Meeting documents

Each thematic partnership will update the Board on the proposed priorities for 2010-11 and the added value the support from BSP Board would bring.

·         Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership – Rita Lally

·         Safer and Stronger Bucks Thematic Partnership – Susie Yapp

·         Healthy Communities Thematic Partnership – Tracey Ironmonger

·         Economy and Environment Thematic Partnership – Graham Grover and Alex Pratt OBE

·         Children’s Trust Thematic Partnership – Chris Munday

Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership – Rita Lally

Rita Lally gave a PowerPoint presentation and said the following:

·         Rita Lally represented the Adult Commissioners Thematic Partnership.

·         Residents in Buckinghamshire were starting to live longer, and the bulk of spending in Social Care was for people aged 80-85 plus.  A fifth of social care clients were aged 90 plus. 

·         The government suggestion of free social care would not be possible with the current funding, and there were many self-funders in Buckinghamshire.  The priority agreed by the Adult Commissioners was "we will help people live in their homes for as long as possible and enable them to get health and other support where necessary through their communities.  For the avoidance of doubt this strategy will include a focus on ensuring that people are not delayed in hospital."

·         Keeping clients in their own homes was not necessarily a cheaper option.  Clients at the ‘heavy end’ were very vulnerable and had to be supported in their own homes with up to six visits or more a day. 

A member referred to the work being encouraged through communities and asked how the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) would be included in this.  The member said that the VCS gave a lot of grants through the Compact and that the Compact should be refreshed very regularly.  Rita Lally said that under ‘Building Community Capacity’ very good progress was being made with the VCS, with small amounts of money going a long way.

A member referred to district involvement in housing issues and said that District Councils had a commissioning role.  Rita Lally said that there was a Housing Officers Group, a Housing Members Group and Supporting People.  More working together was needed regarding existing resources.  There would be real merit in looking at putting pooled budgets together. 

A member said that Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) could assist.  Rita Lally said that she agreed with this and that processes needed to be as slick as possible.  A member said that they were concerned to hear that there was already a backlog for adaptations and that people were being delayed in hospital.  The member also referred to the reduction in respite beds in Buckingham hospital.  Rita Lally said that the issues of adaptations was a collective issue and that work needed to be done together with the District Councils to make reduced resources to go as far as possible. 

A member asked if the forthcoming Community Health Strategy would include these issues and Rita Lally said to the best of her knowledge that it would.  A member suggested that this grant should be included in the Local Investment Plan. 

Safer and Stronger Bucks Thematic Partnership – Paul Tinnion

Paul Tinnion gave a PowerPoint presentation and told members that crime was continually being reduced in Buckinghamshire and that this needed to be communicated to the public.  The two priorities agreed by the Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership Board were NI 16 (Reducing serious acquisitive crime) and NI 21 (Improving public perception that the police and local authorities work together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour). 

Major investment had been made in integrated offender management but further investment was needed from the BSP Board.  Public perception was the most challenging area for the partnership. 

A meeting had been held the previous day with the Drug and Alcohol Action Team, and a third priority had been requested.  This priority was regarding the disparity of retaining BME drug users in treatment.  Rita Lally said that she supported this priority. 

Healthy Communities Thematic Partnership – Tracey Ironmonger

Tracey Ironmonger gave a PowerPoint presentation and told members that the Healthy Communities Partnership had identified NI 121 (mortality from circulatory disease in the under 75s) as their priority.   The target for NI 121 had not been reached in the previous year.  Circulatory diseases were responsible for 25% of deaths in people before the age of 75.  Circulatory disease was much more prevalent in deprived parts of Buckinghamshire.

Tracey Ironmonger also told members the following:

·         A mini stroke increased the risk of a full stroke by ten times and there was a need to encourage people to go to see their GP early on.

·         Between 14% and 18% of Buckinghamshire residents smoked, and the Partnership wanted to encourage more people to stop smoking.

·         20% of coronary heart disease was due to adults not being physically active, and the Partnership wanted to encourage more people to be physically active.

·         The Partnership wanted to utilise all the strands in the BSP Board.  There was very good partnership working on smoking cessation, but this was going on in small teams.  Each organisation had been asked to identify a front-facing service which could proactively encourage and inform members of the public on a one to one basis. 

A member asked about arranged physical activity. Tracey Ironmonger referred to a project in Wycombe called The Walk Wycombe Project.  The biggest benefit in encouraging physical activity was for a sedentary person to become moderately active.  This brought about a larger benefit than for a moderately active person to become very active. 

A member suggested that a pilot be carried out in a one stop shop.  

Economy and Environment Thematic Partnership – Alex Pratt OBE

Alex Pratt gave a PowerPoint presentation. 

Alex Pratt told members that there will have been an approximately 50% reduction in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) globally after sterling devaluation is factored in, and that the UK had the highest levels of private sector debt in the western hemisphere.  Broadband was absolutely essential economically and would soon be critically essential in all areas.  However there were many barriers to providing this and community service providers used a commercial model.

The proposed aim was 40 megabytes per second, fibre to Cabinet, for the whole of Buckinghamshire.  If progress in this area was not made, Buckinghamshire would have a much less prosperous future. 

A member said that they supported this aim and said that work should also be carried out with local radio as some areas of the County were not covered. 

A member asked for an approximate cost of providing the whole of Buckinghamshire with this level of broadband.  Alex Pratt said that he did not have the cost but he did have an analysis of where there was current coverage and the current speed etc.  Investment in the infrastructure would come from providers, if they knew that there would be a revenue stream brought about quickly. 

A member said that not achieving this aim risked people being isolated.

The member said that in West Sussex, the local authority had taken a huge lead in providing broadband to all schools.

Children’s Trust Thematic Partnership – Chris Munday

Chris Munday gave a PowerPoint presentation and told members that the priority of this Thematic Partnership was to address child poverty. 

The impact of child poverty was not an obvious issue for Buckinghamshire, but existed across the whole County.   The priority was about longer term outcomes and the impact on differentials in health, crime etc. 

10% of children in the Aylesbury Vale lived in poverty.  The data for England was heavily influenced by poverty in London and this needed to be dealt with to improve the figures for the whole country.

Jackie Fisk then asked members if they agreed with the priorities identified.  A member said that they agreed with all the priorities identified but that milestones were needed which could be tracked.  Another member said that a map of demand for broadband was necessary before an investment was made.  It was also suggested that the priorities identified by the Safer and Stronger Bucks Partnership and by the Healthy Communities Partnership could be joined.