Agenda item

This paper provides an overview of the progress of local shared projects and communications activity supporting delivery of the three Health and Wellbeing Strategy priorities as of 22 February 2022 with the priority population groups, via the latest Highlight Report.

 

Following a further review requested by the Health and Wellbeing Board and a subsequent small addition to the methodology, a final list of 22 small geographic areas, encompassed by 21 wards (“key neighbourhoods”) is proposed, maintaining the previously agreed initial primary focus on the five wards with the very highest levels of deprivation.

Witnesses:

 

Karen Brimacombe - Chief Executive, Mole Valley District Council (Surrey Chief Executives’ Group) (Priority 1 and Priority 3 Sponsor)

Professor Helen Rostill - Director for Mental Health, Surrey Heartlands ICS and SRO for Mental Health, Frimley ICS (Priority 2 Sponsor)

Dan Shurlock - Head of Design, Empowered and Thriving Communities Lead (SCC)

 

Key points raised in the discussion:

 

Priority One

 

1.    The Priority One Sponsor highlighted:

·         that carers were a priority population across the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, referring to the ‘in the spotlight’ section on the joint report ‘Carers’ Experiences of Hospital Discharge’ published in autumn 2021 by Healthwatch Surrey and Action for Carers. The report highlighted the risks and consequences of poor communication with carers and work with Healthwatch Surrey on sharing carers’ experiences would continue.

·         outcome one - ‘People have a healthy weight and are active’:

-       the eighteen-month healthy weight project focusing on Looked After Children was underway.

-       the Physical Activity Strategy now has a year one implementation plan; a risk related to the resourcing of the Active Surrey team.

·         outcome three - ‘The needs of those experiencing multiple disadvantages are met’:

-       the Changing Futures and Surrey Adults Matter programmes continue to prioritise partnership working to create system improvements.

-       thirty networks had been identified in the mapping of lived experience and peer mentoring with further consultation to follow.

-       alignment with district and borough councils was taking place.

-       Surrey County Council was embedding four new assistant social worker posts within Adult Social Care.

-       a training collaborative through Changing Futures had been formed as well as a whole system strategy for Trauma Informed Culture.

·         outcome four - ‘Serious conditions and diseases are prevented’:

-       the Blood Pressure Plus Project was relaunched in December with a focus on areas of deprivation.

-       a risk identified was the low number of referrals into their Thrive Tribe carers health checks, now being mitigated through communications.

 

Priority Two

 

2.    The Priority Two Sponsor highlighted:

·         the continued pressure within mental health services, only one third of people receive support from mental health services; support largely comes from schools, workplaces, families, or from communities. 

·         that focusing on early intervention and prevention and reducing inequality in access was key to the Strategy, noting the work on this by the Public Health team (SCC).

·         the start of the refresh of the mental health chapter for the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).

·           item 7 - the refreshed Joint Health and Social Care Dementia Strategy for Surrey (2022-2027) which was well-informed through the insights.

·           outcome one - ‘People with depression, anxiety and mental health issues have access the right early help and resources’:

-       the focus this quarter was on children and young people as requested at the December Board. A launch event led by Mindworks Amplified (User Voice) team would be held in May and requested that Board members inform her if they had not received a hold the date invite. 

-       that there was more to do concerning school-based needs and building better relationships with schools and suggested that an update on the outcomes in the Elmbridge school cluster be provided at the next Board.

-       that work was underway within schools around suicide prevention and self-harm.

-       that work was underway around enhanced and rapid support for care homes across Surrey Heartlands and Frimley, such as testing a model of advice and guidance and workforce training; an update to be provided at the next Board.

·           outcome two - ‘The emotional wellbeing of parents and caregivers, babies and children is supported’:

-       the Baby Buddy launch had been rolled out across Surrey and there would be a review on introducing a portal to hold electronic records. 

·           outcome three - ‘Isolation is prevented and those that feel isolated are supported’:

-       Richmond Fellowship was delivering an employment support service which had been endorsed by a local MP and had been nationally accredited. Employment support officers were embedded into community mental health support services and into the GPIMHS teams; 60 to 70% of those people with serious mental illness were now in employment compared to 9% nationally.

3.    The Chairman reinforced the importance of the work being done with schools, noting that Surrey County Council had ringfenced 1% of the increase in the Council Tax band - £8 million - to focus on accelerating prevention and early intervention initiatives.

 

Priority Three

 

4.      The Priority Three Sponsor highlighted:

·         that the new comprehensive implementation plan for this revised Priority was in development and required capacity within the Health and Wellbeing team (SCC) to provide effective oversight - extra resourcing was being pursued by the Public Health team (SCC) and would be used to address the need for continued planning for a system-wide approach to poverty.

·         that ‘in the spotlight’ was the refreshed Information and Advice Strategy about care and support 2021-2026; providing good and accessible information was critical in delivering the Health and Wellbeing Strategy - partnership work was vital to ensure that residents can make informed choices and are signposted to specialist support.

·         the Board’s responsibility since 2019 over community safety and implementing the Community Safety Agreement.

·         outcome four - ‘People are safe and feel safe’:

-       the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey (PCC) awarded £100,000 to the charity Catch22 to launch a new service ‘Music to My Ears’ on 1 April 2022 until 2025 for young people at risk of or affected by criminal exploitation across Surrey. The service had been successful in Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) since 2016.

-       the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey (OPCC) had funded two Stalking Advocates and provided associated training.

-       the Youth Using Violence and Abuse (YUVA) service had launched through Surrey County Council.

5.    A Board member referring to the Senior Responsible Officer for fuel poverty, noted that it was likely that in the coming months the situation would deteriorate further, having a knock-on effect to childhood hunger and asked whether the Board could give attention to that.

-       In response, the Priority Three Sponsor recognised that there were various initiatives underway regarding fuel poverty and would follow the matter up.

Key Neighbourhoods Methodology (priority populations of geography)

6.    The Head of Design (SCC) noted that:

·         the section of the report related to recommendations three, four and five and built on partner and Board discussions, with agreement from the Board in December on adding geographies or key neighbourhoods - areas with poor health outcomes and deprivation - to the priority population groups in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

·         the Board was asked to confirm the set of key neighbourhoods and the method for determining them, a further discussion on the implications of that work would happen at the April informal Board.

·         there was no perfect methodology regarding geographies as lives do not end at borders and the key neighbourhoods provided a focus.

·         three developments:

-       the approach aligned to the national Core20PLUS5 approach from NHS England and Improvement around tackling health inequalities.

-       the methodology focused on children and young people and their prospects, there was a cross-check against income deprivation affecting children and education skills and employment sub-indicators; resulting in three additional small areas being added to the list.

-       thanked Public Health’s Intelligence and Insight team (SCC) who tested the application of the methodology.

7.      The Vice-Chairman supported the key neighbourhoods identified and linked in a previous comment by a Board member noting that where work was underway to prioritise fuel poverty it would be good to look at the issue over the five key neighbourhoods identified as having the highest need; the effect of cold weather on people’s health and non-health outcomes was well known.

8.      The Chairman referred to the Highlight Report regarding Priority Three which stated that the Strategy team (SCC) was undertaking research on fuel poverty and the findings would be shared in early March - he asked for an update.

-       In response, the Head of Design (SCC) would follow the above requests up and would circulate an update to Board members as soon as possible.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.    Noted progress against the three priorities of the Strategy in the Highlight Report.

2.    Would share the Highlight Report across their networks (direct links to quarterly Highlight Reports available at www.healthysurrey.org.uk/about), including a Communications Update.

3.    Agreed the use of a methodology based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (see Annex 2, figure 1) to determine the priority populations of geography (‘key neighbourhoods) in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

4.    Confirmed the final list of 21 wards (key neighbourhoods) encompassing the 22 small geographic areas which result from the application of this methodology (see Annex 2, figure 2).

5.    Agreed that within this list there will be an initial primary focus on five wards (key neighbourhoods) encompassing the small geographic areas with the very highest levels of deprivation in the county – noting this aligns with the new NHS England definitions and guidance for priority action on health inequalities (see Annex 2, section 3).

  

Actions/further information to be provided:

1.      Priority Two - Board members will inform the Priority Two Sponsor if they have not received a hold the date invite for the launch event in May led by Mindworks Amplified (User Voice) team.

2.      Priority Two - An update on the Elmbridge school cluster will be provided at the next Board.

3.      Priority Two - An update on the work underway around enhanced and rapid support for care homes across Surrey Heartlands and Frimley will be provided at the next Board.

4.      Priority Three - The Board will give attention to the knock-on effect of fuel poverty on childhood hunger over the coming months; the Priority Three Sponsor will follow the matter up.

5.      Priority Three -

a)    The Head of Design (SCC) will follow up the request on looking at fuel poverty in relation to the five key neighbourhoods identified as having the highest need.

b)    The Head of Design (SCC) will follow up the request on providing an update as soon as possible on the findings of Surrey County Council’s Strategy team’s research on fuel poverty.