Agenda item

That the Committee welcomes the progress made within the Key Partnership Project. 

The Senior Manager Integrated Services introduced a report to update Members on the progress made with key partnerships and locality developments. 

                        She detailed the background to the report and explained that it was imperative that there were ongoing improvements in the way that the partners worked together.  On the merging of Locality Leadership Teams and GP Cluster Meetings, the Senior Manager Integrated Services explained that the proposals were progressing but there was currently a vacancy for a Locality Lead within North East Flintshire.  It was hoped that once the vacancy had been filled, joint working could be progressed.  In the meantime, a new approach was to be trialled to bring together the work of the existing GP cluster and previous Locality Leadership Teams and a meeting to agree a way forward had been arranged.  She commented on the ongoing work around enhanced care, Single Point of Access (SPoA) and Co-location of Health and Social Care Locality Teams. 

On the issue of care homes, the Senior Manager Integrated Services highlighted the risks posed by the lack of capacity for nursing input into Care Homes in North Wales which had been raised with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).  Work was to take place to trial a new model in South Flintshire for Social Prescribing and the Third Sector was working with Social Services about SPoA.  She advised that a new Early Years and Family Support Manager (Gail Bennett) was in post.  The report detailed the progress that had been made to date particularly on the Flying Start Programme and work with the Elfed Consortia and the ‘Incredible Years’ parenting programme.  Other key projects included the new approach to parent engagement that had been developed at Ysgol Merllyn in Bagillt and the £143k that had been awarded by Welsh Government to modernise the former Youth Club on the site of Sandycroft Primary School.     

In welcoming the report, Councillor Hilary Isherwood commented on the success of the programme to increase school attendance.  However, she raised concern that families were being left without help following comments from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  She queried whether the funding for vulnerable families would continue. 

The Cabinet Member for Social Services commented on the excellent work of the Flying Start project in her ward and she explained that every child in the community was entitled to attend, not just those with difficulties.  She detailed some of the activities undertaken as part of the project and commented on additional funding which had been announced recently by Welsh Government (WG).  Councillor Isherwood indicated that her ward had not been designated as a Communities First area but that some residents in the area were in poverty.  The Chief Officer (Social Services) advised that the Flying Start Programme was for particular areas that were designated by WG based on criteria and Councils could not apply any discretion to the areas that received the funding for the project.  He added that it was important for the Flying Start Programme to reach as many children as possible and he commented on the effectiveness of the service.     

Councillor Veronica Gay raised concern at the number of Saltney residents who were registered with Doctor’s surgeries in England rather than in Wales and asked whether those patients would be contacted by their GP as part of the Social Prescribing exercise to ensure that the correct figures were identified.  Councillor Gay also sought clarification on accommodation in Saltney for the co-location of Social Services and health staff.  She raised concern about the over 65s and early years schools programmes as she did not feel that the support for the residents was in place in Saltney.  In response, the Senior Manager Integrated Services explained that the pilot scheme for the Locality Team and GP cluster meeting merger was to take place in Mold and it was hoped that lessons could be learned to allow it to be rolled out to other areas.  She commented on the benefits of co-location with health staff and highlighted the project in Holywell which had been a success.  On the Flying Start programme, she suggested that Gail Bennett and Anne Roberts attend a future meeting to discuss issues with the Committee. 

In response to a query from the Chair on enhanced care, the Chief Officer (Social Services) explained that the programme had been rolled out in Flint and Holywell and pleasing feedback had been received from patients.  BCUHB was taking time to consider revised business models for the remaining areas in Flintshire and North Wales and therefore the project had not been progressed for these areas.  It was hoped that the rollout would be completed in the future. 

Councillor Andy Dunbobbin welcomed the Flying Start scheme and, in being sympathetic to the comments of Councillor Gay about lack of provision in her ward for the scheme, he provided details of the numbers of children who had been helped through the project.  He highlighted the comment in the report that it was an aspiration to extend the benefits of the project beyond the geographical boundaries covered by the WG funded programme. 

The Chair raised significant concern about the substantial challenge faced by BCUHB to recruit and retain appropriately trained, qualified and experienced staff to work in care homes in North Wales.  She felt that the issue needed addressing along with the problems of bed-blocking, ambulances queuing outside Accident and Emergency departments and targets for seeing patients being missed.  In response, the Chief Officer (Social Services) commented on the key issues and on the shortage of nursing care beds across North Wales, particularly for patients with dementia.  He advised that the issues raised would be a priority in the single integrated plan and would be identified as a risk in the quarterly performance report for Social Services.       

            RESOLVED:

That the Committee welcomes the progress made within the Key Partnership Project.