Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor T Jay.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 24^th January 2023 were approved as a correct record.

(Moved by Councillor J Jones and seconded by Councillor S Smith)

There were no Declarations of Interest.

The Chair updated the meeting on the information received in response to a Committee member’s enquiry about the breast screening unit and its location.  He reported that:

·         The unit which had been located at the Sir Robert Peel Hospital was a mobile unit which toured around several locations and was generally static at each location for 4-6 months.

·         There was a three-year rolling programme.

·         Whilst at the location invitations were sent out to eligible persons approximately three weeks before the appointment time.

·         If people turn of age whilst the van was not located in Tamworth, they could self-refer to any of the mobile sites, Burton Hospital or Derby Hospital.

·         If any person developed any symptoms or discovered anything of concern then they should contact their GP who could make a 2-week wait referral (urgent referral) which could be conducted at either Burton or Derby.

The Chair agreed to circulate further website links for members information and for sharing with constituents.

(Update on responses to the Reports of the Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee)

None.

(Discussion item)

No new items.

(To receive the Digest from Staffordshire County Council’s Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and an update from County Councillor T Jay)

The Committee received an update on health-related matters considered by Staffordshire County Council’s Health and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The Chair provided an overview of the matters discussed at the 30 January 2023 County meeting which included an update on:

(i)            The Integrated Care Partnership Strategy

(ii)          Inpatient mental health services previously provided by the George Bryan Centre

(iii)         Developing Integrated Care Hubs

(iv)         Developing Healthier Communities where the County Committee had requested that all Districts / Boroughs consider the report’s recommendations in the context of their own organisation.  The Committee discussed this further under the work plan item.

The Chair reported that there had been a further County meeting on 13 February 2023 and he reminded members that a recording of the meeting could be viewed and the meeting discussed:

(i)            Mental Health and Mental Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2028

(ii)          An update on Mental health Support Teams in Schools

(iii)         Childrens Mental Health Update

(Report of the Assistant Director, Partnerships)

The Chair reported that following the overview of the Housing Strategy which was received by this Committee in July 2022, the Committee requested regular reporting on actions and relevant data as they relate to health and wellbeing of Tamworth communities, and the Assistant Director, Partnerships had provided the first of these reports to update the Committee on actions and emerging datasets within the Housing Strategy which directly impact on health and wellbeing of Tamworth communities.

The Assistant Director, Partnerships highlighted the following in terms of each Priority:

1.    Priority 1 – Enable the provision of sufficient new homes to meet the needs of the existing population and those attracted to the area for work; ensuring a range of provision to reflect both need and aspiration

An overview of the Affordable Housing requirements was provided as well as the recent figures delivered.  It was reported that the First Homes discount was secured through a planning obligation in perpetuity.

2.    Priority 2 – Make best use of existing housing and related assets

At a Staffordshire level the high level of fuel poverty and homelessness had been identified in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment as an area where residents’ quality of lives could be improved and the Assistant Director provided an overview of the strategies used by the council to address this and to support residents remaining in their own homes.  These included the commissioning (in partnership with Staffordshire County Council) of Beat the Cold to provide HEAT (Home Energy Advice Tamworth) and work with Staffordshire Warmer Homes related to energy efficiency solutions and including Green Homes funding in Tamworth where it was reported that there had been 63 requests leading to 36 installations.  Other areas included the Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) fund and work related to Housing of Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing, data related to damp and mould (in terms of council owned properties)

3.    Priority 3 – Ensure housing plays a key role in delivering Tamworth’s response to Climate Change

The Net Zero Carbon Baseline Report which had been considered by the Infrastructure Safety & Growth Scrutiny Committee prior to Cabinet consideration in Autumn 2022 which set out that an action plan would be produced by 31 December 2024.  A further initiative was highlighted, ECO4 Flex, which aimed to help certain households in energy inefficient housing (who were not in receipt of means tested benefits) to access funding to improve the property’s energy efficiency. The eligibility criteria included household income of under £31,000, meeting certain qualifying criteria, NHS referrals and bespoke targeting. Future reports would include data in this area.

4.    Priority 4 – Ensure everyone who lives or works in Tamworth has access to appropriate housing that promotes wellbeing

The Council commissions Citizens Advice Mid Mercia (operating as Tamworth Advice Centre) to deliver an inclusive financial wellbeing and general advice service to support the health and wellbeing of local people through effective advice.  In addition the Council’s Homelessness and Rough sleeping strategy sets out the strategies to provide support in this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

(Report of the Assistant Director, Partnerships)

Report of the Assistant Director Partnerships in response to a workplan item of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee to provide information on how the Council interacted with voluntary and community groups who provided services in Tamworth around substance misuse, addiction, loneliness and social isolation.

The Committee sought and received clarifications in the following areas:

1.    The Committee welcomed the information contained on the voluntary sector organisations and requested any data on referrals from council staff into these services to better understand the demand and take up for these services form Tamworth residents.  The Assistant Director reported that further data could be provided from organisations which we commissioned, such as Betterway, which would not necessarily be limited to referrals from council officers.  

2.    The Committee requested that every two years there was an all members seminar session to which voluntary organisations were invited to share their work which would be face to face event, and in the intervening years, there was online training from Officers for members to ensure that there was an overview of the work of the voluntary sector partner’s work in Tamworth.

3.    Where to find access to the most up to date information on voluntary sector organisations operating locally, where the Assistant Director reported that Support Staffordshire provided details via its Staffordshire Connects portal to voluntary sector organisations locally.  This was a public searchable database of contact details for voluntary sector organisations.  It was agreed that a link to this be circulated to all councillors to ensure that there was access to the most up to date information on services delivered locally.

4.    How to support those without access to social media, where the Assistant Director agreed that this area was supported by our anchor organisations and included the loneliness helpline which CT CIC run.

5.    When the data to develop the Wellbeing Strategy, the Voluntary Sector Strategy and the Voluntary Sector Commissioning Strategy was expected to be available.  The Assistant Director reported that this data was expected to be available by the end of March 2023.  From that the Strategies would be developed.  The Committee requested a timeline for when the Strategies would be delivered to help support the Committee’s work load planning, which the Assistant Director agreed to come back with. The Assistant Director agreed to provide the links to the upcoming stakeholder event being undertaken by CT CIC for members to engage with as appropriate.

Please see the link to the Forward Plan:

Browse plans - Cabinet, 2023 :: Tamworth Borough Council

The Chair agreed that he would discuss the Community Safety Partnership Plan item on the Forward Plan with the Chair of Infrastructure Safety & Growth Scrutiny Committee, as this was identified for consideration by that scrutiny committee.

To receive any working group updates

There were no working group updates.

To consider the Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee work plan.

The Committee considered the Work Plan and updated it as follows:

Health & Wellbeing Scrutiny Work Plan