Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor P G Heath (Dover District Council), Mr M Lobban and Ms J Perfect.

In accordance with the agreed Terms of Reference, Councillor P M Beresford, Ms D Barrie and Ms J Empson were appointed as substitute members for Councillor P G Heath, Ms J Perfect and Mr M Lobban, respectively.

There were no declarations of interest from Members.

It was agreed that the Minutes of the Board meeting held on 22 October 2013 be

approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no items of business.

The Board received a presentation from Ms M Knight (SO2 Pers Med, 2 (SE) Bde, Sir John Moore Barracks, Shorncliffe) on the Armed Forces Covenant and the role of the military and health and social services in providing support to service personnel as they transitioned from life in the armed forces to reintegration into civilian life.

The Board was advised that leavers from the military were supported for a period of 2 years after they left the services to assist them in accessing housing, health and social services. As part of this, the Government funded a Community Covenant Grant Scheme which was intended to support projects that strengthened ties between the civilian and armed forces communities. Any organisation with a suitable project could bid for grant funding.

Dr J Chaudhuri advised that the South Kent Coast CCG had previously made a presentation to the elders of the Ghurkha community at Shorncliffe Barracks and welcomed any opportunity for joint working with the Ministry of Defence in respect of accessing the dependents of Ghurkha soldiers based in Folkestone.

It was stated that a “Men’s Sheds” project would start in the Thanet and South Kent Coast CCG areas in January 2014 that was intended to create a fraternal environment in which to bring men together.

RESOLVED:   That the presentation be noted.

Ms K Benbow and Dr J Chaudhuri introduced the report on the ‘Live Well’ project, which part of the delivery of Outcome 4 of the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board Strategy in respect of mental health.

The project had already delivered significant improvements in respect of waiting times for primary care psychological therapy through an increase in approved providers.

The Board was advised that the South Kent Coast CCG was leading on plans to pilot personal health budgets for mental health needs as a project in Northampton had improved health outcomes for patients and saved money by utilising budgets more effectively.

The suicide rates for the South Kent Coast CCG area were the highest in Kent and a dedicated resource on suicide prevention had been introduced for the first time. Suicide rates were seen as a potential barometer for the ease of access to mental health services, with the majority of people who committed suicide not having come into contact with mental health services. The Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Plan sought to tackle these issues through a variety of methods and greater co-operation between agencies.

RESOLVED: That the continuing progress towards the Health and Wellbeing strategy and the development of local resources to support it be noted.

The report on the Sheltered Housing Service Review was presented by Ms L Gotch and Mr K Cane representing East Kent Housing. The review, which covered Dover District Council and Shepway District Council, represented a fundamental assessment of current and future provision.

The intention of the review was to examine ways in which the service could be tailored to individual needs to promote independent living. As part of this it was recognised that there needed to be stronger links with Kent County Council’s social care, as well as other agencies providing services such as mental health services, and aspects of the service would need to be redesigned.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

Ms J Empson presented an update to the Board on the progress made in the development of an Accommodation Strategy by Kent County Council Families and Social Care. The report set out the initial findings of the evidence base and the next steps in the process.

The importance of considering the impact on primary care and intermediate care services when building extra care housing or new care homes were identified.  

The Board was advised that further progress updated would be brought to it as appropriate.

RESOLVED: That the report and the progress made be noted.

Mr M Lemon presented the report on the Integrated Transformation Fund, now known as the ‘Better Care Fund’ (BCF), to the Committee.

The BCF represented existing funding pooled for the purpose of redesigning services to move activity from the acute sector to the primary care sector. However, there was the risk that if not clinically led and viewed in isolation it could adversely impact on the capabilities and capacity of the acute and primary care sectors. In terms of the acute sector, while some services could be better provided outside of a hospital there were still essential services that needed to continue to be provided in a hospital setting.

It was recognised that the BCF would need to link to South Kent Coast CCG’s five year strategic plan and the Kent County Council Accommodation Strategy.

RESOLVED: (a)   That the report be noted.

                        (b)   That a special meeting of the Board be scheduled to consider the matter prior to it going to the Kent Health and Wellbeing Board in February 2014.

The Board considered the report on Joint Adult Social Care and NHS Transformation Plan.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

The Head of Leadership Support presented the update on the Teenage Pregnancy Project. The Board was advised that funding had been agreed and that a further update would be provided to a future meeting.

RESOLVED: That the update be noted.

The Board considered the proposed meeting dates for the year 2014/15.

RESOLVED: (a)   That the proposed meeting dates be noted.

(b)   That the start time for future meetings of the Board be moved to 3.00pm.

There were no items of urgent business.