Issue - meetings

To consider how the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Committee can contribute to the Ageing Well in Cheshire East Programme

Bernadette Bailey, the Integrated Commissioning Manager for Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust and for Cheshire East Council attended the meeting to present the Ageing Well Programme Brochure to inform the Committee about how it could contribute to the programme.

The Ageing Well Programme had been launched in January 2012. Cheshire East had the fastest growing ageing population in the UK at the time and the financial climate meant that budgets for services were reducing. The Ageing Well Programme’s purpose was to try to make Cheshire East a better place to grow old. The work streams of the programme were about what was important to people. An Ageing Well Programme Board was created to feed into the Health and Wellbeing Board. The Programme was designed to be an over arching programme that would connect and build on the good work that was being undertaken by health services, community groups and third sector organisations.

The programme was not a specific plan of what would be done; it was a guide on what kind of direction policies and services should take. The outcomes of the programme were not measureable and it was more about seeing the benefits for the ageing population in years to come.

The Chairman stated that the Committee would do their part to help with Ageing Well through the Community Safety work stream. The Committee wanted to know more about specific actions being taken to learn more about how they could contribute. The Committee wanted further information on specific action being taken to engage those who are isolated and not connected to existing groups already. The Committee had several other questions about the programme which they wished to be answered at the next meeting.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the report be noted

(b)  That the Integrated Commissioning Manager be requested to provide answers to the questions posed by the Committee to its next meeting.

(c)  That the Integrated Commissioning Manager be requested to return to the Committee in four months with a specific action plan on how the programme would be used to improve people’s wellbeing for the next twelve months.