Agenda item

To consider the adoption of the Lincolnshire Districts Health and Wellbeing Strategy and associated action plan as a framework for improving health and wellbeing across the County and to commit to working closely with partners in the public, private and voluntary sector to implement the strategy and positively impact on health outcomes for residents of Lincolnshire (report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership which asked the Panel to consider the adoption of the Lincolnshire Districts Health and Wellbeing Strategy and associated action plan as a framework for improving health and wellbeing across the Country and to commit to working closely with partners in the public, private and voluntary sector to implement the strategy and positively impact on health outcomes for residents of Lincolnshire.

The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities introduced the item by referring members to the Executive Summary on page 59 of the agenda. The following key information was outlined within the report:

• the background of the strategy;
• the role of district councils;
• the following five key elements of the Lincolnshire Districts Health and Wellbeing Strategy:
  • housing and homelessness;
  • activity and wellbeing;
  • environment and climate;
  • economic inclusion; and
  • community empowerment.
• ongoing work since the development of the strategy; and
• conclusion and next steps.

Members considered the report and made the following comments

• Members welcomed the strategy and noted its current journey of scrutiny and subsequent adoption by all seven district councils of Lincolnshire. What was the timeline for completion of this process?
  • The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities stated that the process was scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2023.

• Members requested that each section of the strategy include a summary of how outcomes would be measured and reviewed.
  • The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities responded that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) would be set after the current process of strategy adoption by all seven Lincolnshire districts had been completed. The implementation of action plans would follow, and governance would be overseen by a ‘Healthy Living Board’; and
  • The Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership added that the overarching strategy would enable the formation of multiple projects which would be monitored by a suite of KPIs. It was anticipated that clear examples of impact could be demonstrated after the strategy had been in place for 12 months.
• The Chairman requested that the strategy come back to the Policy Development Panel for review of initial performance against KPIs, 12 months from adoption.

• Members asked for more information regarding the formation and membership of the new strategy board.
  • The Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership responded that:
    • the Healthy Living Board had convened on two occasions and was chaired by an East Lindsey District Councillor;
    • SHDC Portfolio Holder representation was made by Councillor E Sneath;
    • the Board was multi-agency and included representations from: Public Health England, Integrated Care Board, NHS Trusts, housing providers, mental health trusts and Active Lincolnshire; and
    • details of the work of the Board, including KPIs, would be shared with the Panel in due course.

• Members stated that residents were not satisfied with the NHS health provision in Spalding - a proposed new surgery had been delayed and subsequently postponed. Members stressed that districts in the south of Lincolnshire needed to receive equal focus to those elsewhere in the county and that improvements were required. Had the NHS been involved in the formation of the strategy and what was their proposed level of input/activity in Spalding?
  • The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities confirmed that the following NHS representations had taken place:
    • the Healthy Living Board had worked in partnership with GP surgeries in the formation of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy;
    • the ambition of Integrated Care Systems across the country to improve population health had seen the establishment of nineteen Primary Care Networks (PCN) in Lincolnshire; all PCNs had been invited to participate in the delivery of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy at a local level, and seven PCNs in the Lincolnshire sub-region had joined to date;
    • on a regional level, engagement was ongoing with the Health Inequalities leads and Integrated Care Boards.
  • The Assistant Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership added that ‘preventative’ work undertaken by district councils to improve health outcomes endorsed a collaborative working relationship with partners including PCNs. Partnership work was underway with Active Lincolnshire and progress on projects to challenge South Holland health profiles would come forward to the Panel in due course.

• Members noted the difficulties in securing appointments with General Practitioners (GPs) and questioned whether the monitoring of performance of this area was featured within the strategy.
  • The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities responded that:
    • the Health and Wellbeing Strategy would not monitor clinical aspects but rather covered wider social and economic determinants, such as debt advice, which influenced health outcomes. Such activity relieved pressures at GP level to improve access for clinical appointments; and
    • concerns regarding care could be reported to Healthwatch.

• Members referred to the debt advice work mentioned and asked whether this incorporated partnership working with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and whether the district was to benefit from any of the £8million funding that had been granted to the CAB from Aviva.
  • The Strategic Lead, Prosperous Communities confirmed the following activity and collaborative support:
    • engagement was ongoing with all three CAB branches within the S&ELCP area, and this work was considered key to the health and wellbeing of residents;
    • district councils received CAB data to understand trends;
    • SHDC core funded the CAB via Welland Homes;
    • SHDC assisted the CAB to lever funding so that free impartial debt advice could continue to be offered;
    • engagement with the CAB at a regional level occurred through the Financial Inclusion Partnership which focussed on the link between health and alleviation of debt issues; and
    • a response regarding the Aviva funding would be circulated after the meeting.

• Members referred to the ‘drug and alcohol treatment’ in Appendix 5, and asked whether the Rough Sleeper Accommodation (RSA) fund contributed towards delivery of the strategy?
  • The Assistant Director - Wellbeing and Community Leadership would check the status of the RSA funding stream for South Holland and circulate the information to the Panel.

AGREED:

That after consideration of the Lincolnshire District Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the comments of the Policy Development Panel be noted prior to the strategy moving forward to Cabinet for approval.