Members are asked to consider whether they have any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or any other relevant interest in connection with any item(s) on this agenda and, if so, to declare them and state the nature of the interest.

Members are reminded that they should also declare whether they are subject to a party whip in connection with any item(s) to be considered and, if so, to declare it and state the nature of the whipping arrangement.

Councillor Hornby declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment as a trustee/Director of the Voluntary and Community Action Wirral.

Councillor Roberts declared a personal interest by virtue of her appointment on the Management Committees of Arch Initiatives and Wirral Council for Voluntary Service.

Councillor Mooney declared a personal interest by virtue of her employment with Age UK.

Councillor Gilchrist declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment as Governor of CWP.

Councillor Rowlands declared a personal interest by virtue of his wife’s appointment within Education.

Councillor McLaughlin declared a personal interest by virtue of a family member working at Wirral University Teaching Hospital.

To approve the accuracy of the minutes of the last meeting of the Families and Wellbeing Policy and Performance Committee held on 5 December, 2013.

RESOLVED:

That the accuracy of Minutes of the meeting of the Families and Wellbeing Policy and Performance Committee held on 5 December 2013 be approved.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Attainment Sub-Committee held on 4 December 2013 be noted.

The Chair indicated that it was her intention to vary the order of business and to consider item 10, ‘Public Health Dashboard’ first.

The Committee considered the report and a presentation by the Director of Public Health/Head of Policy and Performance regarding the current performance of the Directorate as at 30 November 2013 against the delivery of the Policy, Performance & Public Health Directorate Plan 2013-14.

The Directorate Plan Performance Report was appended to the report and set out performance against 13 measures.  A commentary was provided against each indicator.

Of the 13 measures that were RAG rated, 6 were rated green, 4 were rated amber and 3 were rated as red.  Action Plans have been developed for all the following three red indicators:

·  Take up of NHS Health check programme by those eligible (Healthcheck offered)

·  Proportion of opiate users that left drug treatment successfully who do not represent to treatment within 6 months

·  Smoking at the time of deliver (SATOD)

Ms Harvey indicated that in relation to action taken, Public Health had been working with GPs and re-issued guidance to assist with identifying the correct coding. The department had also seconded practice nurses who are now visiting GP surgeries to offer support and guidance, identifying any issues and encourage take up of the Health checks. There would also soon be a revision of contracts with GPs regarding the NHS Health Checks programme for the 2014-15 financial year.

Mr Kevin Carbery, Business Manager, Public Health indicated that since the publication of the report and the re-issue of the guidance, there had had been  an increase in take up and as a result the Quarter 3 figure for October/December now placed this item in the ‘amber’ category. Also, the  CSU would in future be capturing data after the end of the quarter and an internet resource had also been developed which provided GP practices with online training, referral forms and information on coding. It was hoped that with these measures in place the performance indicator would show a continual improvement.

In response to Members, Ms Harvey indicated that generally practice nurses undertook the health checks and that those patients at risk were referred to their GPs for further assessment.

In relation to data collation,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The Committee considered the report of the Members of the Francis Report Scrutiny Panel providing background information regarding the Final Report.

Members of the Panel had met a range of witnesses throughout the course of the Review and thanked all those who had assisted in the review by giving their time, experience and suggestions.

The Final Report, ‘The Implications of the Francis Report for Wirral’ was attached as an appendix to the report.

Members indicated that the Panel had been satisfied that Wirral University Teaching Hospital and other health services in Wirral provided a safe environment and high standard of care with excellent systems in place. The Panel had been impressed by the eagerness of the Hospital to improve care. 

A Member commented that one of the recommendations within the report highlighted the need for elected members’ role to reflect the views of their communities; this had not been done by Mid Staffs.

Dr Phil Jennings, Wirral CCG, commented that he was pleased that the Group had come to the same conclusion as the CCG, and urged the Committee to look at the wider remit of patient contact aside from the hospital. 

In response to a Member in relation to the outcome of the Friends and Family Test, Mr David Allison, Chief Executive, Wirral University Teaching Hospital indicated that the hospital had been chosen to undertake this pilot and he was pleased that the test had been improved. Mr Allison indicated that the A&E target over the winter period was of concern but that the targets set in relation to admissions and alternative services had been met. Those wards that had scored high were to be used to share best practice throughout other wards within the hospital.

In relation to the Francis Report, Mr Allison indicated that he was pleased to note that the CQC had rated local hospitals Arrowe Park and Countess of Chester highly (Band 6) which was great news for the Wirral. He suggested that the Committee may wish to look at other health services where less regulation took place.

Ms Val McGee, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, indicated that her organisation had not been scrutinised at the same level, however, they did apply the recommendations from the Francis Report to their services, in particular mental health. The CWP also had its own inspection regime and Friends and Family Test.

Mr Hodkinson, Director of Adult Social Services indicated that throughout this review a broad range of organisations and service providers were interviewed by Members and the final report made some good recommendations incorporating the comments made within the Francis report.

Further to the comments made by members and Health partners, it was suggested and agreed that a Panel to look at the performance of health services be established.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the contents and recommendations of the implications of the Francis Report for Wirral Review be noted;

(2)  the implications of the Francis Report for Wirral Report be referred to the next appropriate Cabinet meeting;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

At the meeting of the Council held on 16 December 2013 (minute 64 refers), the attached Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor C Meaden and seconded by Councillor D Roberts was referred by the Mayor to this Committee for consideration.

In accordance with Standing Order 7 (6), Councillor Meaden has been invited to attend the meeting in order for her to be given an opportunity to explain the Motion.

The Chair advised that at the meeting of the Council held on 16 December 2013 (minute 64 refers), the following Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor C Meaden and seconded by Councillor D Roberts was referred by the Mayor to this Committee for consideration.

In accordance with Standing Order 7 (6), Councillor Meaden had been invited to attend the meeting in order for her to be given an opportunity to explain the Motion. In accordance with Standing Order 7 (5), any recommendation from the Committee in relation to the Notice of Motion would be referred to the Council. Any debate at Council should take place upon the recommendation of the Committee and there should be no separate debate upon the motion itself.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECLARATION ON TOBACCO CONTROL

(1)  Wirral Council commits itself to signing up to the local government declaration on Tobacco Control.

This declaration commits the council to:

• Act at a local level to reduce smoking prevalence and health inequalities and to raise the profile of the harm caused by smoking to our communities;
• Develop plans with our partners and local communities to address the causes and impacts of tobacco use;
• Participate in local and regional networks for support;
• Support the government in taking action at national level to help local authorities reduce smoking prevalence and health inequalities in our communities;
• Protect our tobacco control work from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry by not accepting any partnerships, payments, gifts and services, monetary or in kind or research funding offered by the tobacco industry to officials or employees;
• Monitor the progress of our plans against our commitments and publish the results; and 
• Publicly declare our commitment to reducing smoking in our communities by joining the Smoke-free Action Coalition, the alliance of organisations working to reducing the harm caused by tobacco.

(2)  Council notes that this has the support of, among others, the Public Health Minister, Chief Medical Officer and Public Health England and that such declarations have already been signed by Salford City Council, Warwickshire County Council and Bath & North East Somerset Council. 

(3)  Such a declaration is aimed at reducing the single biggest cause of preventable deaths in the UK – with over 80,000 dying each year - more than obesity, alcohol, road accidents and illegal drug use put together.

The Motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the Council be advised that the Families and Wellbeing Policy and Performance Committee fully supports the Notice of Motion in relation to the Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control; and

(2)  the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and the Director of Public Health/Head of Policy and Resources be requested to submit an update report on smoking cessation to a future meeting.

The Committee considered the report of the Director of Children’s Services outlining the progress made in respect of the establishment of a primary school community hub.

The proposed approach to establishing the school community hub, as set out in the report submitted to Cabinet on 13 June 2013, (Minute 15 refers), was based on enhancing the vital role of schools and creating a platform for them to act as a catalyst for transforming local communities.

The Child and Family Poverty Working Group was established in May 2011 to explore the evidence and research and make recommendations as how the Council and partners should address its statutory duty in relation to child poverty.

The £100,000 funding available for the project was allocated to Wirral’s Child and Family Poverty Working Group to identify priorities and put in place activities to address issues of child poverty. In respect of funding for child poverty initiatives, a commitment was also in place to support the Birkenhead Foundation Years project.  An update on this project would be brought to the Committee in due course.

Ms Jane Morgan, Constituency Manager (Wirral West) introduced the report and indicated that Holy Spirit and Fender Primary School were the only chosen schools for the project , but other schools were looking at replicating this model, these schools would be used across the Authority to evidence best practice.

In response to Members, Ms Morgan indicated that a report updating on the first quarter would be circulated to members at the end of March and then on a quarterly basis.

RESOLVED:

That the progress made in respect of establishing the School Community Hub project be noted.

The Committee considered the report of Director of Childrens Services outlining the progress achieved in delivering the Intensive Family Intervention Programme (IFIP) which was a targeted, multi-agency service for families with multiple and complex needs, as an integrated element of the Council’s Family Support Services.

Ms Elizabeth Hartley, IFIP Programme Leader, introduced the report and in response to Members indicated that the programme alongside the child poverty project was working together to improve school attendances.

Ms Hartley indicated that there was an element of shared learning and that the team worked closely with stakeholder groups, constituency managers, co-workers and social workers to ensure that there was no duplication of services, and it linked into those already in place.

In response to Members, Ms Hassall reported that performance of the programme was not included in the Dashboard at present, but this could be considered going forward.

A Member suggested that Public Health could assist officers with the delivery and implementation of the programme.

Ms Hassall indicated that Ms Hartley and the IFIP team had made significant progress in the implementation of the IFIP programme which had seen an increase in those “hard to reach” families now engaging.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the report be noted; and

(2)  Ms Hartley and her team be congratulated on the improvement made to date on the IFIP programme.

The Committee considered a verbal report and presentation from the Director of Public Health, in relation to the Annual report focusing on Social Isolation.

The report focused on those for whom social isolation had a long-lasting and potentially more damaging impact. Ms Johnstone indicated that social isolation was a significant problem within our society and one that we should all be concerned about. Whilst most of us were fortunate enough to have family, friends and neighbours to provide us with a reliable social network, there are some for whom regular social interaction was non-existent.

The report highlighted that changing patterns within our society e.g. older people living longer without adequate support, the financial impacts of recession, and vulnerable groups within society and not having access to appropriate services or support mechanisms, all created the conditions for feeling cut off from society.

The report outlined, that being socially isolated could lead to a wide variety of health and social care issues and simply cannot afford to be ignored if we were to continue to avoid extra pressures on our already stretched services, address the needs of the most vulnerable within our society and generally keep people healthy and happy.

Ms Johnstone indicated that in Wirral, there were some very good examples of initiatives, notably within the voluntary and community sector, which attempt to build, draw on or maintain social networks at all levels.

Wirral’s statutory health and social care services played a vital part in ensuring that vulnerable people got the support they need. The Authority needed to look to alternative ways of reaching and supporting those within our local communities that are socially isolated, as part of building resilience within communities, taking time to know our neighbours, and being prepared to reach out where there is need.

The report indicated that there was now a firm commitment to tackling social isolation, both at a national and local level. The ‘Care and Support’ white paper, which sets out the government’s vision for social care, clearly sets out the aim of tackling loneliness and social isolation, supporting people to remain connected to their communities, friends and family. With the inclusion of a new indictor for social isolation within both the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework and the Public Health Outcomes Framework, local councils will now be judged on how well they perform in this area. We as a Board have also committed to address this issue through the strategy and the specific objectives to tackle social isolation within older people and people with mental health problems.

The report reinforces the view that the responsibility for tackling this important issue lies with all of us and we can each play a part.

Members congratulated Ms Johnstone on the report which they felt addressed a very important issue which they could all contribute to.

A Member suggested that befriending groups could be further developed to alleviate some aspects of social isolation and commented that our voluntary sector partners had a huge part to play  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

The Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director of Families and Wellbeing outlining the current performance of the Families and Wellbeing Directorate as at 30 November 2013 against its Directorate Improvement Plan for 2013/14.

The Directorate Plan Performance Report for 2013/14 and the Exception Report which referred to permanent admissions of older people (aged 65 and over) to residential and nursing homes, per 100,000 population, were attached as appendices to the report.

In relation to the exception report and action plan, the Director of Adult Social Services, Mr Graham Hodkinson, explained the reasons for the non-compliance, actions required, how this would be achieved and when the results would be realised.

Mr Hodkinson indicated that in comparison to other authorities, Wirral placed a lot of people into residential care. The target set had been over ambitious and it was recognised that a more stepped approach was needed. He further indicated that although the indicator would continue to report as ‘red’ there would be a different measure for next year to reflect work undertaken.

Mr Allison commented that all partners had been working alongside each other to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and it was recognised that budgets were stretched and national pressures meant that there was a desire to reduce admission by 15%.

Mr Allison indicated that the hospital had a huge reduction in its budget which would result in a reduction in capacity. He stressed the importance of partners working together to help achieve this, all partners were currently working on Vision 2018 which was strategic five year plan for integrated services.

In response to Members, Ms Hassall indicated that the dashboard did not capture information in relation to reviews for safeguarding children; the current position showed that 69.85 of children were assessed within the statutory 35 days and 74% of assessments were undertaken within the statutory 10 days, the Department was working on improving these figures.

In relation to the rate of CIN (Children in Need), Ms Hassall indicated that the Wirral had comparatively more than other Authorities, However, the department had a progressive plan and officers were working to get the early offer bedded in within the preventative services. It was hoped that this would reduce the rate of CIN children.

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.

The Strategic Director for Families and Wellbeing presented the report of the Director of Resources, which set out financial monitoring information for Month 8 (November 2013), to ensure consistency across Policy and Performance Committees and provide sufficient detail for Members to scrutinise budget performance for the Directorate.

In response to a Member, in relation to the reported overspend on residential care for children with behavioural difficulties, Ms Hassall indicated that Wirral was averaging lower than other local authorities but placements were costly and this was a statutory duty of the Council to provide these placements, officers were working to see if a different offer could be provided for these children.

Resolved – That the report be noted.

RESOLVED:

That the Policy Update be noted.

In relation to work programme items, the Committee agreed that the next review undertaken would be to look at Safeguarding Children; Members were asked to contact Alan Veitch if they wished to sit on this group.

In response, the following Members volunteered for the group; Councillors Stapleton, Brightmore, McLaughlin, Povall and Hornby

Councillor McLaughlin asked for a position statement in relation to anti-social behaviour with particular emphasis on youth.

In relation to the review to be undertaken regarding domestic violence, it was reported that this would now be undertaken at later date.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  a Task and Finish Group in relation to Safeguarding Children be added to the work programme to be the next review to be undertaken; and

(2)  the Director of Childrens Services be requested to provide a position statement in relation to anti social behaviour emphasising on youth.

(3)  Members of the previous Task and Finish Groups and Alan Veitch, Scrutiny Support officer be thanked for all their hard work.

The Committee considered a verbal update from Ms Val McGee, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust on the recent inspection undertaken by the Quality Care Commission on Clatterbridge Hospital Psychiatric Services.

Ms McGee introduced the report and highlighted the standards that had met the standard and those areas where action was needed.

In response to a Member, Ms McGee indicated that there was an on-going programme to upgrade the adult psychiatric wards, which meant one ward was closed temporally to allow work to be undertaken.

Dr Phil Jennings, CCG indicated that following an inspection an action plan is produced to ensure services and providers undertake all the actions as requested by the CQC.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  Ms McGee be thanked for the update; and 

(2)  a progress report and the action plan be submitted to a future meeting of the  Committee.