Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support submitted an update report in respect of the East Herts Local Strategic Partnership’s (LSP) initiative on the District wide Ageing Well programme.

The Engagement and Partnerships Team Leader advised that a workshop had been held in June 2013 to explore how agencies could work together to promote the health and wellbeing and independence of older people so that they lived healthier lives that were free from disability and pain for as long as possible.

The list of agencies represented at the workshop was presented at Essential Reference Paper ‘B’ and the membership of the Ageing Well Steering Group was detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘C’.

Members were advised that two very successful eight week pilots of ‘Fitsteps’ had taken place in the Methodist Church in Bishop’s Stortford and Ware Drill Hall in April and May 2014 respectively.  The sessions had been subsidised by the Council’s sports development fund and the objective was to recruit volunteers from within the group to carry on without an instructor once the volunteers were trained.

The Engagement and Partnerships Team Leader advised that there had been two awareness raising sessions run by the Alzheimer’s society in respect of Dementia Friends for both Members and Staff in July 2014.  The sessions had been very useful and well attended and a third session would take place on the 23 October 2014 in the Council Chamber, Wallfields.  Members were advised of the possibility of developing Dementia Friendly Cafes and outlets across East Herts.

Members were advised that a partnership had been developed to submit a bid to Sport England for £250,000 over 3 years with match funding from Public Health District offer money and the Council’s sports development budget to enable the partnership to run a District wide rural programme aimed at increasing participation in sport and physical activity by the over 60s. 

The Engagement and Partnerships Team Leader emphasised that initial feedback from Sport England was that the bid from East Herts would be stronger if there was a clear strategic context and Executive support.

Members received the report and endorsed the recommendations.  Members also requested that an annual update report be submitted to the 22 September 2015 meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED – that (A) the Sport England bid be supported and the progress being made by the multi-agency Ageing Well steering group be noted;

(B)          the Executive be advised that the Executive Member for Health, Housing and Community Support should be invited to join the Project Steering Group to provide the necessary strategic input, as detailed at paragraph 2.19 of the report now submitted; and

(C)         an annual update report be submitted to the 22 September 2015 meeting of the Committee in respect of further progress on Ageing Well projects.