Meeting documents

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 are lots of gaps, so need to see how it fits with other initiatives

Danger of concentrating on existing initiatives only

Not yet clear how this relates to other strategies - need to map on a matrix

Depends on the audience and who we are trying to influence - Way in which it reads - a. to an employer, b. to a partner

Does not read as if targeted at specific groups

As measured by…? - how will we know we have got there?

 

Deliverability of the Strategy

Strategic objective - healthiest v. inequality

"lowest quintile" helpful in informing strategy

Are we pulling our weight?

 

Fit with BSP role on strategic direction for Bucks

Reflect different priorities of different places? Fit with district LSPs

Rural issues sufficiently addressed? - particular concern on transport issues

Lack of clarity re: monitoring performance - how does it link to existing monitoring frameworks? Link with performance framework, and focus on outcomes.

Aim 3i - what opportunity to link to other policies e.g. CO2 emissions link with partners plans?

Is there a holistic approach to funding of the initiatives (e.g. welfare benefits advice - links to VCS/other agencies funding)

 

Workshop Session B

How can District LSPs contribute to the delivery of the Strategy?

Influence/enable/facilitate - pick up issues and try and mainstream. Strategy provides framework

LAA performance Management and flow down via district targets

Reducing duplication via sharing info and co-ordinating

Networks and contacts - linking up locally; dialogue; encourage and build on

Local focus and perspective - project work

Lobbying opportunity - regional and national

 

How can the Thematic partnerships contribute towards the Strategy?

Bring focus - healthy communities aims/work streams - If don't prioritise ownership, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it

Cross-cutting issues across partnerships

LAA indicators - not all NIs covered in LAA but need big action on smaller indicators to deliver changes. Map to LAA?

Each partnership - different perspective/focus

 

Does the Strategy adequately address the needs of all groups suffering from the health inequalities in the County? And how healthy communities will be embedded in the future?

A diagram so all the strategies fit together

Make the links to JSNA - horse/cart?

Why these particular groups have been picked

The Strategy is not explicit about the need to reduce inequalities

Learning Disability rather complex health needs not covered

 

How can the VCS and business sectors help to achieve the outcomes sought ion the Strategy?

Agree big role to play

Business - reduce stress - wealth creation focus but leadership on healthy workforce

Lacks call to action to trigger any action

VCS - How to commission effectively from VCS to achieve the outcomes; core business for VCS - need more dialogue with key players

 

After the workshop sessions, Geoff Chilton, Associate Consultant, gave a brief summary of the points which had arisen during the item.

The summary included the following points:

·             Healthy Communities are the responsibility of everyone and this aim needs to be embedded.

·             The Strategy must not duplicate other work.

·             The aims in the Strategy must be deliverable and have focus.

·             The Strategy must fit with the Sustainable Communities Strategy.

·             Re: performance management, what is the responsibility of the Board, and what is the responsibility of bodies beneath the Board?

 

Geoff Chilton told the Board that the afternoon’s work would form part of the consultation process. The final Strategy document would go to all organisations for sign-off.

Members agreed that the final version should go to LSPs before it went to individual agencies. It should also come before the BSP Board who could then commend it to the individual organisations for them to sign up to.