Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were submitted from Jenny Cheng and Carl Doran.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 June 2021.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 14 June 2021 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of interest

There were no declarations of interest.

To answer any public questions

A period of 30 minutes will be allowed for members of the public to ask questions submitted under notice.

The Council welcomes questions from members of the public about the work of this committee.

Subject to meeting certain timescales, questions can relate to general issues concerned with the work of the Committee or an item which is on the Agenda for this meeting.  For full details of the procedure for submitting questions please contact the Democratic Services Section on the numbers given below or go to www.wokingham.gov.uk/publicquestions

There were no public questions.

To answer any member questions

There were no Member questions.

To receive an update on the priorities for Adult Social Care for 2021-22.

Councillor Margetts, the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adults Services, took the Committee through the Adult Social Care priorities for the forthcoming year.

During the discussion of this item, the following points were made:

·       Care and support Procurement Framework – this had been agreed and would ensure consistent and efficient contract management for the Council’s home care and Supported Living providers and also improved choice, quality and control for customers receiving the care.

·       Dementia Nursing Home - A new 80+ bed replacement care home in Toutley was planned to meet the demand for places for dementia patients in the Borough.  It was hoped that this would be ready by the end of 2023.

·       Review of Voluntary Care Sector (VCS) contracts and procurement exercise – this had been underway for some time but had been delayed by Covid.  It would provide longer term contracts to voluntary sector providers with key specifications of what was required of them.

·       Launch of the first voluntary sector hub - To provide a central hub in Wokingham for co-located VCS organisations to work from, providing residents with a single point of entry into the voluntary sector and direct access to services they offer.

·       Specialist Accommodation project (includes accommodation for LD and Mental health clients) - 10 new schemes for 46 residents would be provided over a 2-year period.

·       Launch of new Voluntary sector Mental Health Service (MIND) - To provide residents with low to medium level mental health needs through access to advice and support from MIND mental health charity.  This had been brought forward to help mitigate against the effects of Covid.  MIND Oxfordshire had been commissioned to provide the service.

·       Health and Wellbeing Strategy – Councillor Margetts explained that a joint Berkshire West Health and Wellbeing Strategy was being produced which identified health and wellbeing priorities for Wokingham, Reading and West Berkshire.  The Wokingham Borough Wellbeing Board was developing a Wokingham strategy which would sit beneath the joint strategy and focus on Wokingham specific actions and priorities.

·       Councillor Margetts highlighted several Public Health initiatives.

·       Adult Social Care (ASC) Pathway redesign and implementation – A redesign and restructure would support the delivery of the ASC strategy priority, prevent, delay and reduce demand into statutory services and improve outcomes for customers by helping them to maintain their independence.  Councillor Margetts highlighted the integrated ‘One Front Door.’

·       There would be a continued development and rollout of strength-based working across all teams.

·       Autism Strategy – the strategy would set out how the Council would support adults with autism across the Borough and their carers to live healthy, active, and independent lives.

·       The department had focused heavily on responding to Covid and as the pandemic continued this could impact on how far the department was able to deliver on its priorities.

·       A Member asked why a new dementia facility was being built in the Borough and how residents would benefit.  Councillor Margetts commented that the existing facility was in high demand, however it was ageing.  The strategy produced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To receive a report regarding the Health Scrutiny Arrangements across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System.

Councillor Margetts took the Committee through the report.

During the discussion of this item, the following points were made:

·       Government reforms planned to abolish Clinical Commissioning Groups and to replace them with Integrated Care Systems.

·       It was proposed that Wokingham join a Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee with Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Reading and West Berkshire councils.  Councillor Margetts indicated that he did not want to see scrutiny taken away from Wokingham.  However, if the Council did not join the Committee, it could still proceed, and Wokingham would then not have a voice on that Committee.  The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee would meet several times a year to scrutinise matters which specifically affected the whole BOB footprint.

·       A toolkit would be used to decide what would be considered by the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  Each Council would have an input into this and be required to sign off the toolkit.

·       The situation was currently in a state of flux as Surrey MPs and councillors had been lobbying that Frimley went into the Surrey ICS as opposed to the Berkshire East ICS.   Should Frimley Park go into the Surrey ICS it was possible that Berkshire West would withdraw from the BOB ICS and join Berkshire East in a Berkshire ICS.  A decision was awaited from the Secretary of State.

·       Members were reminded that the Council was the last of the Councils to sign up to the joint committee.  Matt Pope commented that if agreed by the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee the proposal to join the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be presented to Council on 22 July.  He suggested that should the ICS boundaries be amended that the situation be reviewed.

·       In response to a Member question it was clarified the formulation of a joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee was required to be agreed by Full Council.

·       Some Members were concerned that local scrutiny would be diluted.  Members were reminded of the toolkit that would determine what items would be taken to the joint Committee.

·       Councillor Margetts indicated that he had agreed with his counterparts in Reading and West Berkshire that pre meetings would be held to ensure a Berkshire West standpoint.

·       The Clerk clarified that Committee members could not be members of the Executive or Audit Committee members.  Membership would be politically balanced; one Conservative and one Liberal Democrat.

·       In response a Member question regarding whether Frimley Park remained joined up with Wexham Park, Councillor Cunnington indicated that Wexham Park was still part of the Frimley arrangements. Whilst it was on the Buckinghamshire border, it was still some distance from the Borough.

·       Members discussed the involvement of Healthwatch with the Committee.

RESOLVED:  That the Committee:

1)    supports the proposal for a joint health overview and scrutiny committee to consider heath issues at the NHS Integrated Care System (ICS) level across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire;

2)    recommends that Full Council delegate scrutiny of health issues at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

To receive an update on the work of Healthwatch Wokingham Borough.

The Chairman informed the Committee that the Healthwatch representatives were unable to attend the meeting.  Members were asked to send any questions they had regarding the report to the clerk.  Members praised the work undertaken by Healthwatch.

To consider the forward for the remainder of the 2021-22 municipal year.

The Committee considered the forward programme for the remainder of the municipal year.

During the discussion of this item, the following points were made:

·       The Chairman would be meeting the Director Adult Social Care and the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Services, to further discuss priorities of the year.  She suggested that the Committee consider the Autism Strategy at its January or March meetings.

RESOLVED:  That the forward programme be noted.