Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chairman for the meeting as neither the Chairman nor Vice-Chairman will be present. 

RESOLVED

That Councillor David Brown be appointed as Chairman for the first part of the meeting and Councillor J Clowes take the Chair thereafter.

(Councillor D Brown in the chair)

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Michael Jones,

Dr Andrew Wilson and Mike Suarez.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

Councillor S Corcoran declared a non-pecuniary interest by virtue of his wife being a GP and a Director of South Cheshire GPs Alliance Ltd.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2016.

RESOLVED

That the minutes be approved as a correct record.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question.  Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public present wishing to use public speaking time.

To consider the most appropriate transformation footprints for the local health system(s).

The Board was asked to consider the most appropriate transformation footprints for the local health system.

The NHS Planning Guidance for 2016/17 – 2020/21 had been published just before Christmas and was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. There was a focus on place-based planning and the requirement to prepare five year local health system Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs). These would need to be based upon an agreed ‘transformation footprint’ that had to be notified to NHS England by 29^th January 2016. One year operational plans were also required.

There were a number of options for system leaders to consider in terms of the transformation footprints as set out in the report.

In considering the options, the Board had regard to the need for a rural, Cheshire-based footprint commensurate with the need for sufficient economies of scale to attract significant investment. It was acknowledged that this would not prevent valuable partnerships from being formed with neighbouring areas as and when appropriate.

Concern was expressed at the short amount of time allowed for consideration of the matter before responding to NHS England.

RESOLVED

That the Board considers the most appropriate transformation footprint for the local health system(s) to be a Cheshire and Warrington-based footprint and NHS England be advised accordingly.

(At this point, Councillor Brown vacated the chair and left the meeting.)

(Councillor J Clowes in the chair)

To conducting of  a survey within the borough, with partner agencies, to gain valuable intelligence into potential key workers affordable housing needs.

The Board considered a proposal to commission a Borough-wide survey into potential demand for key worker housing which would allow Strategic Housing to contribute to Spatial Planning’s emerging planning guidance.

Initial contact with partner agencies employing key workers had proven very positive. Strategic Housing now sought to gather evidence of potential affordable housing need for key workers within Cheshire East through primary qualitative research by conducting an online key worker affordable housing needs survey. 

RESOLVED

That the Board supports Strategic Housing’s conducting of a survey within the Borough with partner agencies to gain valuable intelligence into potential key workers’ affordable housing needs, which will in turn supplement the Cheshire East Council Local Plan and inform the development of a Supplementary Planning Document.

To consider an update on the progress and developments to establish a task and finish group to review current residential and nursing home provision, and to consider what might be required to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the future.

This item was withdrawn.

To receive an update on emerging guidance for the Better Care Fund in 2016/17 and beyond.

The Board considered a briefing paper which provided an update on the emerging guidance for Better Care Fund in 2016/17 and beyond.

On 8^th January 2016, the policy paper ‘Better Care Fund: how it will work in 2016 to 2017’ was published. The paper set out the policy framework for the implementation of the Better Care Fund in 2016/17. The strong feedback from local areas of the need to reduce the burden and bureaucracy in the operation of the Fund had been taken on board and the planning and assurance process had been streamlined and simplified, including the removal of the £1billion payment for performance framework.

The key messages arising from the policy guidance were set out in the briefing paper.

RESOLVED

That the contents of the briefing paper be noted.

To consider a proposal to merge the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Sustainable Community Strategy.

The Board considered a proposal to merge the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Sustainable Community Strategy.

It had become apparent that there was work currently in hand to refresh both the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Sustainable Community Strategy. This offered an opportunity to consider bringing the two together to form the key strategic focus for the future. The Council’s Management Group Board and Cabinet (informally) were supportive of this approach and the Health and Wellbeing Board’s views were now sought to determine the next steps.

A combined Strategy could provide a means of establishing a more effective golden thread through the Authority and its partners signed up to by the Leaders’ Board and the Health and Wellbeing Board. In addition the recently published NHS Planning Guidance 2016/17 – 2020/21 had introduced the requirement to draft ‘Local health system sustainability and transformation plans’. There needed to be consideration given as to how these related to the Sustainable Community and Health and Wellbeing Strategies.

RESOLVED

That the proposal to merge the Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Sustainable Community Strategy be supported.

The Board considered an update report on developments with the children and young people’s improvement plan. The improvement plan had been developed to address the areas of improvement identified by Ofsted and would need to align closely with the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The Board had previously endorsed a proposal for it to become the accountable body to monitor, scrutinise and challenge progress against the improvement plan.

In endorsing the draft improvement plan in November, the Board had felt that there needed to be clarity around the governance arrangements. The amended governance information was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. This had been included in the final improvement plan submitted to Ofsted and the DfE ahead of the deadline; a summary of the plan, developed for professionals, was attached at Appendix 2. 

On 16^th December 2015 Cheshire East Council had received a letter from Sam Gyimah, MP, confirming that the improvement notice, issued to Cheshire East on 12^th September 2013, had now been lifted.  A copy of the letter was attached at Appendix 3 to the report. The Improvement Board that was the accountable body for the previous improvement plan had now been disbanded and responsibility had passed to the Health and Wellbeing Board. The Board would receive regular updates on progress against the improvement plan.

In affirming its commitment to become the accountable body for the improvement plan, the Health and Wellbeing Board had identified the need to improve the knowledge and understanding of Board Members in relation to the areas of the improvement plan. An outline development plan was attached at Appendix 4 to the report for endorsement by members.

RESOLVED

That the Health and Wellbeing Board

1.    notes the contents of the report, including the revised governance model at Appendix 1, the summary improvement plan for professionals at Appendix 2 and the letter from the Minister lifting the improvement notice at Appendix 3; and

2.    agrees the development plan for the Board as set out at Appendix 4.

To consider the need to focus upon Building Community capacity as part of the Health and Wellbeing Board’s priorities.

The Board considered the need to focus upon building community capacity as one of its priorities.

Details of a course on ‘Leadership for Empowered and Healthy Communities’ were circulated at the meeting. The course was aimed at leaders in health and social care who wanted to think radically about the challenges and opportunities in a community-based approach.

Reference was also made to a document circulated to Board members last September called ‘Developing the Power of Strong, Inclusive Communities’ which had been produced by Think Local Act Personal in collaboration with Public Health England and which sought to provide a framework to enable Health and Wellbeing Boards make the

development of strong and inclusive communities integral to their work.

It was suggested that a one day conference be arranged to discuss these matters further.

RESOLVED

That

1.    the Director of Adult Social Care and Independent Living seek interest among relevant Cheshire East officers regarding attending the course on ‘Leadership for Empowered and Healthy Communities’; and

2.    the Corporate Manager for Health Improvement work with partners to arrange a one day workshop for the Board to consider the issues around building community capacity and the formation of a strategy.

To consider a memorandum of Understanding to support the relationship between the various health and scrutiny bodies. 

The Board considered a report providing a brief overview of the relationship between Overview and Scrutiny, the Health and Wellbeing Board and Healthwatch, together with a Memorandum of Understanding that had been proposed to support the work of the bodies.

The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding was to provide a guidance to the bodies as to how they should work together, to ensure their activities were complementary and contributed towards achieving the strategic health and care outcomes of the Borough. The Memorandum of Understanding could help to develop relationships between the bodies that allowed each to focus on particular issues, producing better quality work and enabling the bodies as a whole to achieve more.

RESOLVED

That a Word version of the draft Memorandum of Understanding be circulated to Board members for comments on the Memorandum and how it might be implemented.

To note the impacts of the first six months of The Care Act 2014, and the changes implemented by Adult Social Care as a response to the new legislation.

This item was deferred and would be considered at the next informal meeting. In the meantime, members were asked to feed back their comments to the Director of Adult Social Care and Independent Living.

RESOLVED

That an informal meeting of the Board be held on 1^st March 2016 from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm to consider the following items:

1. Better Care Fund Plan 2016-2017
2. Care Act Update Paper
3. Ensuring and Improving Quality and Choice in Residential and Nursing Home Provision.