ISLE OF WIGHT COMMUNITY STRATEGY �!� KEY THEMES FOR HEALTH AND SOC

Title : ISLE OF WIGHT COMMUNITY STRATEGY – KEY THEMES FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

JOINT REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE IW PRIMARY CARE TRUST AND THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND HOUSING

This paper provides a summary of the key themes relating to health and social care which have emerged from the Island Futures public consultation exercise and identifies how they will influence the content of the key elements of the Isle of Wight Community Strategy.

The Island Futures questionnaire was circulated widely through public events in all major Island towns, through media advertising and through a wide number of public facilities on the Island, including St Mary’s Hospital and the wider IW NHS Healthcare Trust and GP surgeries. To date 1130 responses have been received, of these over 31% of people responding indicated health and social care were important issues for them. This is one of the higher response areas.

The Island Futures questionnaires contained three statements relating to health and social care. People were asked if they agreed or disagreed with these statements:

∙Health and social services would serve people better if they had common points of contact

∙More money should be spent on making sure older people can stay in their own homes, rather than go into residential care homes

∙It is important to promote good health and that could include making the Island “smoke-free”.

In all three cases people agreed with the statements. Over 70% of people supported more joint working between health and social services and more support for older people in the community. Over 50% of people felt promoting good health for Island people is important.

In terms of the context in which our agencies are working to improve health and well-being it is important to note the value people place on the quality of the Island’s physical and social environment. Many people used the following words to describe what they value about living on the Isle of Wight.

∙Safe	∙Clean	∙Beautiful
∙Peaceful	∙Green	∙Friendly
∙Crime free	∙Healthy	∙Unspoilt
∙Rural	∙Caring	∙Quiet

Respondents were also given the opportunity to make additional comments about areas of concern to them. The following issues were raised:

∙People expressed concern about the reductions in the number of residential and nursing home beds and the likely effects this would have on availability of hospital beds.

∙People want to see more flexible ways of helping older people remain independent in their own homes, this included more properties with alarm systems to call for help and sheltered accommodation with wardens.

∙The importance of helping older people to maintain social contact was emphasised.

∙The focus of care should be centred on the particular needs of each individual.

∙Specialist treatment should be kept as close to the Isle of Wight as possible.

∙Many people supported more smoke-free public places, including public transport and restaurants.

∙There is a need to promote healthier lifestyles, more exercise, healthier eating and lower alcohol consumption.

∙Car use should be reduced on the Island because of the dangers of pollution and accidents.

Work has commenced on drafting the Community Strategy, following completion of the consultation process. The follow key objectives will be incorporated into the strategy to be addressed over the plan’s implementation period:

∙Improving waiting times for accessing all types of NHS care, from an appointment with a GP, out patient appointments, inpatient treatment and waits for treatment in the Accident and Emergency Department and for ambulances.

∙Providing the best possible quality of care for Island residents whilst achieving financial balance within the resources available to the Island for health and social care.

∙Continuing to develop links with specialist mainland centres of excellence for health care while keeping a balance with providing services in community settings close to where people live or at the local hospital.

∙Developing the NHS and social care workforce to recruit, train and retain new members of staff to provide a stable workforce, including the introduction a new range of roles to support a more flexible, person-centred approach to care.

∙Developing information systems that are linked between GPs, hospitals and social care agencies to provide faster and more co-ordinated responses to referrals, test result transfer between hospital and GP and booking of appointments.

∙Continuing to develop mental health services which offer a wider range of support in the community to avoid admissions to hospital wherever possible, including support teams in primary care and access to crisis support and outreach services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

∙Continuing to develop services for older people which help them maintain positive health and remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible. Health and social care agencies will also work with the private sector to maintain a healthy mixed economy of care so that residential and nursing home placements are available when they are needed.

∙Working to improve the health and well-being of the people of the Island, working to achieve reductions in rates of coronary heart disease and stroke, cancer, mental illness and accidents in line with national targets. Programmes will include support to people to give up smoking and the promotion of physical exercise and healthy eating.

∙Supporting an increase in the number of smoke-free public facilities on the Island.

∙Continuing to work to reduce health inequalities on the Island, both in identified geographical locations and on issues such as reducing teenage pregnancy, addressing substance misuse and improving the oral health of children.

∙Continuing to work with other agencies to reduce poverty through programmes to regenerate the physical fabric and social capital of communities, to reduce homelessness, to promote access to welfare benefit entitlements and alleviate fuel and food poverty.

∙Continuing to address social exclusion which has a negative impact on health and well-being through programmes such as supporting disabled people to live and work in their own communities.

∙Working across all agencies in the statutory, voluntary and community sectors to increase the capacity of individuals, families and communities to protect their own health and access health and social care services appropriately. This will include improving access to information about health and health and social care services and to health care advice over the telephone from NHS Direct.

The Health Improvement and Modernisation Plan will provide the detailed plans to address these target areas.