Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Mr Bradshaw, Mr Kennedy and Mr Jeffery, for whom Mr Hood was present as substitute.

Mr Shonk declared that his daughter worked for the NHS.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 06 May 2026 were a correct record and they be signed by the Chairman.

1. Georgia Foster, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, provided a verbal update on the following:

a)    Mrs Foster thanked Directorate staff for their support during her first seven weeks as Cabinet Member and paid tribute to her predecessor for her work. She also welcomed Helen Woodland as the new Corporate Director for Adult Social Care and Health.

b)    Mrs Foster reported on visits undertaken to a number of Adult Social Care services, including Cliftonville Library, where refurbishment works had included a Changing Places facility to improve accessibility and inclusion for residents with disabilities.

c)    Mrs Foster outlined a visit to Westview Integrated Care Centre in Tenterden, highlighting the rehabilitation, physiotherapy and reablement support provided to people following discharge from hospital. She praised the dedication and compassion of staff working within the service.

d)    Mrs Foster also updated the Committee on a visit to Milton Haig day service in Gravesham, outlining the support available to approximately 50 people from Gravesham and Dartford and highlighting the organisation’s commitment to apprenticeship and staff development opportunities.

e)    Mrs Foster drew attention to recent awareness campaigns including Carers Week, Learning Disability Week and Loneliness Awareness Week. She highlighted the valuable contribution of unpaid carers across Kent and reported on a carers’ coffee morning hosted at Sessions House to recognise and thank carers for their support.

f)     Finally, Mrs Foster welcomed activity undertaken as part of Learning Disability Week, including the “Do You See Me” exhibition held at Sessions House, and the work of the Learning Disability Partnership Board in promoting inclusion and reducing barriers for people with learning disabilities.

2. Jamie Henderson, Cabinet Member for Environment, Coastal Regeneration and Public Health, provided a verbal update on the following:

a)    Mr Henderson highlighted public health messaging relating to the period of extreme heat being experienced across Kent and encouraged residents to take appropriate precautions, remain hydrated, check on vulnerable neighbours and plan activities safely during hot weather.

b)    Mr Henderson reported on visits undertaken with his Deputy Cabinet Member to local drug and alcohol recovery services, including Change, Grow, Live and the Forward Trust. He highlighted the positive impact of these services and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting their delivery, particularly in coastal communities where levels of need remained high.

c)    Alcohol Awareness Week was highlighted, alongside activity promoting the “Know Your Score” campaign, encouraging residents to better understand alcohol consumption and access support where required.

d)    Finally, Mr Henderson reported on a forthcoming meningitis B vaccination programme for eligible students preparing to attend college and university, stressing the importance of reducing the risk of infection and providing reassurance to young people and their families.

3. Dr Anjan Ghosh, Director of Public Health, provided a verbal update on the following:

a)    Dr Ghosh reinforced the public health advice relating to hot weather, emphasising that prolonged temperatures above 30 degrees presented health risks for all residents.

b)    Dr Ghosh provided an update on the refresh of the Health and Wellbeing Board, including planned consideration of revised terms of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

1. The report was introduced by Victoria Tovey, Assistant Director of Integrated Commissioning, which provided the Committee with an overview of the activity and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Public Health Commissioned Services. She highlighted a generally positive performance despite ongoing transformation activity and service mobilisation following a number of recommissioning exercises. Ms Tovey outlined that out of fourteen KPIs, four were RAG rated green, six were rated amber and one was rated red.

2. In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    Ms Tovey explained that performance relating to the proportion of first-time sexual health patients receiving a full sexual health screen remained below target. She advised that a revised performance measure would be introduced to ensure reporting better reflected those individuals for whom screening was clinically appropriate, whilst retaining access to the wider performance data.

b)    In response to questions relating to the One You Kent service, Ms Tovey outlined the impact of the recent provider transition, staffing transfers and temporary pauses to referrals. She also explained that residents could self-refer to the service and that providers were undertaking targeted outreach work.

c)    Ms Tovey outlined the rationale for the move from postal invitations to text message invitations for NHS Health Checks, explaining that the approach aligned with wider NHS practice and offered a more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable method of communication. Alternative invitation methods remained available where appropriate.

3.    RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee note the performance of Public Health commissioned services in Quarter 4 2025/26.

1. The report was introduced by Jo Allen, Head of PR and Communications, who presented an overview of communications and campaign activity undertaken in support of Public Health objectives during 2025/26. She explained that campaigns were designed to improve residents' capability, motivation and opportunity to make healthier choices, and highlighted the role of preventative communications in supporting long-term behaviour change and improving wellbeing.

2. In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    Ms Allen explained that communications campaigns were developed in partnership with Public Health services and that their impact needed to be considered alongside wider service outcomes rather than in isolation. She acknowledged the value of including benchmarking and comparative performance data in future reports to provide greater context for campaign metrics.

3. RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee note the Public Health campaigns that were delivered in 2025/26 and the need to continue to deliver.

1. The item was introduced by Mr Henderson, who highlighted the importance of maintaining effective suicide prevention and bereavement support services across Kent and Medway. He emphasised the significant impact of suicide on families, workplaces and communities, and outlined proposals to continue vital services aligned to the forthcoming Kent and Medway Suicide and Self- Harm Prevention Strategy 2026- 2030.

2. Jess Mookherjee, Consultant in Public Health, introduced the report and reiterated the increasing importance of bereavement support and suicide prevention services against a backdrop of rising mental health need.

3. Sam Spiller, Commissioner, provided a detailed overview of the proposed recommissioning arrangements, outlining plans to procure replacement contracts for the specialist suicide bereavement support service and suicide prevention training workshops from April 2027. He highlighted engagement undertaken with stakeholders, people with lived experience and providers to inform future service design.

4. In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    It was confirmed that continuity of service provision had been a key consideration during development of the recommissioning proposals. Mobilisation periods had been built into implementation plans to minimise disruption and ensure continuity of support for service users transferring between providers if required.

b)    Mr Spiller advised that work was underway to strengthen data collection and performance reporting arrangements and confirmed that KPIs would form an important part of future contract management arrangements.

c)    In response to questions regarding local suicide rates, Dr Mookherjee explained that Kent continued to experience a higher suicide rate than the national average, although rates had reduced over time. She also explained that men remained significantly more likely to die by suicide than women, informing targeted prevention and awareness activity.

5. RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee endorse the proposed decision to:

a.    APPROVE the procurement of Suicide Prevention Services from 1 April 2027:

·         Specialist Suicide Bereavement Support Service, CN260672 – Three-year contract (1 April 2027 – 31 March 2030) with an optional extension, up to 24 months.

·         Suicide Prevention Training Workshops (CN260673) – Three-year contract )1 April 2027 – 31 March 2030) with an optional extension, up to 24 months.

b.    APPROVE the continuation of partnership working arrangements with the Integrated Care Board (ICB), including the review and refresh of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the delivery of the Suicide Prevention Programme.

c.    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health to commission the relevant services and enter into contracts or other legal agreements, including a refreshed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with relevant partners, to deliver Suicide Prevention Services;

d.    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health, to exercise relevant contract extensions

e.    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Public Health, to take all other relevant actions, including but not limited to, negotiating, finalising the terms of, and entering into the required contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary, to implement the decision

This item was taken after the Work Programme. 

1. The item was introduced by Georgia Foster, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, who outlined the importance of the Every Day Life Activities service in supporting adults with eligible Care Act needs to maintain independence, wellbeing and community participation. 

2. Georgina Walton, Assistant Director Adults Commissioning and Partnerships, introduced the report and explained that the framework currently supported over 1,000 adults each week through a diverse range of activities and opportunities delivered by 24 providers across Kent. She outlined proposals to extend the existing contract for a further two years whilst undertaking a wider programme of redesign and recommissioning. 

3. In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following: 

a.    The positive contribution made by community- based providers in promoting inclusion, independence and skills development was highlighted by the Committee. 

4. RESOLVED that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 & 5 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 

OPEN ACCESS TO MINUTES

b.    Helen Gillivan, Director for Adults and Integrated Commissioning, stated that the contract management approach would seek to ensure value for money, maintain quality standards and support a sustainable provider market, with ongoing contract monitoring informing the process. 

c.    Ms Walton advised organisations would be consulted as part of the commissioning process to gather community feedback and inform service development. 

5. RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee endorse the proposed decision to: 

a.    EXTEND the Every Day Life Activities contract for up to two years from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2028; and 

b.    DELEGATE authority to the Corporate Director, Adult Social Care and Health to take other relevant actions, including but not limited to finalising the terms of and entering into required contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision. 

1. The item was introduced by Mrs Foster, who outlined that KCC had received an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’ following the most recent CQC inspection and highlighted progress made since the publication of the assessment results.

2. Michael Thomas-Sam, Director of Operations (Short Term Support), introduced the report and provided an update on Adult Social Care's improvement activity in response to the CQC assessment, including revised priority areas developed in consultation with senior leaders and partners. He stated that improvement efforts were becoming more targeted and supported by stronger performance oversight, with preparations underway for future CQC assessments through readiness planning, assurance activity and mock assessments.

3. In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    Mr Thomas-Sam advised that the current reporting format followed Department of Health templates and agreed that further consideration could be given to how additional information and context could be incorporated for future reports.

b)    Ms Woodland emphasised that work was underway to consolidate multiple improvement and transformation plans into a single overarching transformation framework. She suggested that future reports could include both CQC improvement activity and the wider transformation programme to provide Members with a broader understanding of progress being achieved.

4.    RESOLVED that the Adult Social Care and Public Health Cabinet Committee note the improvements to date and future improvement activity.

RESOLVED to note the Work Programme.