Agenda item

Presentation from SCC Lead Cabinet Members for People and Place on working together with district and borough councils, with a key focus on health and wellbeing.

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers/members attending: Tim Oliver, SCC Lead Cabinet Member for People; Colin Kemp, SCC Lead Cabinet Member for Place; Claire Fuller, Senior Responsible Officer, NW Surrey CCG

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: None

Member discussion – key points

Tim Oliver, Colin Kemp and Claire Fuller gave a presentation on changes to support the health and wellbeing of residents. As is well known, the County Council has significant budget pressures, arising from increased costs in adult social care and special educational needs, which account for a significant portion of the budget. In order to manage cost a process of transformation is underway to focus on early help and prevention, whilst maintaining front line services. Members have already seen the vision, and the County Council will be looking to have a greater understanding of residents’ priorities and be more transparent as it works towards implementing this.

Surrey Heartlands is looking at changing systems so they are not centred on hospitals and integrating with other health and social care agencies by joining up computer systems and co-locating staff. The emphasis will be on partnership and working together rather than on competition between providers. With refreshed priorities, the ‘first one thousand days’ was a key focus – particularly relevant when he committee heard that the best indicator of a child’s readiness for school was their mother’s mental health at age 14. Resident involvement is a key aspect as well, and 3000 residents have signed up as members of the Citizen Panel to provide information and feedback through surveys, workshops and working groups. Contributions to the conversation on the development of health provision are being invited right across the sector, including from paramedics, physios, pharmacists and occupational therapists.

Rationalising the County estate will be an important element with services being provided through hubs rather than separate buildings. The aim will be to maintain levels of service and use savings made from divesting buildings to support this.

Cllr Oliver stated that the Health and Wellbeing Board composition was under review to ensure that it included the best selection of partners and encouraged conversation among a wide range of groups to encourage cooperation. Only 20% of health needs are influenced by health care, the remaining 80% are influenced by other factors such as lifestyle and environment, and local authorities can provide the means to impact this 80%, and ideally this would increase prevention.

Comments from members included:

·         the importance of sporting and recreational facilities in developments, which would address a number of elements in the ‘80%’ such as obesity and weight problems, physical inactivity, and mental health

·         the importance of supporting the mental health of children in the care system and the continuation of CAMHS

·         health practices whose catchments cross over into more than one local authority may be affected by unintended consequences of service reviews

·         shared responsibility for the provision of services was a welcome idea

·         a CCG-style arrangement on the shared services side, to both understand the need and commission the services, would be a step in the right direction.

The chairman thanked Tim Oliver, Colin Kemp and Claire Fuller for the presentation.