• Update from forum members “what’s been happening in your area”

The following points / matters arising were raised from the minutes of last meeting held on 11^th February 2009:

Fr. Leon Ostaszewski clarified the following, from the February forum

• Page 3 – clarified that the parking problems mentioned in the minutes related to Wallasey Road.
• Page 4 – The information kiosk mentioned was at Birkenhead Bus Station.

Councillor Leah Fraser added that information was available on benefits available to grandparents who have been left to look after their grandchildren, and agreed to pass this onto Carole Thomas.

The Community Engagement Co-ordinator gave a brief overview of her report, highlighting the following:

• You Decide Survey 2009/10 – a questionnaire was made available to vote on what local people would like to see in their area. There are two pots of funding per forum £20,000 for the provision of additional services / activities and £18,200 for the provision of road safety initiatives. She urged people to complete and return the questionnaire and offered to give further information and advice on this at the end of the meeting. The Chair added that the questionnaire was available to all Wirral residents and asked the forum to get as many residents as possible to complete the questionnaire.

The Chair asked if there were any questions on this and none were raised.

Partner Updates

Merseyside Police – Sgt. Diggins highlighted the following:

• An initiative to tackle knife crime took place last week and led to

Ø  8 people being arrested locally for carrying knives

Ø  8 retails stores being tested

Ø  19 primary schools, 4 youth clubs and local internet cafes being visited, in relation to crime prevention and the danger of carrying knives

Ø  Safety Arch – this was used in the Liscard and Seacombe area in the evenings. This is basically a large metal detector and was used on people entering licensed premises to check for knives etc.

• S30 Dispersion Order – a few zones have been subject to S30 orders this year, which are to conclude in July. Customer community questionnaires were issued prior to the start of the order and want feedback to ascertain whether these have been effective.

• Operation Staysafe – a pilot for Wirral, to be operated from the Allandale Centre, is due to start on 19^th June 2009. This will involve taking young, vulnerable people along to the centre and contacting their parents. The scheme will be advertised in the press in the near future and will run every 4/5 weeks during the summer.

• Tackling drugs / changing lives, initiatives targeting drug related problems have led to :

Ø  Seizure of £50,000 of controlled drugs from one address in Seacombe, based on community intelligence information.

• Local Newsletter issued by the Manor Road Police Station, copies of which were available at the meeting
• Policing Pledge Information, issued by the Home Office, which is a 10 point plan setting out what can be expected form the Police Service. Further information on this was available at the meeting. Sgt. Diggins agreed to discuss this in more detail after the meeting.

The Chair thanked Sgt. Diggins for his update and the following question was raised:

1. Dave Hanlon - where was the safety arch used (a similar exercise is run by Merseytravel at Central Station)?

A. It was used at licensed public houses.

Community Safety – Jim Thompson informed the forum that the safe place initiative, which was developed in Wirral and taken on by Liverpool, involves working with other major agencies and feeding into lots of processes (such as medical, youth teams).

The crime rate and Anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) rate have fallen in this forum area, but are still higher than the rate for Wirral. Seacombe used to stand out with a high ASBO, but this has plummeted due to six months of hard work by the team and the Police.

The team is bidding for funding form Central Government to help secure homes.

Wirral as a borough is a very safe place to live, as is Seacombe, and we are working to make it safer.

The Chair thanked Jim Thompson for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

2. Fr. Leon Ostaszewski – is the team still based at the Courthouse?

A. Yes, for the moment, a new site has been mentioned but will probably remain where we are for 12 months. The team is unlikely to be disbanded as it was the second best in the country at reducing crime.

The Chair added that there had been an audit of the council buildings, and there were assurances that the services will remain in the same area.

3. Carole Thomas – asked if there was any information on the 27 club, Manor Road, as building work was being undertaken.

A. Chair confirmed that no decisions had been made on the future of buildings in Liscard. Christina Jones added that social club are carrying out improvements to the building.

4. Councillor Knowles – complaints about the area around Tesco’s (graffiti, broken windows in the new build) and ASB in the Hawthorne Grove and Percy Road area have been made at recent councillor surgeries.

A. Jim Thompson agreed to pass this to the ASB team.

Fire & Rescue Service – Tony Mooney informed the forum that there was an update on pages 11-12 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

§  Home Fire Risk Assessment – the St Paul’s area will be targeted on the 20^th June 2009, there will be more appliances in the area and we will be aiming to assess as many properties, both vacant and occupied, as we can.

§  Funding has been allocated to develop the hearty beat gym at Wallasey, including new toilet and kitchen facilities and a new meeting room that will be available for the community to use free of charge.

§  There will be an Open Day at the Wallasey Fire Station, Mill Lane on 20^th June 2009, and everyone is welcome to come along. We will be there with our partners to demonstrate the equipment / facilities available.

The Chair thanked Tony Mooney for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

5. Mike Connor from the service has been seconded to work with community groups; will this secondment carry on when he retires?

A. The commitment to groups will remain

6. Dave Hanlon – mentioned 999 calls re: fires after midnight set after midnight.

A. There are fewer calls now due to the additional work put into place, team work and extra resources to tackling such issues.

7. David Hale – asked about what provisions were in place to reduce risks from other fumes, not just smoke?

A. The key priority is reducing fire risk, but limited work has been carried out on other risks and a second level visit would be arranged if there seemed to be a risk on this level.

8. Free audio smoke alarms are not suitable for deaf people, what provisions are made for the supply of visual alarms?

A. Alternative smoke alarms, such as light or vibrating pads, are available and the appropriate system will be used dependant on the specific risk.

9. Carole Thomas – how do people get assessed for the heart beat gym?

A. The gym is run in partnership; people are assessed at St Catherine’s Hospital following treatment and are given a fitness programme that they can follow at gyms based in all six fire stations as part of their recuperation.

Dr Shymal Mukherjee added that the hospital do extensive heart checks prior to referring patients to the gyms.

Older Peoples Parliament (OPP) – Audrey Moore informed the forum that there was an update on pages 18-19 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

§  The Social Care Team gave a presentation to the OPP on elderly abuse, and suggested that this presentation could be made to the forum

§  The OPP has liaised with Adult Social Services on examining domiciliary care, to ensure that it is reliable and trustworthy

§  The OPP has been involved in a system set up by NHS wirral in the Wallasey area involving liaison with GPs, so please let the OPP know if you have a problem that the health service could help with

§  The OPP is looking at the issue of support for people with mental health problems once they are discharged

The Chair thanked Audrey Moore for her update and informed the forum that the OPP was open to new members, the date of the next meetings were included on page 19 of the papers. She also added that Help the Aged could offer more information on the topics raised.

Dave Hanlon added that he had joined the OPP and attended his first meeting last week, he encouraged more people to join the parliament, which can be done by contacting Brian Christian on 0151 666 2220.

Dr Shymal Mukherjee added that the liaison with the GPs is a listening exercise at which NHS Wirral act on what it hears.

NHS Wirral – Dr Shymal Mukherjee informed the forum that there was an update on page 16 of the forum papers, and added the following:

§  A guide was being delivered to all Wirral residents giving health information and advice and a measuring tape

§  What alcohol misuse campaign – the campaign is about sensible drinking and needs to be supported by everyone.

§  Swine Flu – this is not a problem on Wirral

§  Victoria Central – the new building has brought heart back into Wallasey and offers mental health, x-ray, walk-in facilities. We are delighted with this 21^st Century community health service.

 The Chair thanked Dr Mukherjee for his update and the following questions / issues were raised:

10. Chair – requested confirmation that parking at the new health centre was free, as she had received a few queries from residents re: parking issuing of parking tickets on the way into the car park.

A. Parking is free for patients; the barriers are there to be used if there are any problems

11. Chair – the information booklet was very good, but did not include dentistry.

A. Dr Mukherjee – agreed to take this issue back and get this added to the next edition. Wirral is reported to provide the best dentistry in the North West, but this still needs to be improved.

12. It is difficult to get information about services available for people with dementia, despite an increasing amount of dementia. All services should co-operate and work together to provide advice and guidance on this.

A. This is a very relevant point, as dementia levels are predicted to rise considerably over the next 20-30 years. Work has been done on this area and we are about to commission a whole pathway of dementia which will be launched soon, as we need to offer advice and support to carers. The waiting time from referral to treatment is two years, but have introduced an intermediate service where patients diagnosed are given tablets straight away.

Councillor Knowles – added that he had recently used the walk-in at Victoria Central and that it was an excellent service. He also confirmed that reduction in levels of alcohol drinking was an important issue.

13. Carole Thomas – What is Albert Lodge used for?

A. It is used for an integrated community service to deal with problems like dementia, which is on the rise; and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - a progressive condition that usually affects smokers (it is similar to emphysema) and needs to be managed properly or the sufferer may die within 5 years. The management involves pulmonary exercise to help treat COPD early to enable patients to live longer and have a better quality of life. A huge amount of work has been done, with GP practices receiving training on this.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Jo Goodfellow informed the forum that there was an update on page 14 of the forum papers, and highlighted the following:

§  Work has started on the women’s and children’s buildings

§  The new children’s outpatients department opened, designed to give children a better experience

§  New parents accommodation is being built

§  Improvement work is being carried out on the maternity unit / ward

§  £1m of funding is being invested on mixed sex wards, and plans were signed off this week for bathroom / toilet area improvements and the installation of partition doors

§  A second MRI scanner is being installed

§  Pandemic flu – a lot of work has been carried out to ensure that we have extensive plans in place for coping with this

The Chair thanked Jo Goodfellow for her update and no questions were raised.

Minute decision  Resolved that:

(i)  Jim Thompson to pass on complaints about the area around the Tesco store (graffiti, broken windows in the new build) and ASB in the Hawthorne Grove and Percy Road area to the ASB team.

(ii)  Dr Mukherjee to ensure that dentistry is included in the next health information booklet.