Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, and introductions were given.

Cllr Rose substituted for Cllr Reed, and Darren Chaplin substituted for Ann-Marie Matson.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests and personal or personal and prejudicial interests.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board, held on 26 September 2022, be approved as a correct record.

Update on the NHS Phase 3 Recovery Plan by the Chief Operating Officer, North Lincolnshire CCG

The Director: Governance and Communities confirmed that the Forward Plan was up to date, and that all forthcoming actions were timetabled.  Board members were asked to feed through any additional business for inclusion on the Forward Plan.

There were no questions from members of the public.

The North Lincolnshire NHS Place Director provided an update to the Health and Wellbeing Board on the current progress on the development of the Integrated Care System (ICS) and Place based partnership arrangements.  It was confirmed that this update built upon previous briefings to the Board, and that the Integrated Care Board of the ICS had now considered a plans to develop and mature the current operating arrangements over the course of 2022/23. Places would also be undertaking further work to develop their operating arrangements and ambition for delegation readiness for the 2023/24 operating year.

The Board discussed the issue in some depth, highlighting the need to plan and deliver professional and quality workforce at the Place level.  The Board also emphasised its long-standing belief that the Integrated Care Board needed to ensure that robust arrangements were put in place, at the Place level, to ensure that services, planning, and workforce were retained in North Lincolnshire as far as possible.

The Board also highlighted the need for funding to also follow the above Place-based arrangements, ensuring that there can be local delivery of the priorities agreed by the Integrated Care Board, as influenced by the Places.

The Board also discussed the need to utilise the new arrangements to promote integration, where that made sense, and to ensure that services were embedded in communities and neighbourhoods.

Resolved – (a) That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the progress on the Place Partnership and the update on the development of the Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care System; and (b) that a further report on workforce planning be submitted to the next meeting of the Board. 

The Director: Adults and Health submitted a report seeking to facilitate a discussion with the Health and Well Being Board partners on workforce, and to consider a future framework to enable the workforce to be highly skilled, compassionate and caring, a workforce who feel engaged, understood, and valued for their work and the vital impact that they have on people’s lives.  The report also sought to ensure workforce planning is inclusive of all future care and health needs.

The report set out how improving the integration of health and social care systems was of particular emphasis within the Health & Care Act?and Integration White Papers, and how a collective challenge across health and social care was making the best use of resources to ensure there is enough workforce with the right skills and values in the right place to meet people’s health and care needs. A range of ‘drivers for change’ were set out and described, and a potential approach to purposefully shape and transform the future workforce was proposed.

The Board discussed the report, highlighting how intelligence on the likely future required workforce was utilised, and how more flexible approaches to learning could facilitate a trained workforce.  Options for liaising closer with the University of Lincoln and other educational establishments were discussed.

Resolved – (a) That the Health and Wellbeing Board support the recommended framework through the Care and Health Workforce Partnership to provide a better integrated workforce offer for those working with vulnerable people; and (b) that the Director of Public Health explore options to formalise and build upon existing relationships with educational establishments in the area in order to facilitate the desired outcomes.

The Director of Public Health and the North Lincolnshire NHS Place Director tabled a joint report on the Seasonal Vaccination Programme, which aimed to update Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) members on measures which are being undertaken to help maintain residents’ health and wellbeing over the winter season.  In particular, the report covered (i) COVID-19 seasonal booster (autumn booster) programme, (ii) winter influenza (flu) programme and update on Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and (iii) measures which are being undertaken to support residents keeping warm over winter.

The paper set out detailed explanations of ongoing work on each of these three areas, in order to protect local people, and to comply with guidance from NHS England.  The Director of Public Health set out timescales for various workstreams, and described how efforts to boost communication with the public were underway.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the work being which is being undertaken to help maintain residents’ health and wellbeing over the winter season.

The North Lincolnshire NHS Place Director submitted a report updating the Board on the actions taken by the North Lincolnshire system ahead of Winter 2022.

The report described a number of expectations that had been set by NHS England (NHSE) to ensure system resilience and quality of service, but which also recognised the improvements in elective activity whilst highlighting the urgent and emergency care pressures over the summer and the need to ensure resilience going into the winter period. All Integrated Care Boards were required to meet various objectives alongside the elective recovery plan. 

The Place Director’s report confirmed that the local system, and particularly the acute sector, was under significant pressure.  The report set out the steps that had been taken to reduce this pressure and to reduce risk.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note (i) the plans in place to address winter pressures, (ii) the positive work that had been done across the partnership to support this, and (iii) how we collectively work together to support our local system through winter. 

The Director: Children & Families submitted a report on the Integrated Children’s Trust (ICT), which sought to (i) reiterate the role and remit of the ICT, (ii) articulate the progress made against the Children’s Commissioning Strategy 2020/24 ‘Shine a Light’ areas of focus, and (iii) clarify the progress to date to refresh the Children’s Commissioning Strategy in the context of the Place Partnership and the underpinning Health and Care Integration Plan.

The Director’s report explained how the ICT had been established in January 2020, as the singular vehicle for developing an integrated approach and commissioning intent in relation to health, social care and education for children, young people and families.  The report also stated that the ICT has a key role in the oversight, line of sight and development of all services for children, young people and families including those commissioned and or directly provided.  Further details, including the One Family Approach, were set out in the report.

The Board discussed the update, highlighting opportunities to tie the ICT’s work into the wider development and integration agenda.

Resolved - That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the ICT progress and developments to date, and acknowledge the direction of travel regarding the refresh of the Children’s Commissioning Strategy in the context of the Health and Care Integration Plan.

The Director: Children and Families submitted the annual Children’s Multi-Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (CMARS) Board’s report 2021/22.  The report asked the Board to note publication, which included details of local arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people 2021/22, and to consider the review in relation to planning, commissioning and budget setting. 

The Annual Report demonstrated that the CMARS Board (i) effectively met its statutory obligations, (ii) benefitted from strong and consistent leadership, (iii) had made good progress against its ‘Shine a Light’ areas of focus, and (iv) listened to and took account of the voices of children, young people and families.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board receive the Annual Report of Local Arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people 2021/22 and consider this where relevant in relation to planning, commissioning and budgets setting processes. 

The Director of Public Health submitted a report which sought to update the Health and Wellbeing Board on recently-completed  Joint Strategic Needs Assessment products and to recommend a forward plan for new products.

The Director’s report explained how a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) was a statutory, systematic method for reviewing the health and wellbeing needs of a population, leading to agreed commissioning priorities that will improve the health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce inequalities. Local authorities and clinical commissioning groups (now health and care partnerships) had equal and joint duties to prepare JSNAs, through the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

An update on the various workstreams, products and forward plan was provided by the Director.

Resolved – That the Health and Wellbeing Board note the progress within the forward plan and delegate autonomy to the relevant Consultant for Public Health to make operational decisions about the scheduling of the forward plan, which may include re-priortisation based on emerging needs. 

The Deputy Chief Executive provided a verbal update on the ongoing UK Covid-19 Inquiry, stating that the local authority’s responsibilities and participation were being co-ordinated via the Local Government Association.  Other details were submitted.

Resolved – That the update be noted.

The Director of Governance and Communities confirmed that the date and time of the next meeting of the Board would be confirmed in due course.

It was confirmed that the deadline for submission to the Better Care Fund Adult Social Care Discharge Fund 2022/23 may fall prior to the next meeting of the Board.  It was requested that necessary governance arrangements be put in place to allow for this.

Resolved – That the Director: Governance and Communities take appropriate steps to ensure that the relevant documents can be submitted within required timescales, if required.