Items
No. |
Item |
343. |
Apologies and Substitutes
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Apologies were
received from Mrs Game and Ms Constantine.
Ms Hamilton and Ms
Hawkins were in attendance virtually.
|
344. |
Declarations of Interest by Members in items on the agenda
Additional documents:
Minutes:
There were no declarations of interest.
|
345. |
Minutes of the meeting held on 17 September 2024 PDF 115 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
RESOLVED that the minutes of
the meeting held on 17 September 2024 were a correct record and
that they be signed by the Chair.
|
346. |
Verbal updates by Cabinet Member and Director
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- Mr Watkins, Cabinet Member for Adult
Social Care and Public Health, gave a verbal update on the
following:
- The new Kent and Medway Integrated
Work and Health Strategy was led by the Strategic Partnership for
Health and Economy, to integrate and improve support for those with
health issues and disabilities to thrive within the workplace. 27%
of economic inactivity amongst 16 – 64-year-olds in Kent and
Medway was due to long-term ill health, which was higher than the
South-East average. The draft strategy included improved
information for employers through a multi-agency approach to
tackling barriers and maximising impact, helping residents get back
to work.
- Mr Watkins had visited drug and
alcohol treatment service providers (the Forward Trust and Change,
Grow, Live). Public Health was awaiting information on government
funding to increase the outreach of these providers.
- Mr Watkins joined KCC’s Mental
Health Champions on a tour of mental health facilities on World
Mental Health Day.
- Mr Watkins attended a Kent and
Medway Health Symposium at the Guru Nanak Darbar in Gravesend. The
Chair added that he also attended this event and noted the
excellent opportunity for discussions and networking.
- Kent had an aging population,
therefore KCC were seeking views on postural stability services. A
consultation was taking place on proposed changes to the
KCC’s Postural Stability Service, which suggested switching
to a shorter, more intensive, 12 week set of classes and expansion
of the service to more areas and to residents from age 50.
- Mr Watkins visited the ONE YOU Shop
in Ashford, which offered a number of services such as support to
stop smoking, to become more active and NHS health checks.
- Mr Watkins joined a KCC Councillor
in visiting Ebbsfleet Garden City to better understand how
communities can be built to achieve better public health.
- Mr Watkins visited the Fusion
Healthy Living Centre in Maidstone, it had a community lead
approach, to support communities that had experienced disadvantages
and health inequalities.
- Dr Ellen Schwartz, Deputy Director
of Public Health, gave a verbal update on the following:
- KCC’s role in improving health
and wellbeing had been achieved through contributions to the Kent
and Medway Integrated Care Strategy. There had been work done with
Officers across the Council to improve health and wellbeing as well
as developing key priorities for each directorate endorsed by Kent
residents.
- The Kent Marmot Costal Region aims
to improve social determinants and reduce inequalities in health. A
Coastal Region Lead position had been filled with the intention of
helping to coordinate the program. A paper on the program was
expected to come to the Committee in January 2025.
- The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment
was set to be published in October 2025.
- Kent Housing Strategy, there was
work being done to refresh the strategy, this was a shared post
created between Public Health and Housing Groups to prioritise
health.
- There was continued work being done
on the campaign to increase awareness and uptake of MMR vaccines.
Data from previous quarters showed a decrease in the uptake of
...
view the full minutes text for item 346.
|
347. |
Draft Revenue and Capital Budget and MTFP PDF 172 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Mr P Oakford
(Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded
Services) and Mr D Shipton (Head of Finance) were present for this
item.
- Mr Oakford, Deputy Leader and
Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services,
introduced the report to the Committee, reminding Members that it
was a provisional budget and that Public Health funding was
ringfenced.
- This draft budget was prepared in
advance of the Government’s budget and therefore there was to
be another round of scrutiny in January 2025.
- There were one off costs approved by
the Council which required £19.8 million worth of policy
savings. After the first quarter there was a £16 million
overspend in Adult Social Care which increased pressure on the
finances.
- The Government’s increase in
National Minimum Wage and employers’ contributions to
National Insurance (NI) had increased pressure on employers. An
increase of 3% was budgeted for these areas, but within the
Government’s budget there was an 11% increase.
- There was an increase in the Adult
Social Care grant from the Government. Estimated figures showed
that KCC was to receive around £13 million. However, since
Adult Social Care had to make savings of £54 million in 2024
and a further £40 million in 2025, a significant amount of
additional savings needed to be made.
- Mr Watkins noted a 1% uplift from
the Government for Public Health. There was a transformational
program underway to assess the efficiency of KCC services, to
ensure spending was targeted and effective in order to achieve the
best outcomes. Following the Government’s pay awards for NHS
staff there were increased costs of almost £2 million for KCC
connected to the commissioning from NHS Trusts.
- Mr Shipton, Head of Finance,
encouraged Members to use the KCC Budget Dashboard for a further
breakdown of spending.
- In response to comments and
questions, it was said:
- A Member questioned the impact of
employer NI contributions on non-governmental organisations (i.e.
social care providers). Mr Oakford shared that he and other senior
Members and Officers had met with the Kent Integrated Care Alliance
(KiCA). A joint press release had been produced to urge the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to exempt social care providers from
the NI contributions increase.
- A Member asked for further detail on
the Mental Health Grant. Mr Watkins shared that £3.5 million
of funding had been allocated to mental health.
- A Member highlighted KCC’s
intention to offset money to create a safety net for those who
could have struggled with the changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance
and questioned whether there were systems in place to help identify
those who would require support efficiently. Mr Oakford assured
Members that systems were in place to ensure residents were
supported.
- RESOLVED that the
Committee:
- NOTED the
administration’s draft revenue budgets including responses to
consultation.
- SUGGESTED any changes
which should be made to the administration’s draft budget
proposals related to the Cabinet Committee’s portfolio area
before the draft is considered by Cabinet on 30th January 2025 and
presented to Full County Council ...
view the full minutes text for item 347.
|
348. |
Annual Report on Quality in Public Health PDF 267 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
1.
Mr Watkins noted that the contents of the report
showed good results and only six complaints were
received.
2.
Dr Ellen Schwartz introduced the report, in 2023
there was a review of Public Health quality assurance processes
which was paused due to capacity issues. Within the Public Health
Service Transformation Programme, the appointment of a Pharmacy and
Quality Lead took place, to support the co-ordination of the
Quality Committee.
3.
RESOLVED that the Committee commented on and noted
the content of this report.
|
349. |
Young People and Mental Health PDF 99 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- Dr Ellen Schwartz introduced the
report, outlining an update on the impact of the implementation of
the Botulin Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021. It
provided an overview of the enforcement activity undertaken, which
included checks on compliance with the legislation, through this
some weaknesses were identified which led to the development of a
local campaign.
- The Act had not yet been implemented
for a sufficient amount of time to determine whether it had an
impact in Kent on mental health.
- In response to comments and
questions, it was said:
- A Member expressed concern at the
levels of young people suffering with a probable mental disorder
and questioned the root cause of adolescent mental health and body
dysmorphia and whether there was anything that could be done to
tackle it.
i.
Dr Schwartz said that non-surgical interventions were the tip of
the iceberg of the underlying mental health challenges that could
be observed within young people. Colleagues in Public Health were
researching into parent-infant relationships and support to
children at the earliest opportunity.
ii.
Natalie Reeves added that the results of health needs assessments
undertaken by young people had shown that COVID-19 Pandemic
lockdown had an impact on their mental health and social abilities,
and that there was work to be done on this.
iii.
Mr Watkins added that the rise in use of social media and
technology had coincided with a negative trend in regard to young
people’s mental health and an increase in disorders such as
body dysmorphia.
iv.
The Chair shared that he had attended a smartphone free event and
raised the idea of restricting young people’s access to
smartphones.
- A Member suggested involving the KCC
Youth County Council to assess the impact of technology on young
people. They requested an update on the data within the report,
asked how to encourage engagement from more providers and
questioned what plans were in place for more challenge 25 checks
from Trading Standards. They also questioned whether Public Health
could provide guidance to providers to ensure questions are asked
around mental health prior to procedures.
- Mr Watkins noted the idea of taking
this issue to the KCC Youth County Council.
- Ms Kulkarni-Johnston added that
Public Health had worked with Trading Standards to prevent
providers from offering cosmetic procedures to those who were
underage.
- Members highlighted the importance
of the Children and Young People Directorate working with Public
Health to ensure young people’s mental health was addressed
in the most holistic way possible.
- A Member questioned whether a
campaign could be organised to promote a healthy body image.
Additionally, addressing the hopelessness some young people felt in
regard to climate change which would negatively affect their mental
health. Mr Watkins shared that there were budgets within Public
Health for marketing campaigns, and whilst there was not a campaign
focusing on body dysmorphia at the moment, he would assess what was
possible with the marketing team.
- A Member noted the impact that the
fear associated with climate change can have ...
view the full minutes text for item 349.
|
350. |
Implications of Climate Change for Public Health PDF 219 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- Dr Ellen Schwartz introduced the
report and gave a brief overview of its contents.
- A Member shared that housing was a
significant factor for mental health, noting that during the
COVID-19 Pandemic individuals benefitted from more access to green
spaces. Additionally, the Member referred to the farming process
and its necessity for food security. Dr Schwartz noted that
additional work was being done around food security. Dr Schwartz
added that work was being done with the UK Health Security Agency
on the surveillance and management of invasive species (i.e.
mosquitos and ticks).
- A Member questioned what assurances
were in place for residents, in regard to a new threat, that
unilateral action could take place whether on a regional or county
wide basis. Also whether there were any restrictions nationally
that would prevent acting on it. Dr Schwartz shared that whilst the
majority of the decision making and planning was done on a national
level, locally there was flexibility.
- A Member noted the presence of
inequalities within the impact of climate change. Dr Schwartz
agreed that the effects of climate change had not affected all
those in Kent equally. Public Health came together, to inform
themselves as well as other organisations (i.e. emergency
preparedness, the NHS, etc), and have developed a shared
understanding of the distribution of inequality and how to optimise
services. Collaboration was seen as the next step with a focus on
public health outcomes.
- Members felt that it would be
positive if the issue and related reports could be considered by
Full Council and other Cabinet Committees.
- RESOLVED that the Committee note the
content of the report.
|
351. |
Local Stop Smoking Services Update PDF 139 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
- Mr Watkins introduced the report,
sharing that smoking rates in Kent had decreased.
- Chris Beale, Commissioner, shared
that in June to October 2024, 75% of the stop smoking funding had
been allocated, as of the meeting of this Committee 95-96% had been
allocated.
- Work was being done with the Adult
Social Care Directorate to assess how to work with care homes to
establish stop smoking ambassadors within them. In the first
weekend launch of the Allen-Carr Method, it attracted 51 Kent
residents with very little advertising, and by November 2024, 146
people had signed up.
- Rutuja Kulkarni-Johnston,
Consultant in Public Health, shared that the smoke
free grant aimed to support a higher number of residents who smoked
to stop, including efforts to address inequalities in access
through the newly funded services.
- Deborah Smith, Public Health
Specialist, added that it had been estimated that 11.4% of Kent
resident were smokers. There was an intention to set 6,252 quit
dates and to maintain call services to support those trying to quit
smoking. After delays, new initiatives had started, one of which
was to target smokers who had been difficult to access.
- Additionally, there had been a plan
for a dedicated service for young people. The Allen Carr Method had
been procured as an alternative to the NHS smoke free service that
was in place. Fixed term staff had been procured in Commissioning,
Project Development and Public Health to assist with this
work.
- There were plans to work with
district and borough councils to develop smoking spaces to
de-normalise smoking and keep town centres smoke free.
- There had been work done with GPs to
develop text messaging services to target smokers on GP registers
to alert them of new service options to encourage quitting
smoking.
- Work was being done with Healthy
Living Centres, the voluntary sector and other directorates within
the local authority to utilise sustainability and services that
deal with the community directly.
- There was an intention to allocate
any potential underspend to a grant allocation fund, to work with
the voluntary and community sector to ensure funding was fully
utilised.
- A Member praised the fact that smoke
free spaces were to go ahead, they questioned how much of the
Public Health Grant was going towards it and whether parish
councils could request them. Ms Smith shared that £90,000 had
been allocated across Kent, and following communication with all 12
districts and boroughs about the initiatives, nine had showed
interest so far. There was an intention to meet with Parish
Councillors directly, and a Member suggested utilising the Kent
Association of Local Councils (KALC) for this.
- RESOLVED that the Committee note the
content of this report.
|
352. |
Work Programme PDF 63 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
RESOLVED that the work
programme was noted.
|