Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services 01732 227247  Email: democratic.services@sevenoaks.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 79 KB

To agree the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 17 January 2023, as a correct record.

 

Minutes:

Resolved: That the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on 17 January 2023 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

2.

Declarations of Interest

Any interests not already registered.

Minutes:

There were none.

3.

Actions From the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 33 KB

Minutes:

Members noted the completed action.

4.

Updates from Members

Minutes:

The Chairman had sat on the Sevenoaks District Access Group which had recently met to discuss improving the accessibility of Swanley Station.  

Cllr Streatfeild was a Member of the Adult Social Care Committee at Kent County Council (KCC) and updated the Board that Adult Social Care in Kent had seen a cost growth of £80 million in the current year due to inflation and patients requiring additional extra care.  

5.

Kent County Council 'Universal Wellbeing Support in the Community' West Kent Contract Update - Gary Wells, Interim Chief Executive, Involve pdf icon PDF 79 KB

The Interim Chief Executive will be in attendance to provide an Update the Board.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Interim Chief Executive for Involve who gave an update on the Kent County Council (KCC) West Kent ‘Universal Wellbeing Support in the Community' Contract.

The West Kent Contract was in its third year and focused on providing health related activities and well-being support services to residents over the age of fifty-five. Involve sub-contracted services to 52 local organisations that focused on activities such as sports and physical, arts and crafts and nature-based activities. Each area had a wellbeing support worker to welcome residents onto the services and assessed individuals to ensure each received the best experience. Outcomes of the contract were measured to ensure residents were supported and found that on average, resident’s wellbeing had increased by twenty six percent across the contract. Outcomes also showed that demand was high in particular to tackle loneliness and isolation as well as financial pressures. Transport and Care Services were also provided for residents who struggled with transportation needs.

The Interim Chief Executive also explained that due to the economic downturn since the Contract had begun, Involve had struggled to acquire care services and individuals often required multiple interventions to tackle complex needs.

Members took the opportunity to ask questions. The Interim Chief Executive advised Members that in West Kent most customers were referred to Involve through social services and Alms teams. Residents could also access services either by joining local organisations or approaching Involve directly. Activity co-ordinators also had a proactive role and held local meetings to assess the needs of particular areas in the District.

Members thanked the Interim Chief Executive for the update.

            Resolved: That the report be noted.

 

6.

West Kent Mind Update - Stevie Rice, Chief Executive, West Kent Mind pdf icon PDF 80 KB

The Chief Executive will be in attendance to provide an update to the Board.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Chief Executive of West Kent Mind to the meeting who gave a presentation on her service. West Kent Mind was a mental health charity that provided support services to residents throughout West Kent.

The service had engaged clients with specialist services including referrals to forty five volunteer counsellors within a counselling programme as well as loss counselling, life skills courses, housing and domestic violence support, financial advice and self-harm/suicide support groups. West Kent Mind had also delivered twelve full mental health first aid training courses and had over one hundred qualified mental health first aiders. Counselling referrals through GPs and the NHS were the most common intake method for clients.

Fundraising income was generated largely through Trusts and Foundations as well as community and corporate sponsorships. As a charity, West Kent Mind received additional funding from the public and individual contributions which included fundraising events such as funny clothing/hair days and a silent auction.

It was explained that clients using the services had increased by one third since the beginning of the pandemic. Financial pressures of the cost of living crisis had also increased demand for services and the complexity of cases which had put a strain on the industry and had made it more difficult to identify funding. Staff had to be laid off and additional new services were not able to be developed as a result.

In response to a question the Chief Executive (West Kent Mind) advised that North Kent Mind provided services to the north of the District and Members suggested that North Kent Mind be invited to the next meeting of the Board.

Following a question, Members were also informed that West Kent Mind could not work with children because of a lack of resources. The Health and Communities Manager (SDC) confirmed that the Council held a Local Children’s Partnerships Document which set out actions related to protecting young people from domestic abuse as well as a youth mentoring programme which was achieved through a Kent County Council Grant. Joint projects were also subsequently pursued with local organisations such as West Kent Mind.

The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive for her presentation.

Resolved: That the report be noted.

 

7.

Update On Nursing Levels And General Overview Of Service In The District - Sally Mackinnon, Director, West Kent Health & Care Partnership pdf icon PDF 79 KB

The West Kent Health and Care Partnership Director will be in attendance to provide an update to the Board.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the Director of West Kent Health and Care Partnership to the meeting who gave a presentation to the Board on the work of the Partnership. The Director informed Members that she would not be updating on nursing staffing levels in the District as this was not under her area of responsibility.

The Health and Care Partnership worked on the integration of health services across West Kent and was made up of local groups which included Kent County Council and District Councils. The Partnership worked on analysing data to see where healthcare could be improved as well as examining concerning health trends. It also looked to simplify access to support for residents and to join up services around resident’s requirements to address complex needs. Members were informed that the West Kent Health and Care Partnership had been recognised as performing above the level of other Kent Health and Care Partnerships.

In response to a question on sexual health services, the Partnership Director explained that sexual health was a key area of work which was tackled through providing information on sexual health in schools as well as looking at area specific data and feedback to monitor cases.

A Member asked a question on the high proportion of falls recorded in the District. It was clarified that the District had an older population than most others which meant that more people were at risk of falls. The Partnership had discussed preventative measures such as providing more information on appropriate footwear and furniture for older resident’s homes which could reduce the risk of falls.

The Chairman thanked the Director for her presentation.

            Resolved: That the report be noted.

 

8.

Kent & Medway Intergrated Strategy Update pdf icon PDF 75 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Health and Communities Manager presented the report which provided an update on the Kent and Medway Integrated Strategy. The document focused on how health and care colleagues from the NHS and local councils could work together to make improvements across health services. A joint workshop had taken place on 10 May 2023.

The strategy was a working document and Members were invited to provide any comments, or proposals for improvement to the Health and Communities Manager.

The Health Team Leader then advised that SDC could contribute to the strategy with their One-You programme which looked at various schemes to improve people’s health across the District through advice on alcohol consumption, fitness, smoking cessation and weight loss. This included a walking programme which provided intensity walks for free with the goal of encouraging clients to stay active.

            Resolved: That the report be noted.

 

9.

Workplan pdf icon PDF 36 KB

Minutes:

The Board noted the Work plan with the following additions:

 

2 January 2024

·         Kent and Medway Integrated Strategy Update - Dr Abraham George

·         North Kent Mind

·         Age UK Update

·         Public Health Strategy 2023 Update

·         Health Action Plan 2023-24, Quarter 2 Update April – October

·         Children and Young People Health Update

 

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