Agenda item

Adur & Worthing Health & Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan 2021 - 2024

To consider a report by the Interim Director for Communities, copy attached as item 9

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim Director for Communities, a copy of which had been circulated to all Members, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 9.The report before members presented the Adur and Worthing Health AW Delivery plan.

 

The Interim Director for Communities was present at the meeting to answer questions.

 

A Member asked the following question: The stated ambition to work more creatively in our communities and places is very welcome. What will the participatory ways of working look like in practice? Members were told that Participation took many forms including social listening (meeting people and community groups where they lived) which was helping the authority to build a map that would be used to build shared understanding of what residents used and valued. Participation leads had focused on developing relationships with individuals and groups to develop more participatory approached to commissioning projects. The planning of Community events was being taken on in a collaborative manner. Additionally members were told of other actions such as the climate assembly.

 

A Member asked the following question: The commitment to work in a more collaborative way with our teams is welcome. The LGA has spoken out in favour of giving CouncIl's more power to consider the public impact of licensing decisions to protect communities from harm, reduce NHS costs and save lives. Given that alcohol consumption is estimated to cost the NHS 3.2 Billion pounds per year, with additional costs falling on other services, could more joined up work with the Licensing team be incorporated into the Delivery Plan? Members were told that the Licensing Authority could only consider the four Licensing Objective in determining applications. Currently Public Health was not a licensing objective but this had been highlighted as a wish by the LGA for the future. Currently the Authority was not able to consider whether a new premises could exacerbate an existing public health issue such as hospital admissions related to alcohol. The Licensing team worked with other partners such as trading standards, Police, Fire and Rescue undertaking joint night time economy visits. The authority was investigating how the licensing teams could be utilised to improve public health such as how the Councils could work with businesses to promote and improve workforce health and wellbeing and recently in raising the profile of drink spiking in drinking venues across the District and Borough by providing posters, information, advice and best practice.

 

A Member asked the following question: Five big issues have been identified for our communities. Given the extent of digital poverty in our communities, should digital access be included as an essential need to be addressed? It is increasingly difficult for residents without digital access to make and manage benefit claims, plus medical appointments are increasingly moving online, so this has a direct impact on Health and Wellbeing. Members were told that Digital inclusion was an important need in communities. The Councils had secured funding to provide digital access points across Adur and Worthing. Prior to the pandemic there had been 30 digital volunteers had been present to support residents with digital access. Funding had finished for that project and scaled down versions were in place. There were more targeted approaches included as part of the unemployed or money mentor programmes.

 

A Member asked the following question: Page 19 0f Healthy AW 2021 – 2024 states that ‘our approach will use ‘proportionate universalism’ in our action, which means we will work with all of our communities (universally) but that we will target action proportionate to the level of disadvantage.’ Please explain how this has been actioned in Churchill, Peverel and Eastbrook, the three wards in Adur that the council has identified as having significant deprivation levels around health, employment and education, for example and are in the 10% or 20% most deprived in the nation (page 16).  Memebrs were told that many services were targeted to reach areas identified as less affluent (examples given were early intervention and prevention projects) Members were told of a number of projects within the identified wards and told that a more data led approach would help the Councils to further target work, particularly preventative work.

 

A Member asked the following question: What do you consider are the greatest challenges for the delivery strategy that the Health and Wellbeing team face  in working to address inequalities over the different stages of the delivery plan? In particular, in earlier 'now' and in the 'next' stages of delivery. Members were told the following

 

 Now challenges

 

·       The first is the challenge of the scale of inequalities vs resources and how the Councils can play a key role in both providing services and helping to enhance and support the vital support net and ensure reach to those people that need most help now, including being inclusive across our communities

·       Related to the first point, how we can develop more upstream preventative work with communities and balance this with the now needs that communities are facing

Next challenges

 

·       How we can really develop and embed participation into this approach and involve communities and partners in developing and shaping this work.  Importantly, how we involve people in creating meaningful outcomes to our communities that help us work towards meaningful change and measure the change needed that drives us towards what matters locally.

·       How we really embed health and wellbeing across the work of the Councils and places at a time of great change and challenge for our communities (which makes this work more important than ever) but that really does weave improving health outcomes into our business and activities.  We can’t do this all at once so we will need to involve our communities and members about what we prioritise, when and how

·        

Now and Next

 

·       The ongoing impacts of the pandemic will continue to be felt for many years across this agenda. The pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities, and created new ones. There are key areas of challenge, but also of opportunity: pre-existing health inequalities; mental health; social care; pandemic duration and ‘long COVID’ are likely to continue to be felt.  Our work to support groups and organisations in the community & voluntary sector and working with key partners through the LCN (Local Community Network) will be critical, as we further develop our approach to working within a complex system.

·       Sustainable funding to support this work is always a challenge - and one the teams are great at grasping.

 

A Member asked the following question: Para 3.1 can you define ‘transformational change’ in the context of the plan. What will this transformation entail? Members were told that the new focus recognised the need to build towards a strong approach of thriving communities which recognised the complexity of the work and how it needed to change and adapt. Priorities were being connected into the changing strategic approach around people and place and connecting that to the councils’ climate ambitions. The way the Authorities worked would also change with an intention to take a more participative approach.

 

A Member asked the following question: The 'social determinants of health' Para 2.1.5 p.19. How will these factors be measured? Para 2.3.2 what measures are already in place, how will qualitative data be collected? Members were told that this would be measured using both qualitative and quantitative measures

 

A Member asked the following question: Will these measures compare the differences between areas of the highest and lowest areas of social deprivation in our communities? Members were told that this would be determined and outlined more fully as the Councils developed more effective impact measures.  However the intention was to build data capacity and capabilities to ensure that comparisons and contrasts would target resources to double down on inequalities.

Supporting documents: