Agenda item

To receive a verbal update from the Leader and Cabinet Member for Traded Services and Health Reform, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning and Public Health and the Director of Public Health.

1.            The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Commissioning and Public Health, Mr P J Oakford, gave a verbal update on the following issues:

Delivery of the Infant feeding service – next steps – the key decision to start implementing the new service had been taken on 12 March and he hoped the implementation would now move ahead successfully. Some parts of the new service had been adjusted to take account of feedback arising from the public consultation.

Joint Kent and Medway Health and Wellbeing Board – work to establish this was now complete and the new joint Board would start work in April.  The Kent Health and Wellbeing Board would continue to meet once a year to continue to undertake its statutory responsibilities.

2.            Mr Oakford responded to questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)    Mr Oakford was thanked for listening to the parents who had responded to the consultation and commented on the proposed new model and, in doing so, allaying some of their fears about the changes.  It was hoped that users’ confidence would grow as the new service bedded in; and

b)    officers supporting the transition to the new model would work with health visitors and meet with all lactation consultants and peer supporters, and it was hoped that the transition would be smooth.  To support the additional group sessions, more peer supporters were being sought, along with more funding to cover their recruitment and training. 

3.            The Leader and Cabinet Member for Traded Services and Health Reform, Mr P B Carter, CBE, gave a verbal update on the following issues:

Sustainability and Transformation Programme – Mr Carter advised that he was the Chairman of the new Local Care Implementation Board (LCIB), a body which included clinicians, GPs and representatives from mental health trusts. This Board would meet for the first time for a workshop on 20 March and would discuss how to set up multi-disciplinary teams to support GPs.  As Chairman of the Board, he had been unequivocal that more resource was needed to support local care in Kent, and this need had been estimated as being between £100million – £140million.  The Sustainability and Transformation Programme Board fully supported the local care agenda as this would take the pressure off hospitals, saving around £218million per annum and reducing or avoiding hospital stays for 30-35,000 patients per year. It had been identified that every additional £1million spent on local care would deliver some £3-4million of savings on hospital care. The LCIB would look at how to provide more support and deliver better value for public money.  Recruiting and retaining well-qualified people to deliver local care presented a challenge.  More detail of how the local care agenda would be delivered was set out in item 6 on today’s agenda.

4.            The Director of Public Health, Mr A Scott-Clark, then gave a verbal update on the following issues:-

NHS Prison Substance Misuse Contract – the County Council had previously commissioning this service on behalf of NHS England but the latter now sought to take back this role, meaning that it would also take from the County Council the risk element associated with commissioning. 

Seasonal Influenza – the number of new cases being diagnosed had fallen dramatically from the January peak and was around the usual expected level for the time of year.  Both the number of cases and the number of vaccinations had been particularly high this year. 

Public Health messaging over the cold spell – Mr Scott-Clark thanked the County Council’s communications team for its work in spreading the message about looking after oneself during the recent freezing weather.

Kings Fund publication – ‘Tackling multiple unhealthy risk factors’ – this had been published on 9 March and was recommended as a good read for Members.  Kent’s ‘One You’ programme had been cited as a case study of best practice. Mr Scott-Clark undertook to supply a link to the document to all Members of the committee and this was subsequently done.    

5.            Mr Scott-Clark responded to questions from the committee, including the following:-

a)    advice from NHS England was that vaccination, along with diligent handwashing, remained the best way to counter the ‘flu virus, even if a different strain were to appear in the future;

b)    there were two types of vaccination – quadrivalent and trivalent.  Quadrivalent was used mostly for older people and trivalent use mostly for children. Children were now routinely vaccinated at school. Asked about the variations in cost of the two types, Mr Scott-Clark explained that surgeries were ordering vaccinations now for use next winter, and some community pharmacies also offered the vaccinations, and variations in cost may arise between earlier and later supply and perhaps the volume ordered; and

c)    asked if GPs would be a first point of identification of the ‘flu virus, as the public had been told in some instances to keep away from their GP if they had ‘flu symptoms, Mr Scott-Clark explained that GPs were able to prescribe ant-viral medicines to patients with ‘flu symptoms. However, patients may have ‘flu-like symptoms but not actually have ‘flu. GPs would also look for cases of norovirus as this was often an indicator of the presence of the flu virus.  

6.            It was RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted, with thanks.