Agenda item

RESOLVED: That

·         the report be noted.

·         the Committee have further opportunity to contribute into and review the Lewisham Health & Wellbeing Charter before it was agreed.

·         the Committee receive the Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWBS) for pre-decision scrutiny.

Councillor Paul Bell (Cabinet Member for Health & Adult Social Care) conveyed the Mayor’s apologies and provided the Committee with an update from the Health & Wellbeing Board. The following key points were noted:

5.1. Councillor Chris Barnham (Cabinet Member for Children's Services and School Performance) and Councillor Juliet Campbell (Cabinet Member for Communities, Refugees and Wellbeing) would be made formal members of the Health & Wellbeing Board (HWB).

5.2. Lewisham’s Health & Wellbeing Strategy was due to expire this year and a new Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWBS) was being developed with support from the Local Government Association (LGA). Councillor Bell stated that he would welcome this Committee’s comments on the strategy. The HWB wanted to be data-led, outcome-focused with a human face and the strategy would reflect this ethos.

5.3. The data from the JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) and Census 2021 would inform the development of the JHLWBS.

5.4. LGBTQ+ health, particularly Trans healthcare was one of the areas of focus for the HWB. Data from 2021 Census highlighted that Lewisham had a significant number of trans people. There were 2471 people in Lewisham aged 16 years and over whose gender identity was different from their sex registered at birth.

5.5. Data from 2021 Census also demonstrated how indicators of bad health were significantly worse in some wards such as Bellingham and Downham.

5.6. The HWB had also noticed the challenges around the provision of information regarding a woman’s right to choose an abortion and wanted to work towards enabling safe access to healthcare for all.

5.7. BLACHIR and the ICS strategy which was being published would play an important role in shaping the JHLWBS.

5.8. Following a 60-day consultation period that ended on the 15th of November 2022, the Lewisham Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment had been finalised and would be presented to the HWB in March 2023.

Catherine Mbema (Director of Public Health) provided the Committee with an update on the Lewisham Health Care & Wellbeing Charter. The following key points were noted:

5.9. The Lewisham Health Care & Wellbeing Charter was a way for the Council to work with our residents and would seek to address the feedback that had been obtained by Healthwatch and other existing surveys on access and provision of services.

5.10. A People’s Partnership Committee (PPC) was being established by the Local Care Partnership that would function as the main forum for engaging with residents and the VCS (Voluntary & Community Sector).

5.11. The PPC would be launched in April 2023 and would work alongside the development of the JLHWBS. Both the draft Charter and the draft JLHWBS would be presented to the HWB in July 2023.

5.12. Four Health Equity Fellows had been recruited to four Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Lewisham. Work was ongoing to align them with community groups within each PCN to form Health Equity Teams that would lead on community engagement and action to address health inequalities.

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

5.13. The systematic approach to developing the Charter and the Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWBS) was welcomed.

5.14. One of the Committee members raised a point around the lack of trust between the health service and the community particularly in certain wards such as Bellingham. Officers stated that the Lewisham Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme 2022-24 was designed to build infrastructure at neighbourhood level so that trust with communities could be re-built and strengthened.

5.15. The Chair of the Committee reported that the People’s Partnership Committee was now being referred to as the Voice & Influence Partnership. This committee/ partnership would operate on a ‘hub & spoke’ basis. Therefore, the central group of individuals would meet regularly and take questions/ feedback to new or existing community groups.

5.16. The Committee welcomed the initial scope of rights and responsibilities listed in the report that would be explored by the People’s Partnership Committee. In terms of prioritising those rights and responsibilities, the Committee agreed that ‘Communication and Information’ should be the first focus.

5.17. Councillor Bell mentioned that he would be contacting other Lewisham Councillors to assist him in understanding the barriers to accessing different healthcare services and the support that can be provided around it.

5.18. Along with a focus on addressing inequalities faced by Black and other racially minoritized communities, the Lewisham Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme also considered the inequalities faced by residents with disabilities. Officers would ensure that people with disabilities were meaningfully engaged in the development of the Charter.

5.19. It was discussed that housing, education and employment, along with food and leisure, were all important factors to consider when discussing health & wellbeing. The development of the new strategy for the HWB would attempt to consider these multitude of factors and how they affected health & wellbeing in the community.

RESOLVED: That

·         the report be noted.

·         the Committee have further opportunity to contribute into and review the Lewisham Health & Wellbeing Charter before it was agreed.

·         the Committee receive the Joint Local Health & Wellbeing Strategy (JLHWBS) for pre-decision scrutiny.