Agenda item

To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and the Director of Public Health.

1.            Mr Gibbens gave a verbal update on the following adult social care issues:

Community Health and Wellbeing Service – he summarised recent developments, including the end of grant payments and their replacement by a tender process, culminating in contract awards to Porchlight and the Shaw Trust in January 2016, and set out how the new service would be monitored.  A report on the performance of the new service would be made to this committee at its 11 October meeting. Committee Members were each given a copy of a pack for ‘Live Well Kent’, which would be launched on 17 May. In response to questions, Mr Gibbens clarified that Porchlight and the Shaw Trust were the County Council’s strategic partners and explained that other, smaller organisations may be contracted by these two to provide some services, and Ms Southern undertook to look into and advise a speaker outside the meeting on the involvement of specific clinical commissioning groups in this service delivery.

21  April - Visit to West Kent Mind in Sevenoaks

21 April – Visit to Age UK Sevenoaks

21 April – Visit to Age UK Tunbridge Wells  

2.            Mr Ireland then gave an oral update on the following issues:

Sustainability and Transformation Plans – these would be published shortly, although the content of them was not yet known. In response to a question, he referred to the general difficulties in recruiting social workers and managers, which had been well documented in recent years, but said that difficulties in recruiting  adult social care staff would hopefully soon be resolved.  

Delayed Transfers of Care review – although formalised data would take a while to be published, current live data was showing a significant improvement in the number of delayed transfers.

3.            Mr Gibbens gave an verbal update on the following adult public health issues:

Community Pharmacy Consultation – he outlined a number of issues arising from the consultation and reported his intention to respond jointly to the consultation with the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, Mr R Gough. Key concerns were the potential impact of the loss of community pharmacies in rural and suburban areas and the impact of centralised dispensing on those less able to access and use IT facilities. His approach, and proposal to respond jointly with the Health and Wellbeing Board, was endorsed.

26 April – Visit to Folkestone Men’s Sheds – this was a very inspiring project which had produced success stories for participants. Committee Members added that most local shed schemes were now accessible to both men and women, and some local variations on the scheme had developed, eg ‘Men in Boats’ in Dover. A view was expressed that Community Shed schemes would be more easily accessible to transgender people. 

4.            Mr Scott-Clark then gave a verbal update on the following issues:

Suicide Prevention Campaign for men under 45: ‘Release the Pressure’ – this was being publicised by the County Council public health team by a range of media and outlets, including leaflets, billboards, on beermats and at petrol stations. The response so far had been good, with an online media clip having been viewed 65,000 times and the website having had 20,000 hits. The helpline had reported a 16% increase in calls overall and a 20% increase in male callers. Other organisations, for example, Gillingham Football Club, had also undertaken their own campaigns.  In response to a question, Mr Scott-Clark explained that it would take about a year for the male suicide figures to show any reduction as a result of the success of the campaign.  

5.            RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.