Agenda and minutes

Health and Wellbeing Board - Thursday 16 November 2023 10.00 am

Venue: Ground floor meeting rooms, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH

Contact: Maria Lugangira, Principal Constitutional Officer  Email: maria.lugangira@southwark.gov.uk

Note: Link to livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIKGVm6o6og 

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

    • Share this item

    Minutes:

    The vice-chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

     

2.

APOLOGIES

    • Share this item

    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from;

    -  Councillor Kieron Williams

    -  Sheona St Hilaire

    -  David Quirke-Thornton

3.

CONFIRMATION OF VOTING MEMBERS

    • Share this item

    Voting members of the committee to be confirmed at this point in the meeting.

    Minutes:

    Those listed as present were confirmed as the voting members.

     

4.

NOTIFICATION OF ANY ITEMS OF BUSINESS WHICH THE CHAIR DEEMS URGENT

    • Share this item

    In special circumstances, an item of business may be added to an agenda within five clear days of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were none.

     

5.

DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS AND DISPENSATIONS

    • Share this item

    Members of the committee to declare any interests and dispensation in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were none.

     

6.

MINUTES

7.

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME (15 MINUTES)

    • Share this item

    To receive any question from members of the public which have been submitted in advance of the meeting in accordance with the procedure rules.  The deadline for receipt of public questions in midnight Friday 10 November 2023.

     

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    From: Liliana Hera Calle, Co-Ordinator of Right To Food Southwark.

     

    Question:

    Malnutrition among older people and meals on wheels services

     

    Background

    This week, 6th- 12th November is the Malnutrition Task Force’s National Awareness Week which is focusing on malnutrition among older people.

     

    Right To Food Southwark contributed by holding a community lunch to discuss malnutrition among older people in Southwark and examining the best way to tackle this from a local perspective.

     

    We heard that only two days of insufficient eating can lead to malnutrition. In Southwark, with one in three people over 60 living in income deprivation there will be thousands of older people at risk of, or living with malnutrition.

     

    A third of people in England aged over 65 years are at risk of malnutrition when admitted to hospital. This rises to 50% of older people living in care homes. 70% of people weigh less on discharge from hospital. This translates to hundreds of Southwark’s citizens.

     

    We discussed many issues relating to aging in today’s society that can lead to people eating less: lack of income, loneliness, social isolation, physical and mental wellbeing.

     

    Most people who are malnourished live in working class communities but we find they are often not the people who come to community for help. Some feel shame of poverty and take pride in not asking for help.

     

    We asked what one action could the Council take in order to tackle malnutrition among older people in Southwark?

     

    The answer was: re-establish Meals on Wheels.

    We are aware that this public service ended in 2018.  We are aware that since then poverty has increased and the size of our older population is growing. 

     

    We ask the Health and Well Being Board:

    1.  Was an impact assessment carried out in 2018?

    2.  How does the Council monitor levels of hunger and malnutrition among older people?

    3.  Is the Council getting data from our hospitals?

    4.  Do you agree that Meals on Wheels service is needed or how are our older citizens coping? 

    5.  If you agree, will you fund the re-establishment of a meals on wheels service?

     

    Response:

    The contract for Meals on Wheels was with a company called Apetitto ended October 2017.

     

    The decision to end the contract with the provider was mutual. There was insufficient demand for the service and it was no longer financially viable for the provider to deliver the service at a reasonable cost. The unit cost of meals at the time would have been over £16 per meal at 2017 prices.

    Demand for meals on wheels had reduced due the larger supermarkets and some small stores offering deliveries. The increasing range of readymade meals available on the market, which include low salt, low fat, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and culturally specific options.

     

    The service was replaced by:

    • Wiltshire Farm Foods, an independently sourced food delivery.
    • (Food to You) Shopping service arranged by Age UK.
    • Increased Care provision to allow light meals to be prepared and served.
    • Provision of microwaves and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

UPDATE ON THE COMMUNITY HEALTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME

    • Share this item

    To note the update on the Community Health Ambassador Programme.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The Board considered the report and presentation, presented by Ginette Hogan – Public Health, supported by Isabel Hester from Healthwatch. The Board also head from 2 health ambassadors Saidat and Franklin who explained their roles and involvement with the programme.

     

    The aim of the programme is to address inequalities in access to information and services by creating a pool of trained and trusted volunteers that support their communities. The ambassadors also work to ensure that their communities’ needs are communicated to statutory services via Healthwatch Southwark, Community Southwark and Public Health.

     

    The programme has expanded in size and scope since it was first established. Since the programme’s inception, 277 people have signed up  and 148 are currently registered. Ambassadors have been actively engaged in a wide range of health and wellbeing priorities, including mental health, cancer screening, cost of living support, Long-Covid, and a range of vaccination programmes. Ambassadors have sent out on average 45 messages to their communities on monthly basis through direct messaging, social media posts, face-to-face conversations, handing out leaflets, and more.

     

    One of the principles of the programme is to invest in the skills and knowledge development of volunteer ambassadors through a comprehensive training. This has included courses on:

     

    ·  Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid

    ·  Adult and Adolescent Suicide First Aid

    ·  Making Every Contact Count

    ·  Level 2 Understanding Health Improvement

    ·  Long-COVID

    ·  Vaccination programmes

    The Board thanked Saidat and Franklin for coming to address the Board and sharing their experiences.

     

    RESOLVED - That the Health and Wellbeing Board;

     

    1.  Noted the update on the Community Health Ambassador Programme.

     

    2.  Supports the continued work of the Community Health Ambassador Programme.

     

9.

PREVENTING SUICIDES IN SOUTHWARK - OUR STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN 2023-2028

10.

HEALTHWATCH SOUTHWARK PRESENTATION AND ACCESS TO HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SERVICES FOR LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWARK REPORT

    • Share this item

    Presentation from Southwark Healthwatch and Access to Health and Social Care Services for Latin American Communities in Southwark report

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The Board received a presentation from Anood Al-Samerai – Chair Community Southwark and Rumanjeet Kallar, Community Southwark. The Board also heard from Patricia a Health ambassador. Patricia explained to the Board her role in working as an ambassador supporting the Latin American community in Southwark.

     

    The purpose of Healthwatch Southwark is to connect people to power so that they can make improvements in health and social care, especially for people who have been historically underrepresented.

     

    The report also set out Healthwatch Southwark priority actions in order to help achieve the above – these are;

     

    1. Build and maintain relationships with communities which have historically been under-represented in decision-making (e.g. BAME, disabled). This should be done through community outreach, such as going to and organising events, and through social media.
    2. Use the powers and position of Healthwatch to make sure the voices of under-represented individuals and groups are heard by Health and Social Care providers.
    3. Present evidence with communities through written reports, videos, focus groups, campaigns, and events.
    4. Give individuals and groups the information they need about how to access services and engage with providers.
    5. Have a well-supported team with efficient processes committed to working with the communities we serve.

     

    To help ensure that Latin American communities in Southwark are included in studies on health inequalities, Healthwatch aims to;

     

    ·  Develop relationships.

    ·  Provide a platform.

    ·  Find out the issues and share them

    ·  Help Latin American communities develop direct links to influence services.

     

    The Board thanked Patricia for coming to address the Board and sharing her experience.

     

    RESOLVED – That the Health & Wellbeing Board noted the Healthwatch report on Access to Health and Social Care services for Latin American Communities in Southwark

11.

JOINT HEALTH AND WELLBEING STRATEGY PROGRESS REPORT

    • Share this item

    To note the update and progress report.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The Board considered the report, which was presented by the Head of Health & Wellbeing. The report set out the five ‘Drive’ areas that are the focus of the strategy delivery:

    ·  Drive 1 – A whole-family approach to giving children the best start in life

    ·  Drive 2 – Healthy employment across the health and wellbeing economy and good health for working age adults

    ·  Drive 3 – Early identification and support to stay well

    ·  Drive 4 – Strong and connected communities

    ·  Drive 5 – Integration of health and social care

     

    He explained to the Board that for each of the above areas there a series of accompanying actions. The Public Health team work with partners across the system to gather updates for each of the actions.

     

    With regards to proposed focus areas for future meetings, the following was raised;

    ·  The apprentice levy -  how is it being maximized

    ·  Progress updates - can they be rag rated to see what is track and what isn’t

    ·  On the Improving Mental Health in Schools (IMHARS) programme a deep dive would be useful, i.e looking into (i) prevention (ii) looking  more at clinical side e.g how long waiting lists.

    ·  More detail on partnership working

     

    RESOLVED – That the Southwark Health and Wellbeing Board

     

    1.  Noted progress against actions contained within the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy and areas that may require further development and focus.

     

    2.  Agreed areas which they would like to receive specific updates on at future meetings.

     

    3.  Agreed to receive an annual progress report, with twice yearly monitoring by Partnership Southwark Delivery Executive of actions within their remit.

     

12.

BETTER CARE FUND UPDATE