Agenda item

3.1.   Dr Mbema introduced the report. She said that members were recommended to note the report and the progress that had been made since the last meeting and consider a specific proposal around the Workforce Toolbox. Members were recommended to agree that training be provided by commissioning an external organisation that would support our community to develop a framework of training for all Lewisham health and care front line staff. Work would also be undertaken with individual organisations like Lewisham and Greenwich trust and Lewisham Council.

3.2    Councillor Campbell noted that a lot of work had started, but there was no impact of this work and she was concerned that the outcomes could be lost. She said that BLACHIR was the opportunity to improve health inequalities for Caribbean and African communities and these inequalities needed to be addressed and reduced to ensure better outcomes.

3.3.   Councillor Campbell also said that she Chairs the LSP workshop on Race and Equality which was looking specifically at race inequalities and the needs of disabled people. The Head of People at Lewisham Hospital had advised that they had already produced work in this area, and it was agreed with the LSP that Lewisham would take on their cultural competency training offer. Work would not be repeated, money would be saved and Lewisham would benefit from sharing good practice.

3.4    Dr Mbema said that Lewisham were working with Kings College London to support the fellows and the teams on evaluation, looking at how, from the outset of the project, to start to collect the type of matrix over the course of the year. The wider programme would be more complex to track the different measures of impact but an independent evaluation partner would be engaged to help with how best to measure impact. Councillor Campbell was concerned that BLACHIR work was time limited and with limited resources. She did not want time to run out without making a difference. Dr Mbema said that this was noted and would be addressed.

3.5    Councillor Campbell advised that with regard to cultural competency, the LSP had agreed to share the information with other organisations including the Metropolitan Police, Housing Associations etc and would be using Lewisham Hospital’s LGT modular online package.

3.6    Ms Jacob raised the work of health equity fellows and the fact that it had been linked to Lewisham PCN’s and therefore neighbourhoods. She also advised that there were concerns about measles; there had been an outbreak in London. Rates of immunisation were not very low for MMR but the population groups that were not coming forward had not changed.

3.7    Councillor Best asked for an update and more information on the budget spend. She said that forward planning should begin to ensure that we do not lose sight of ongoing work.

          Resolved that

          (i)  the progress made in the implementation of recommendations from BLACHIR and the Lewisham Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme be noted;

          (ii)  the proposal for the Workforce Toolbox workstream of the Lewisham Health Inequalities and Health Equity Programme be agreed.

          (iii) information on measuring the impact of the cultural competency training be provided; and

          (iv) this Health and Well Being Board should link in to the LSP and join in the agreement to share cultural competency training.