Members of the Board are asked whether they have any personal or prejudicial interests in connection with any application on the agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

There were no declarations of interests.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·  Councillor Kathy Hodson

·  Councillor Yvonne Nolan

·  Dr Abel Adegoke, Primary Care Council

·  Simon Banks, Place Director

·  Michael Brown and Karen Howell from Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.

·  Louise Healey, Jobcentreplus

·  Sir David Henshaw and Janelle Holmes, Wirral University Teaching Hospital.

·  Sue Higginson, Wirral Met College

·  Paul Satoor, Chief Exec of Wirral Council

·  Magenta

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2022.

Resolved:

That the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2022 be approved as a correct record.

No questions, statements or petitions were received.  

The Director of Public Health introduced her report which presented the Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2022 – 2027 and set out the proposals for monitoring the progress of delivery of the Strategy. A working group had been set up in 2021 to develop the Strategy, taking forward the recommendations of the 2021 annual report, the Wirral Plan and the Marmot review and was developed with partners, residents and communities.

In answer to members questions it was noted that the importance of school readiness to a child’s development was recognised and the reduction in readiness since the pandemic was a concern. It was also noted how the Strategy would inform the priorities of services such as regeneration and Adults over the following five years.

Resolved: That

(1)   the Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022 – 2027 be approved

(2)   progress against the Strategy be monitored through the proposals within this report.

The Director of Public Health and the Head of the Public Health Intelligence Service presented the Public Health Annual Report (PHAR) which was the independent annual report of the Director of Public Health and was a statutory requirement. The 2022 report was presented in two parts:

· A video which focussed on the key role of the Community, Voluntary and Faith sector in supporting local people and residents to be resilient in challenging circumstances

· A State of the Borough report which used a range of statistics to report on health and wellbeing in the borough, which could be explored via the Wirral Intelligence Service website.

Members were appreciative of the depth and variety of the statistics presented and that they would be updated in real time in the future.

Resolved: That

(1)   the Public Health Annual Report (video) be endorsed, acknowledging the role of the local Community, Voluntary and Faith sector in the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge contribution it continues to make for residents and the local economy.

(2)   the ongoing development of the State of the Borough website be Supported and an annual report on key indicators, themes, and the progress being made to improve health in Wirral be received.

This report provided the latest updates and proposals from the Community, Voluntary and Faith (CVF) Sector Reference Group. The Reference Group (RG) was established in 2021 as a mechanism to promote the views of the CVF Sector to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Meetings had taken place between the RG and officers and Councillors and it was noted that this would continue as the RG sought to firm its model to create community link hubs in each Constituency on the Wirral.

Resolved:

That the content of the reports of the Community Voluntary and Faith Sector as appended to this report be noted.

The Director of Public Health presented this report which updated the local Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment which was a responsibility for the Health and Wellbeing Board. The process for producing a new Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for Wirral began in Spring 2020 with a view to its publication in March 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the publication date was put back to September 2022 as per national direction. This report provided the Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for 2022 – 2025, requiring signing-off for publication before 30th September 2022.  The conclusion was that Wirral was well served by Community pharmacies.

Resolved:

That the final Wirral Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (2022 to 2025) be approved for its mandatory publication on or before 30th September 2022

The Director of Adults, Health and Strategic Commissioning introduced this report on behalf of the Director of Place which provided an update on the development of the Integrated Care System (ICS), the impact on Wirral as a place and working arrangements of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside in the borough. It set out the Place Based Partnership arrangements, including four subgroups and collaborative partnership arrangements.

Resolved:

That the report be noted and similar updates be received at future meetings.

The Director of Public Health presented her report which provided an overview of the challenges local people were facing because of cost-of-living pressures and outlines proposed action to mitigate impacts and support residents. It was noted that the effects posed a significant risk to health and wellbeing.

Resolved: That

(1)   a commitment to action be taken to address cost-of-living pressures;

(2)   appropriate collaborative working arrangements and joint action plans be developed to mitigate the impacts of the cost-of-living pressures on residents.

The Head of Legal Services presented this report which recommended a co-option to the Board to represent Registered Social Landlords.

Resolved:

That the Chief Executive, or their representative, of Magenta be co-opted onto the Health and Wellbeing Board to represent Registered Social Landlords.

Resolved:

That the proposed work programme for the remainder of the 2022/23 municipal year be noted.