Agenda item

1.    Wendy Jeffreys, Consultant in Public Health, introduced the report and shared that there were no significant updates since the date of publishing.

2.    In response to comments and questions it was said:

a.    A Member raised the issue of staffing problems and asked for further clarity on how many mothers the system was expecting to reach. Ms Tovey shared that the anti-natal metric was based on face-to-face services, noting that visibility and accessibility were important factors. Ms Noake added that mothers were also under the care of maternity services.

b.    A Member questioned how the service had changed over time for the better. Ms Jeffreys said that the service followed the guidance of the Health of Child Programme. Whilst there had been higher pay in London boroughs, there had been conversations with neighbouring Local Authorities to find out discrepancies in offers. The challenge of retaining a workforce was identified, to combat this the service was increasing the amount of people trained to be a health visitor.

c.     A Member questioned whether children were toilet trained through the Health Visiting Service. Ms Jeffreys shared that within the Packages of Care, which was a part of the Health Visiting Service, toilet training was included.

d.    A Member questioned the data surrounding the KPIs of the service and the impact of local government reorganisation on contracts. Ms Noake shared that there was still the same measure, the data reported by the service on the KPI’s was what was fed in nationally that appears in the data set. The service had the top performance in the South East. Targets were increased due to the service’s high achievement, which explained why the rating dropped. Ms Tovey affirmed that the service performs very well. Additionally, agreeing to bring further updates to the Committee on the performance of the services.

e.    A Member raised the issue of postnatal depression, those struggling may get missed by the service, especially those who live in remote areas such as in Marden where a children centre had closed down. Ms Jeffreys shared that health checks include mental wellbeing support. The Family Hubs Programme support people to have a better understanding of perinatal mental health. As part of the Family Hub Outreach Programme services, the Health Visiting Services were run out of Marsden Library after the Children Centre had closed down. Ms Tovey shared that it was a proactive service where everyone should receive a mandated check with the very experienced workers. Ms Noake offered to provide the Member with specific details about the postnatal support available in Marden.

f.      A Member questioned the stages of contact the service has in terms of the letters it sends out. Ms Tovey shared that it was a tailored approach based on individual circumstances. Ms Noake shared that within the initial letter there are links to online services and the phoneline specific to the individuals district to provide extra support. Ms Tovey added that any vulnerable families known to the service would receive a more proactive approach of getting in contact. Ms Noake added that the service receive data based on whether children were present at mandated appointments, as a further protective measure.

g.    A Member questioned the data present within the report. Ms Noake clarified that all first-time parents and those parents triaged on to the specialist or targeted caseload were invited for a in person or virtual contact. The letters are only for those parents who do not fall into the categories for the in-person contact. Ms Noake added that the team would come back to the Committee with the specific figures for contact with first time parents.

h.    A Member questioned the location and accessibility of the Place Based Infant Feeding Service. Ms Noake shared that there were two in person Infant Feeding Services and one virtual service in each district. Additionally, through the Start for Life Funding the service had been able to invest in a number of Local Infant Feeding Grants to have a more targeted approach as well as more insight. Ms Tovey added that through the market engagement survey the service had learnt that there were a number of local providers that had good connections within communities who were well placed to offer some of these services.

3.    RESOLVED that the Committee endorsed and made recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health on the proposed decision.