MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PARTNERSHIP BOARD FOR HEALTH AND WELL BEING HELD AT THE RIVERSIDE CENTRE, NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT ON MONDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2002 COMMENCING AT 2.00 PM

 

Present :

Isle of Wight Council

 

Mr R G Mazillius (Chairman), Mr M J Cunningham, Mr I Stephens

 

Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust

 

Mrs V A Anderson, Dr P Bingham

 

Voluntary Sector

 

Mrs P Lee, Ms S Nehorai, Ms C Piggott

 

Community Health Council

 

Mr P Barber, Mrs G Squibb

 

Also in Attendance :

 

Mr J Doyle, Mr A Drain, Mrs B Herbert - Isle of Wight Council

Mrs E Garrett - Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust/Isle of Wight Council

 

For the Presentation :

 

Ms S Ellis - Isle of Wight Rural Community Council

Ms M Plisnier - Isle of Wight Rural Community Council

 

Apologies :

 

Mr D Crawley - Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust

Mrs D Gardiner - Isle of Wight Council

 



 

 12.      MINUTES

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT subject to the resolution of minute number 6 being amended to read ‘That subject to minute number 3, of the minutes of the meeting held on 15 April 2002, being amended to include that the Voluntary Sector had also made a contribution to the presentations of the Healthy Living Programme’, the minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2002 be approved.

 

13.      URGENT BUSINESS

 

The Chairman referred to an incident regarding a delay in obtaining urgent, emergency psychiatric help. It was agreed to defer this issue, to later in the meeting, when items for future meetings was to be considered.

 

RESOLVED ;

 

THAT the incident regarding emergency psychiatric help be deferred for consideration later in the meeting.

 

14.      IW ANTI POVERTY INITIATIVE

 

The Chairman introduced and welcomed to the meeting Maryse Plisnier and Sara Ellis of the Rural Community Council (RCC) who gave a presentation on an anti-poverty initiative which had been set up on the Island in February 2002, as an output of the RCC anti-poverty strategy published in 1998. The project, funded from the Countryside Agency with matched funding from a charitable trust, aimed to combat the causes and effects of poverty and to investigate the main areas linked to the chief problems of low and insufficient income. The background to the initiative was outlined together with details of the approach undertaken to effect the work contained in the action plan: Raising awareness of issues; direct action initiated by the voluntary sector; partnership working with other sectors. The Steering Group, comprising of representatives of statutory agencies and voluntary organisations dealing with various aspects of poverty and also persons who had personal experience of poverty, made regular review to the action plan which served as the touchstone and guideline to the work undertaken and also facilitated the monitoring and evaluation process.

 

The Partnership Board were provided with details of a number of projects established to combat the effect of poverty on peoples lives. These included Wight Wheels - a pilot project offering client based help to meet the transport needs of those who would otherwise be prevented from starting or continuing work; The Women and Housing Group - by running an open meeting for women to tell their stories, which could subsequently influence procedures on the Island; Shriek - a self-help booklet written for women by women to help them get through the ordeal of becoming homeless; Hands Up - which, subject to funding for year 4, provided face to face support and advice to individuals in crisis; Healthy Eating on a Low Income Forum - which facilitated the exchange of ideas and information to tackle food poverty on the Isle of Wight. As part of the presentation, Members also received a video highlighting areas of poverty on the Isle of Wight.

 

During discussion, Members expressed concern with regard to the lack of health education involving nutritional and healthy eating advice in schools and at the college. The Chairman agreed to write, on behalf of the Board, to the Strategic Director of Education expressing the concerns raised.

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT Maryse Plisnier and Sara Ellis be thanked for their very interesting and informative presentation.

15.      UPDATE FROM THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR

 

Representatives from the Voluntary Sector provided the Partnership Board with an oral update on a number of issues which had occurred since the last meeting. In particular, mention was made of the publication entitled The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery - A Cost Cutting Review by the HM Treasury. Clarification was also sought as to the Councils’ representative on the Voluntary Sector Compact. It was noted that, in the light of the recent retirement of the previous representative, this matter was still under consideration and would be advised of in due course.

 

An update was also requested on progress of the proposals for the future use of the Frank James Hospital. Mr Barber, of the Community Health Council agreed to seek clarification and to furnish the Secretary with the current position, in order for details to be circulated with the minutes.

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT the report be noted.

 

16.      LOCAL DELIVERY PLAN (2003 - 06) AND UPDATE ON THE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND MODERNISATION PLAN

 

Members were referred to the report of the Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust which outlined details of the new requirements, set out by the Department of Health, for Primary Care Trusts to produce Local Delivery Plans (LDPs). The report summarised what was required and how the Primary Care Trust intended to deliver the Plan for local organisations to meet local and national priorities and targets within available resources over three years, within the required timescale. It was reported that the Technical Guidance was still awaited. The Priorities and Planning Framework 2003 - 04 detailed13 areas to be included in the Plan and it was expected that the LDPs would have chapters covering each of these. It was also anticipated that the Plan would subsume many of the other planning documents. Details of those documents were circulated to Members of the Board. As the future of the Health Improvement and Modernisation Plan was still unclear the draft Plan, as discussed at the last meeting of the Board, had been held in abeyance until further guidance was issued. However, it was noted that health inequalities formed one of the 13 themes in the LDP as well as featuring throughout the Plan. It was also stressed that whatever changes which might be required to the format of the HIMP, it would be important to ensure that the progress already made locally, on the health improvement agenda, continued through an agreed multi-agency programme of preventative initiatives to tackle health inequalities.

 

The Strategic Health Authority (SHA), as the performance manager of the process had indicated that LDPs must achieve financial balance over three years; concentrate on the ‘must dos’ plus financial recovery in years 1 and 2; involve the whole organisation and partners in the process; clearly reflect the Modernisation Agenda and build on the Capacity Plan previously submitted. The SHA had established a Steering Group to advise the PCTs on the content of the LDP and had also held a meeting with the PCT/Trust Planners. Due to the tight timescales involved it was proposed to use existing groups where possible and to ensure communication was effective and timely. Members indicated their view that the draft LDP should be considered by the Partnership Board prior to submission of the final document to the Regional Director of Health and Social Care. Due to the tight timescales involved, however, clarification would need to be sought from the designated PCT lead officer as to the feasibility of such a request.

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT the report be noted.

 

17.      TO CONSIDER ITEMS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

 

Members of the Board gave consideration to items for inclusion on the agenda for future meetings of the Board.

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT the following items be included within the workplan of the Board:

 

 

                      (i)        The lack of consultant psychiatrists and GPs on the Island who were authorised to section persons under the 1983 Mental Health Act;

 

                      (ii)       Details of Public and Patient Involvement in the Health Service;

 

                      (iii)       An update of the Learning Disability Partnership Planning Group;

 

                      (iv)       A provisional date of 23 January 2003, at 2.00 pm, be set for the next meeting of the Partnership Board to facilitate discussion of the Local Delivery Plan.

 

18.      DATE OF NEXT MEETING

 

RESOLVED :

 

THAT the next meeting be held on Tuesday, 18 March 2003 commencing at 2.00 pm.

 

 

CHAIRMAN