janet Godden

·       Lee Jones as substitute for Sam Knollys

·       Stuart Greenfield as substitute for Paul Tinnion

·       Val Lawson as substitute for Warren Whyte

·       Andy Toynton as substitute for Jill Goddard

Permanent changes in membership

Juliet Brown, Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust, was currently on maternity leave. Sam Knollys, Joint Director of Strategy & System Reform,

was the current representative on the Board for the Hospitals Trust.

Clare Wormald, Locality Manager for Bracknell Forest, Wokingham & Buckinghamshire, had replaced Eileen Macdonald as the GOSE representative on the Board.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 17 June 2008 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

Presentation from Healthy Communities Thematic Partnership

This agenda item will be a workshop session, facilitated by Geoff Chilton, Associate Consultant, Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA).

Geoff Chilton, Associate Consultant, IDeA, facilitated this item.

Noel Brown (Healthy Communities Partnership) introduced the item and said the following:

·       The Healthy Communities Strategy is a multi-agency strategy designed to improve the quality of life for all.

·       The aim is to tackle health inequalities and promote healthier lifestyles.

·       Buckinghamshire is already one of the healthier places to live in the UK, but how does Buckinghamshire fare in comparison to other areas in the EU?

·       The themes in the LAA and in the Children and Young People’s Trust will assist with the aims of the Strategy. These themes include ‘Thirst for Life,’ ‘Smoke-free,’ CAB Services in GP settings,’ ‘In-touch,’ ‘Amend’ and ‘Affordable Warmth.’

·       The Strategy will seek to identify gaps (e.g. lack of joint working re: worklessness).

·       Tackling health inequalities will also feature strongly in the CAA.

Jane O’Grady, Director of Public Health, then gave the Board a powerpoint presentation on the Strategy.  The presentation included the following information:

·       The guiding principle for the Strategy is prevention.

·       The Strategy will build on a long history of partnership working.

·       Short-term work streams will be delivered within existing resources.

·       There are three work-streams in the Strategy (some more developed than others): All Buckinghamshire residents to live healthier, happier and longer lives; Reduce health inequalities between different geographical areas and groups of people within Buckinghamshire; Create an environment that supports the health and well-being of the population.

·       Factors that determine the health of residents lie largely outside the power of the NHS.

·       Research shows that the younger you leave education, the shorter your life expectancy.

·       Some adverse life trends (e.g. obesity) mean that life expectancy in the county may have peaked.

·       Scope for improvement – the UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe and has a higher rate of deaths from heart disease than the rest of Europe.

·       Other health problems in Bucks include relatively high levels of smoking, 20% of adults obese, not enough physical activity, alcohol-related issues,  and marked health inequalities across the County.

·       Cancers, circulatory diseases and respiratory diseases are all preventable to some extent.

·       Future issues include an ageing population, a growing population, increasing ethnic diversity, an increase in income inequality, a decrease in social mobility, an increase in people living by themselves, and an increase in long-term conditions.

·       If no action is taken by 2050, 60% of men and 50% of women will be obese.

·       The Strategy is currently out for consultation and it is hoped that a final version will be signed by the end of 2008. 

Members then moved into groups and worked on separate themes and issues. The feedback is noted in point-form below.

Workshop Session A

Clarity of the Strategy

Focus of the Strategy is right - concentrate on the gaps

What does preventable mean?

Strategy is clear - focus on change

We need to map ALL actions against the JSNA, to avoid duplication and to make sure we have covered everything

For someone new it looks like there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Jackie Fisk, Policy Officer, referred members to the update report in the agenda papers.

A member asked about the membership of the Implementation Group, and Jackie Fisk said that the group was made up of representatives from the LSPs, the thematic partnerships and from the VCS.

The Chairman also told members that Hazel Blears had produced a while paper regarding empowerment and that national rules and laws and enforcement on petitions would be embedded in the CAA in the future.

The Board agreed the recommendations in the Report, which were to:

Verbal Update – Lee Jones, Assistant Director of Communications, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Lee Jones, Assistant Director of Communications, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, told the Board that the Consultation was now halfway through, and ended on 19 October 2008.  Copies of the consultation document could be obtained from Lee Jones.

Presentation – Alex Pratt

Alex Pratt, OBE, Chair of the Bucks Economic and Learning Partnership, gave a powerpoint presentation (attached) on the Economic and Learning Partnership and on the Economy and Environment Thematic Partnership.

The Buckinghamshire Economic Development Strategy was currently out for consultation.

Alex Pratt would be bringing the draft policies to a future meeting.

Presentation – Michael Hunt

Michael Hunt, Encompass, gave a powerpoint presentation (attached) on the Rural Strategy 2008-2012.

Buckinghamshire was a rural county and over 1/3 of the population lived in rural areas. The Rural Strategy was made up of an Action Plan and an Overview. The Strategy covered Milton Keynes as well as Buckinghamshire, and had been prepared by the Buckinghamshire Rural Affairs Group (BRAG).

The Consultation on the Strategy had ended in May 2008, and there had been over 100 responses from individuals and groups.

The Strategy had been launched at the County Show in August 2008.

The Strategy was a tool for ‘rural-proofing.’

All organisations would be invited to the BRAG Conference in November 2008.

There was no AOB.

13 January 2009, 2:30pm – 4:30pm, venue tbc

31 March 2009, 2:30pm – 4:30pm, venue tbc

7 July 2009, 2:30pm – 4:30pm, venue tbc

13 January 2009 at 2:30-4:30pm at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre, London Road, Great Missenden, HP16 0BD