Meeting documents

To be presented by Dr J O’Grady, Director of Public Health.

Dr J O’Grady, Director of Public Health, reminded the board that a number of partners across Buckinghamshire had signed up to a shared approach to prevention and agreed to work together to help tackle social isolation.   Dr O’Grady requested members of the board report back to their organisations to ensure the correct stakeholders attended the two day workshop on 25 and 26 September 2019.

Ms McDonald, Health and Wellbeing Lead Officer, highlighted the following key points:

·         The Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) Board would have oversight of the project. 

·         Work had been initiated with the Design Council who had good experience of working with the public and private sector in identifying and implementing high impact changes.  The Design Council was collaborating with partners to explore social isolation in Buckinghamshire. 

·         A ‘challenge statement’ would be agreed before the two day workshop. 

·         A range of possibilities would be explored; suitable options were required which all partners could contribute to. 

·         The next stage would be facilitated by the Design Council, a two-day workshop was scheduled for 25 and 26 September and participants would benefit from working through Design Council processes. 

·         Task and finish groups would be set up and an evaluation of the project would be undertaken in 2020.

·         Ms McDonald requested members of the board provided their support to the project and to make sure Health and Wellbeing Board organisations were engaged.

The following points were noted in discussion and in answer to member’s questions:

• In response to a question on how socially isolated people would be identified; Dr O’Grady acknowledged that this was a challenge and that the communities and local area forums would be able to help.  Work would also be undertaken with the voluntary sector and information would be available from the primary care data.  Young people often felt socially isolated and work would be undertaken in businesses to provide help to people on retirement; it would be seen as a whole system approach.
• A member of the forum asked if, and how, the project would link with Prevention Matters.  Dr O’Grady stated that the Community Links Officers (Prevention Matters) were part of the Public Health and Communities team.  Ms K Leney, Community Engagement Team Manager, was working on a ‘Bucks Online Directory’.
• The need to include those with mental health issues was highlighted.
• A member of the board asked whether the data would include future projections and how this would be incorporated into future plans such as the Garden Town project.  Dr O’Grady acknowledged it would be difficult to spread the message to all parts of the system and highlighted that last year’s Director of Public Health Annual Report entitled ‘Healthy places, healthy futures: growing great communities’ emphasised the need to include places for people to meet within new housing developments.
• It was agreed that primary care was part of the solution but a whole system approach was needed.  An agreement to share information would build up a comprehensive picture of the numbers and complexity of those who were socially isolated.
• Carers were often isolated and should be considered.
• Many voluntary organisations were already carrying out work on social isolation and it was suggested an audit be undertaken.  Ms McDonald agreed that the voluntary sector was key and advised there was a group who had been asked to be a critical friend and to feedback and provide advice to ensure the project was linking in, where required.
• The members of the board all agreed to support the project.

RESOLVED:  The Board CONSIDERED the report and proposed approach to the Social Isolation Project and advised on how to ensure engagement across the system.  The Board NOTED the Healthy Communities Partnership work programme priorities in appendix 2.