Agenda and minutes

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, Members are asked to declare any interest they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 March 2023 were confirmed as correct.

The Consultant in Public Health introduced an update on the 2023 Health Inequalities Programme. In 2022, the Council had received six months’ worth of funding from the North East London Integrated Care Board (NEL ICB) to work on addressing health inequalities. The Council was committed to using this funding as an opportunity to build the partnership approach in Barking and Dagenham, to ensure that this was place-based, co-produced and co-delivered across the place partners, and to influence the wider system in terms of its working styles and culture. This update also provided context as to:

·  Inequalities challenges in Barking and Dagenham, across the life course;

·  The types and principles of interventions that were proven to reduce health inequalities and increase health equity; and

·  The eleven Barking and Dagenham health inequalities programme workstreams.

The Health Lead (HL) for Community Resources then updated the Committee as to partnership working that had been undertaken as part of the programme, as well as the importance of community power and community agency in the prevention of ill-health. The update also provided context as to the work that had been taking place as part of the localities approach, such as mapping with residents in terms of assets that they identified as connecting places in the community, and future work that was to be undertaken, such as a podcast starting in June 2023, which would ask residents who they turned to when they faced difficulties in their lives. Much work was being undertaken in this space, with the HL highlighting the importance of joint-working and innovation.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Together First Community Interest Company (TFCIC) reiterated the importance of partnership working, as well as highlighted issues within the health system, such as people in Barking and Dagenham getting older age frailties up to two decades before people in non-deprived boroughs, yet funding to GP surgeries in the Borough was not reflecting this and resulting in the Community Sector often needing to pick up the gaps. He highlighted numerous positive examples of partnership working in addressing health equalities and detailed some of the workstreams relating to these.

The Chair of the TFCIC then highlighted the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic had made visible the challenges faced by residents, as well as the need to work differently. She detailed some of the work undertaken by the Borough’s Health Inequalities Leads, such as community pop-up clinics and winter coat appeals, and work being developed, such as breast screening programmes for those patients with serious mental illness or learning disabilities, as well as work to support young carers with their caring roles. She emphasised the need to work innovatively to address issues, with the Place-based Partnership essential in collaboratively building on infrastructure. The Programme Director of the TFCIC also highlighted the benefits of close partnership working with the GP leads and their enthusiasm, and the innovative nature of the work being undertaken.

In response to questions from Members, officers stated that:

·  Through the TFCIC and Public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

The Integrated Care Director (ICD) at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) delivered a one-year programme update on the progress of the Barking and Dagenham Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, the background behind this and the challenges. In 2019, all areas across the country had been required to submit their plans around a new framework for community mental health services, with the bid submitted by NELFT and its partners being ranked as one of the most positive bids and transformation programmes. The update also provided context as to:

·  The vision and principles of the Mental Health and Wellness Teams;

·  The progress as of May 2023, with a particularly positive element being the development of Peer Support Workers who were now embedded within Mental Health and Wellness Teams and who were employed by MIND, further highlighting the importance of partnership working and the fact that statutory organisations were not always best placed to employ and develop peer support, which worked best through the Voluntary and Community sector;

·  The training of all staff in different approaches and modalities, such as in trauma-informed care and open dialogue (an approach involving the people who were around an individual);

·  The introduction of more point of care testing, to support more physical health monitoring, as physical health issues tended to be higher in those with mental health conditions;

·  Increased engagement with the Voluntary and Community sector;

·  The next steps to be undertaken, such as developing the service offer for young adults, and developing more Peer Support Workers across the life course;

·  The fact that transformation work was being undertaken, as caseloads and demand continued to increase.

In response to questions from Members, the ICD stated that:

·  The programme had a number of measures relating to aspects such as recruitment, staff training and individuals with severe and enduring mental health issues accessing physical health checks. It also had outcomes measures around individuals’ social engagement and ability to move into employment opportunities, as there were lower rates of employment amongst those with mental health issues. These measures were being worked through with the wider system and the mental health collaborative.

·  There had been some very sad cases involving young people and knife crime in Barking and Dagenham, which often had a ripple effect across young people in schools. Recently, NELFT had ensured that there were Mental Health Support teams in schools to support with the impact of these incidents, running workshops around mental resilience, working from a trauma-informed perspective and looking to create whole schools’ approaches around mental health and wellbeing.

·  Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Integrated Mental Health team (between NELFT and Barking and Dagenham Council) had been disaggregated, which had been followed by investment from the Council in terms of social care capacity. The disaggregation had enabled Health to focus on health care, and social care to focus on social care issues. Through the transformation programme, social care colleagues were working collaboratively with NELFT as part of a steering group with local resident and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The agenda reports pack and minutes of the last meeting of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee can be accessed via: Browse meetings - Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee | The London Borough Of Havering

It was noted that the minutes of the last meeting of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee could be accessed via the link provided on the front sheet of the agenda pack for this meeting.

The minutes of the last meeting of the Barking and Dagenham Partnership Board were noted.