Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1. RESOLVED: that Cllr Aliya Sheikh be elected as Chair of the Committee and Cllr Carol Webley-Brown be elected as Vice-Chair.

1.1. RESOLVED: that Cllr Aliya Sheikh be elected as Chair of the Committee and Cllr Carol Webley-Brown be elected as Vice-Chair.

2.1. RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

2.1. RESOLVED: that the minutes of the last meeting be agreed as a true record.

None.

None.

RESOLVED: That

·         the report be noted.

·         officers provide a plan, either as an information item or informal briefing, outlining how the BLACHIR recommendations will be implemented following the conclusion of the Lewisham Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme.

Lisa Fannon (Training and Development Manager) and Helen Buttivant (Senior Public Health Consultant) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

4.1. The Birmingham and Lewisham African and Caribbean Health Inequalities Review (BLACHIR) had identified 7 key areas requiring additional work across 8 different themes. These 7 key areas were- Fairness, inclusion and respect; Trust and transparency; Better data; Early interventions; Health checks and campaigns; Healthier behaviours; and Health literacy. Addressing these areas was essential to closing the inequality gap, ensuring fairer access to health and social care, and improving healthcare outcomes for Black African and Black Caribbean communities. A total of 39 opportunities for action were identified across these key themes.

4.2. Lewisham had developed a ‘Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme 2022-24’ to implement the opportunities for action identified in the BLACHIR report. The aim of this programme was to form local health and well-being partnerships across the health system and communities focusing on equitable access, experience and outcomes for Lewisham residents, particularly those from Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds.

4.3. Out of the 39 opportunities for action, progress was being made against 26. 6 of these were being progressed through existing initiatives that were in place before the review; while other 20 were being progressed following the review.13 of these 20 opportunities formed part of Lewisham’s Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme 2022-24. There were 13 opportunities for action that currently had no actions mapped against them. Examples of ongoing actions were provided by officers via a PowerPoint presentation delivered at the meeting.

4.4. A community partner, SIRG (Social Inclusion Recovery Group) had been recruited to enhance co-production with individuals of African and Caribbean heritage in Lewisham, facilitating the implementation of BLACHIR review recommendations. SIRG had actively participated in community events to engage with residents and community members about the BLACHIR report, including monthly BLACHIR Community Forums, where community members could review and discuss the progress within each different theme of BLACHIR.

4.5. An advisory group of six Voluntary Community Sector organisations had been established that SIRG had co-ordinated. This advisory group had prioritised 4 specific opportunities for action from the BLACHIR report for more detailed work, which were outlined in the PowerPoint presentation at the meeting.

The Committee members were invited to ask questions. The following key points were noted:

4.6. A Committee member enquired about the sustainability of the work on implementing BLACHIR recommendations. Lewisham’s ‘Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme’ that acted as the delivery vehicle to implement the opportunities for action arising from the BLACHIR report was only running from 2022-2024 so there were concerns about how the programme would be delivered beyond this point. Officers reported that they were assessing the impact of the current work and were hoping to integrate the most effective actions into routine operations within the available financial resources.

4.7. The Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care emphasised that the BLACHIR work remained a high priority for the current administration, which ran until  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

RESOLVED: That

·         the report be noted.

·         the Committee receive an informal briefing on the sustained outcomes of the Empowering Lewisham programme in 6 to 8 months’ time.

Joan Hutton (Director of Adult Social Care), Bailey Cottingham (Principal Consultant, Newton Europe) and Tom Brown (Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health), introduced the report. This was followed by questions from the Committee members. The following key points were noted:

5.1. A range of Power BI dashboards had been developed to enable a more strategic approach to data and system change requests. These dashboards provided real-time insights into both operational and financial data. The Council’s existing performance team in adult social care was upskilled to create these dashboards, ensuring continued capability for their production even after Newton Europe’s involvement had concluded.

5.2. The Empowering Lewisham programme placed a great deal of importance on culture change, empowering staff to use their professional judgement more confidently.

5.3. A Committee member enquired about how the programme had managed to reduce 4000 hours of homecare and avoid 36 new placements this year, despite increasing service user needs across the board. These reductions were primarily achieved by tapering care when individuals recovered or by supporting them to live more independently, thereby reducing the need for extensive homecare.

5.4. The financial scrutiny of the programme ensured that the Council could distinguish between avoided costs and actual cashable savings. For instance, moving someone from hospital discharge into a supported home environment avoided costs, whereas transitioning a person with learning disability from residential care to a more independent setting, like supported living, resulted in cashable savings.

5.5. In 2023, the programme had been nominated for 2 awards- at the Local Government Chronicle and MJ awards, with judges highly commending its entry into the Workforce Optimisation category at the MJ Awards.

5.6. Ideal outcome meetings were collaborative multidisciplinary sessions focused on identifying support options that leveraged the strengths of residents. The primary objective of these meetings was to determine what would be best for the resident, including asking them about their ideal outcome.

5.7. Staff were recognised as the programme’s most valuable asset, making retention a top priority. The management team played a crucial role in nurturing and facilitating staff development. Seeing positive outcomes from their work also served as a significant motivator for staff to remain in this field. The Council provided comprehensive support to staff, though recruiting social workers and occupational therapists remained a challenge. Efforts were ongoing to ensure the Council offered the right incentives to attract and retain staff in the field of adult social care.

5.8. It was suggested that the Committee would benefit from reviewing resident feedback collected through various channels, such as phone calls, feedback sessions, statutory surveys, and complaints. To provide a clearer picture, the main themes from the complaints received could be identified and presented. It was suggested that the annual complaints report for adult social care could be shared with the Committee.

5.9. The report highlighted that the programme’s delivery timeline ran up until 2027-28, with savings to be realised incrementally. The initial investment in the programme had already been recovered, and it remained on track to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

RESOLVED:

·         That the Committee’s work programme for 2024-25 be agreed.

6.1. It was noted that there was an all-member briefing scheduled for the 25^th of September on Lewisham’s preparation for a CQC inspection.

RESOLVED:

·         That the Committee’s work programme for 2024-25 be agreed.