Agenda and minutes

It was MOVED, SECONDED and AGREED that Councillor Laura Cunningham be nominated as Chair of this Committee, and Councillor Paul Bell as the Vice Chair.

The Minutes of 2 February 2023 were agreed.

Councillor Paul Bell declared an interest in relation to Item 5 as a Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care.

4.1     In presenting the report to the Committee, the Head of Assurance gave an overview about the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety Board’s (CHSB) governance arrangements at directorates’ level in overseeing and monitoring corporate health and safety operations.  The Officer also provided an update to the Committee on matters considered by the CHSB on 28 April 2023 in relation to how the Council was discharging its Health and Safety Policy, and the following were noted:

a)             Violence and Aggression Policy. 

The Head of Assurance reiterated statements in the reports and summarised the key points as follows:

·               That the CHSB received reports from directorates about incidences where members of the public had behaved with violence and/or aggression towards staff.  It was stated that the incidences had not been set out by types, but work was underway to categorise them for future recording and monitoring, with a view to identify and minimise risk on those matters.

·               That discussions were ongoing with HR to determine whether to apply bespoke or general training for recording violent and aggressive incidences by service area.

In response to questions raised on the, the Head of Assurance advised the Committee:

·               That there was no systematic data at the present time to assess why members of the public were behaving aggressively or with violence, other than information from officers’ assessments about their experiences in dealing with service users.  Nonetheless, the matter would be explored at directorates’ level to identify reasons for service users’ behaviour to determine how to mitigate those risks in a practical way.

·               That the impact of interactions would also be assessed for any change in behaviour in the coming months when the Housing department start engaging face-to-face with service users.

b)             Outstanding Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM)

The Head of Assurance reiterated statements in the reports and summarised the key points as follows:

·            That the average on-time PPM compliance on the corporate estate rate was 58%.  It was stated that although there was no course of a concern, discussions were ongoing to determine how to avoid slippages in the future.

In response to a question, the Head of Assurance advised the Committee:

·            That there would be no change in the determination of PPM when Lewisham Homes return to in-house operations because the CHSB’s remit was corporate, and therefore the focus would remain in overseeing and monitoring non-residential maintenance.

In a follow-up question, the Corporate Health & Safety Manager added:

·            That the 58% figure reported as the average on-time PPM compliance on the corporate estate rate was a result of backlog in the process but the Facilities Management Team were aware of that, and work was underway to engage with the Council’s contractors so that job certificates would be uploaded in time to help improve on PPM reporting.

The Committee also expressed a view that although there had been no concern in the report about performance since the installation of secondary glazing aimed to improve energy efficiency in corporate buildings, officers could engage as the point of maintenance activities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1     The Chair of the Committee, Councillor Laura Cunningham, introduced this Item, and expressed satisfaction that a Defibrillator Policy had been drafted for adoption.  She commented on Councillor Chris Best’s initial efforts for requesting the matter as a priority area for consideration by the Committee to confirm similar expectations of councillors across the board.

5.2     The Head of Assurance gave an overview of the draft report for a steer to consolidate ideas from the Committee with a view to formulate recommendations to Mayor and Cabinet for a decision to adopt the Defibrillator Policy.  Considering that, Councillor Paul Bell declared an interest as a Cabinet Member, and he remained in the room and took part in the discussion.

5.3.    In considering the report, the Committee noted that the Policy aimed:

·            To raise an awareness among officers about a defibrillator and dispel myths of accidents when using one.

·            To outline the process of support when deciding whether a defibrillator was required, and how to make a purchase.

·            To set out how to maintain a defibrillator in good working condition, including arrangements for tracking routine inspections and maintaining maintenance records.

·            To use defibrillator as a community asset jointly with the British Heart Foundation via a scheme that would enable collaborative working with the local ambulance services.

5.4      In response to a question, the Head of Assurance stated that he would investigate whether there was a minimum age limit for using a defibrillator machine.  Nonetheless, a certain amount of physical strength would be expected to administer its use.

5.5.    After discussing the draft policy, the Committee summed up ideas to help inform recommendations to Mayor and Cabinet for a decision to adopt the Policy:

·            To review current locations of defibrillators in libraries, adult learning and leisure centres, with a view to prioritise a borough-wide approach for implementation, including at local sporting venues, GP surgeries, local parks, Lewisham Way, and Westside Football Club.  Thereafter, to develop and publicise a map for the public to know where defibrillating machines were located for use in the event of an emergency.

·            To composition a first-aider network and identify how defibrillators should be organised within that framework.

·            To consider a central co-ordination and programme of checks of defibrillating machines.

·            To deliver appropriate training for first aiders in the use of defibrillating machines.

RESOLVED that the report be noted, with a view to make recommendations to Mayor and Cabinet for adaptation of the Defibrillator Policy.