Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the 2018-19 municipal year.

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Bill Soane be elected Chairman for the 2018-19 municipal year.

To appoint a Vice Chairman for the 2018-19 municipal year.

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Kate Haines be appointed Vice Chairman for the 2018-19 municipal year.

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were submitted from Councillors Parry Batth, Kate Haines and Clive Jones and also Nicola Strudley.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 7 March 2018.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 7 March 2018 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 Children's Emotional and Mental Health services (30 mins)

The Committee received an update on Children’s Emotional and Mental Health Services.  Members of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee had also been invited to hear the update.

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

·         Sally Murray informed Members that Future in Mind – promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, the report of the government's Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce, had been launched in March 2015.  Future in Mind had provided a structure for planned changes in Berkshire West.  There had been a move away from the tiering of services and an increased focus on prevention and early intervention.

·         Hayley Rees informed the Committee that a draft emotional and mental health strategy had been produced which would run from 2018 to 2021.  The strategy was focused on universal and early help.

·         The strategy had been broken down into four priority areas; Better intelligence to aid and improve decision making; Support for schools and additional universal settings; Early identification and self-help and Improving Access.  Agreed in principle, this was going through the consultation period.  Engagement with the CCG and Voluntary Sector was being carried out and feedback was being sought from schools.

·         A redesign of the Primary Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (PCAMHS) had been proposed following review.  Members were informed that the proposal brought together the early help offers in the Local Authority, Voluntary Sector and the commissioned Mental Health Service, front-loading specialist expertise early in the pathways.  In addition the proposed model would look to bring referrals for the service through the Local Authority front door to be triaged at a multi-agency triage meeting attended by statutory, voluntary and health partners.  This hub would be an expansion of the existing Early Help Hub.  Triage meetings would be held on a weekly basis.

·         Louise Noble indicated that Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) were commissioned to deliver a range of emotional wellbeing and mental health services to children within the Borough. 

·         BHFT provided a Primary Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS).  It also provided Community Specialist CAMHS, support, advice, guidance and treatment for those up to 18 years old who had moderate/severe mental health difficulties and whose symptoms had a significant impact on their day to day lives.

·         The Community Specialist CAMHS was made up of:

o   Children Young People Families Health Hub (CAMHS Common Point of Entry)

o   CAMHS Rapid Response Team

o   Autism Assessment Team

o   ADHD Pathway

o   Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Service for Anxiety and Depression

o   Community Eating Disorders Service

o   Community Early Intervention Psychosis Service

o   Locality Specialist Community Team for young people with more complex difficulties.

·         In response to a question from Councillor Soane, Louise Noble clarified that self-harm was not a mental illness in itself but a behaviour.

·         Members were reminded that not all young people who needed support from the crisis response team had an acute mental illness.  Determining the appropriate response was vital.

·         With  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive an update on Air Quality and Health. (20 mins)

Members were updated on Air Quality and health in the Borough.

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

·         The Committee had been updated on air quality in the Borough in 2015 following the publication in 2014 of a report by Public Health England (PHE), ‘Estimating Local Mortality Burdens associated with Particulate Air Pollution’ which demonstrated that long term exposure to particulate air pollution contributed to deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.

·         Pollution came from a number of sources.  The key pollutants included particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen based compounds.

·         Julie Hotchkiss highlighted a table detailing the fraction of mortality attributable to Particulate (PM2.5) air pollution for Berkshire authorities, the South East and England.  5.6% of deaths in Wokingham in 2016 had been attributable to PM2.5. The trend in this fraction since 2010 had remained consistent.  The trend in the number of deaths attributable to particulate pollution over the last 5 years had decreased although particulate pollution levels had not decreased.  The total number of deaths from the principal causes such as heart attacks was decreasing.

·         Members were reminded that early preventable deaths referred to preventable deaths in under 75’s.

·         Julie Hotchkiss went on to highlight the mortality rates attributable to major preventable causes in 2015.  In Wokingham the premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 was 11.2 (mortality rate per 100,000) compared to 11.7 for the South East.

·         PM air pollution had an attributable impact on respiratory and cardiovascular disease.  The negative health effects of air pollution and health conditions were discussed.  It was noted that the percentage of attributable risk due to ambient particulate matter pollution for lower respiratory infections in children under 5 was 22%.

·         Members noted inequalities in the health impacts of pollution.  Some groups such as the very young, elderly and those who were pregnant or who suffered from long term conditions, could be more greatly affected.

·         Suzanne McLaughlin updated the Committee on air quality management.  The Local Authority was responsible for determining the causes of pollution within the Borough.  DEFRA had agreed with recently submitted findings.

·         The major source of air pollutants in the Borough was road transport, and in particular the contribution from the M4 had been identified as significant. 

·         The main area of concern was nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and three Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) had been declared for exceedances of the annual mean NO2 objective.  These were located in Twyford Crossroads, Wokingham Town Centre and along and 60m either side of the M4 throughout the Borough.  An action plan had been produced to progress Twyford Crossroads and Wokingham Town Centre in particular.

·         An air quality monitoring programme was in place which was reviewed annually.  Nitrogen dioxide monitoring was undertaken at 42 sites.  Known hotspots and locations close to exceeding the Air Quality Objective levels were monitored.

·         Councillor Soane questioned whether the effects of pollution would worsen should smart motorways be introduced as traffic would be brought closer to the roadside.  Suzanne McLaughlin commented that one of the benefits of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive the Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Annual Report. (15 mins)

The Committee received the Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Annual Report 2017-18.

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

·         Members were informed that the results of the contract tender were expected shortly.

·         Jim Stockley highlighted key pieces of work undertaken throughout the year including the visit to Prospect Park with other Healthwatches.  Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had acknowledged the visit and set up an ongoing clinical review in response.

·         The Council had asked Healthwatch to produce a GP Carers Toolkit for use by GPs to help identify carers.  It was hoped that take up of this would increase.

·         With regards to Healthwatch’s visits to the three existing extra care facilities in the Borough, it was noted that all six of the recommendations had been considered by Optalis and actions had been taken to ensure that each one was addressed.

·         74 visits had been carried out during the year.  Jim Stockley emphasised the good work undertaken by the 40 volunteers.  Volunteers with mobility issues and sight impairment had helped to go around the Wokingham town centre as part of the regeneration project to identify potential issues for those with disabilities. 

RESOLVED:  That

1)         the Healthwatch Wokingham Borough Annual Report 2017-18 be noted.

2)         Jim Stockley be thanked for his presentation.

To receive the forward programme for the remainder of the municipal year. (5 mins)

The Committee considered the forward programme.

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

·         Members would be sent the air quality monitoring data for Q1 for Wokingham Town Centre when available, for information.

·         Following discussions the Committee felt that it would be useful to receive an update on the Thames Valley surgery eligibility policy.

·         Councillor Croy asked to be kept updated on which officer or committee would consider the Committee’s recommendation regarding electric car charging points.

RESOLVED:  That the forward programme be noted.