Agenda item

To receive an update on the work of the following:

·         Community Safety Partnership;

            Priority 1 – Enabling and empowering resilient communities

·         Healthwatch Wokingham Borough;

Priorities 1-4

·         Voluntary Sector;

·         Business, Skills and Enterprise Partnership;

·         Place and Community Partnership.

(25 mins)

The Board received an update on the work of the following Board members:

Community Safety Partnership:

·         Graham Ebers took the Board through the Community Safety Partnership update included in the agenda.

·         The Board was advised of joint partnership work around loneliness.

·         Clare Rebbeck commented that the Link visiting scheme had experienced difficulties around safeguarding for volunteers befriending those with mental health issues or early onset dementia.

Healthwatch Wokingham Borough:

·         Healthwatch had produced a report on how dementia friendly Suffolk Lodge was.  They had been invited back the next year to provide another check up.  This had also been promoted to other providers.

·         Healthwatch Wokingham Borough had sponsored the ‘Wellness in Wokingham’ event.  Anne-Marie Gawen from Brighter Berkshire commented that Brighter Berkshire was an initiative to reduce the stigma of mental health.  The ‘Wellness in Wokingham’ event had looked at mental health in a joined up way.  Anne-Marie stated that locally there was a lack of recovery services and mental health first aid.  She felt that there should be a recovery college in the Borough.

·         Nicola Strudley indicated that there had been an increase in comments regarding accessing GP appointments at Wokingham Medical Centre.  These had been escalated to the Care Quality Commission.

·         The report of the Enter and View at Prospect Park Hospital would be published in the near future.

Business, Skills and Enterprise Partnership:

·         Beverley Graves advised that it was her last Health and Wellbeing Board meeting.

·         The Business, Skills and Enterprise Partnership would be refreshed in the new year.  The Health and Wellbeing Strategy priorities would help the partnership structure.  Beverley Graves commented that the Partnership could help the Board deliver on the wellbeing agenda.

·         Councillor McGhee-Sumner, on behalf of the Board, thanked Beverley for her work and contribution.

Voluntary Sector:

·         Clare Rebbeck commented that the funding of the voluntary sector in Wokingham was generally quite stable and that there was a good number of volunteers.  However, as Wokingham was perceived as an affluent area it could be more difficult to attract funding. 

·         Clare Rebbeck had looked at the four key priorities and asked representative from the voluntary sector how they had delivered against them.  She referred the Board to a number of examples including from Brighter Berkshire, Home from Hospital from Age UK and Reading Football Community Trust.

·         Board members were asked to inform Clare if there were any topics that they wished Involve to raise via community awareness events or calls to action.

Place and Community Partnership:

·         Clare Rebbeck reminded the Board of a proposal from the Place and Community Partnership previously put forward in March 2017. 

·         It was proposed that from April 2018 partnership members pilot the participation in ‘one day a month’ of interactive activity online to promote awareness on a given subject and to promote opportunities and support available to enhance knowledge and wellbeing for residents.  The Health and Wellbeing Board would guide the Partnership on topics of interest and information about the Board’s role that they would like to be raised.  Board members would join in with the online activity where possible.

RESOLVED:  That the updates from Board members be noted.