Presentation to Members.
Minutes:
The Ambassador and Executive Member for Shared Services gave a presentation updating Members on the East Herts Strategic Partnership Board in terms of its approach to protecting residents’ health. He explained that the aim of the presentation was to ensure that the Board supported Members’ views and aims in terms of the general direction of travel for health and wellbeing.
The Ambassador and Executive Member for Shared Services provided background information in relation to the history and remit of the Board which comprised key senior officers from a number of organisations, including South Anglia Housing Association, the Clinical Commissioning Group, Hertford Regional College and the voluntary sector. He stated that an operational sub-group of the strategic partnership comprised Officers from those organisations and was charged with carrying out the Board’s wishes.
The Ambassador and Executive Member explained the difficulties the Board faced now that government funding was no longer available, but that its aim was to ensure that it was still “fit for purpose” in the current climate.
The Ambassador and Executive Member explained that the partnership could encourage and influence its partners to look at general issues of concern and cited employment issues by example and those in age groups of 25-49 who found that their skills did not match up to what employers wanted. He stressed the importance of ensuring that there was a synergy between the partnership, the Council’s priorities and the health and wellbeing agenda.
The Environmental Health Promotion Officer endorsed the importance of the synergy between the work of the partnership, the Council and projects funded by the Council. The Chairman reiterated the need to ensure that community projects were part of the health and wellbeing agenda. He referred to the need to raise the profile of the issues faced by people living with dementia.
The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing reminded Members of the ongoing work in relation to the ageing well agenda, dementia and isolation. It was suggested that self-help groups within the voluntary sector should be encouraged. This was supported.
The Ambassador and Executive Member for Shared Services responded to a number of questions generally and in relation to health projects and how the partnership could influence issues of concern and the need to work in a holistic way to maximise benefit. The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing provided an update on projects which had been reviewed across the District including those which were of national concern, such as the cessation of smoking and the role of carers.
The issue of isolation was debated at length. The Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing explained that this had been reviewed. He provided an update of this in terms of ongoing work.
The Chairman, on behalf of Members, thanked the Ambassador and Executive Member for Shared Services for his presentation.
The Committee received the presentation and supported the proposal that in the future, the partnership considers how it can use its influence to encourage East Herts to become more dementia friendly and look into wider issues of isolation/loneliness and how it can support the formation of more self-help groups for people with long term health conditions.
RESOLVED – that (A) the presentation be received; and
(B) the above proposal now detailed, be supported.