DAWN (Darlington Aging Well Network)
5th October 2016Studio Room – Dolphin Centre
10:30am – 12:30pm
Present:CllrVeronica Copeland – DBC - Chair
Betty D. Hoy – GOLD
Jane Parsons – Carer
Lisa Holdsworth – Darlington Borough Council
Dr Andrea Jones – Darlington CCG – Guest Speaker
James Stroyan – Darlington Borough Council – Guest Speaker
Dawn Gill – Darlington Citizens Advice Bureau
Rachel Osbaldeston – Public Health
Jenny Leeming - Alzheimer’s Society
Frank White – Healthwatch
Diane Lax - Healthwatch
Jemma Holt – Healthwatch (Minutes)
Apologies: Jo Cole – Neurological Alliance
Kate Burnett – Alzheimer’s Society
Abdul Jaleel – HWD
Sheila Crosby – HWD
Suzanne Joyner – DBC
Sheila Crawford - DAD
Vicki Pattison – DBC
Sarah Parker - DBC
Action By / Target Date- WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
2.MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING AND ACTION POINTS
2.1Agreed
3.DECLARATION OF INTEREST
None.
4.HEALTHWATCHUPDATE
4.1HWD informed the group about Darlington Borough Councils (DBC) Home Care and Support Adult Social Care Consultation which currently open for feedback until 12th October 2016. JH will circulate the consultation via the network.
4.2HWD have made a request to DBC under the Freedom of Information Act,for information regarding the length of time it takes for a Care Assessment to be completed. This is following on from reports nationally that some areas are taking up to 90 days to complete a Care Assessment.
4.3HWD have completed the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Consultation report following on from the engagement work that took place earlier in the year. RO from Public Health will be invited to the next DAWN network meeting to discuss the findings.
4.4HWD Youthwatch project have been taking on the task of ‘Mystery Shopping’ in local pharmacies recently. An area that was highlighted throughout mystery shopping was the lack of information available in the pharmacies about the sexual health services in Darlington.
4.5HWD maybe working to help promote ‘Stop Smoking’ servicesin Darlington in the future.
4.6HWD updated the group about the Care Connect service which delivers a home from hospital service. The service is able to offer support to individuals following on from discharge. Care Connect recently visited HWD to give an overview of the service to the BME Health Connectors. The Health Connecters will now be able to signpost individuals to the service. HWD will invite Care Connect to the next DAWN network meeting as a guest speaker. This was agreed following on from regular discussions that take place during the network meetings about hospital discharge and the support that is available. JH will circulate leaflets to the network.
4.7HWD are going to be doing some more work surrounding social care services in the future. There are plans to do some Enter & View visits into Care Homes. If anyone has any concerns about care homes in Darlington please contact HWD.
4.8JH updated the group that Neasham Road Surgery’s patient list is now closed until February 2017. HWD are collecting patient handbooks from each individual practice to ensure that all information given to the public is up to date. / JH
JH
5.GUEST SPEAKER – JAMES STROYAN - ASSITANT DIRECTOR ADULT SOCIAL CARE SERVICES - DBC
5.1James Stroyan is the new Assistant Director for Adult Social Care services in Darlington. James joined the network to speak about his new role and plans he has for the future.James delivered a presentation which will be circulated with minutes.
5.2Social Care services play a massive part into the contribution of economic growth. Fortunately people are living for longer thanks to the medical treatment now available. This ultimately does put pressures onto the health and social care service as more people become reliant on services to help manage health issue that occur in later life.
5.3For managing these pressures in the future the Care Act 2014 will be a key driver in the changes ahead. Care Assessments will help to identify this most appropriate care for each individual.
5.4James asked the group what do people think the future should be like, should there be more joined up service. What does ageing well mean for us in Darlington and how does ageing well fit with the direction of adult social care?
5.5Concerns were mentioned that there is lack of support for elderly individuals when it comes to maintenance in their own homes. HWD are happy to signpost information to people about services that could help but HWD need the feedback about these concerns in order to do this.
5.6DG from CAB asked how long does it take for a complex care assessment to be complete. There is no given timescale for a care assessment. Some take longer than others it depends on the needs of the person. Could there be advocacy support given to individuals when they are undertaking a care assessment?
5.7A new role for a Care Navigator is going too established within DBC. This new role will work within the community and work closely with services. They will signpost individuals to services and establish the correct pathways for individuals and their carers. / JH
6. GUEST SPEAKER – DR ANDREA JONES – DCCG - BETTER HEALTH PROGRAMME
6.1Dr Andrea Jones joined the network to discuss the better Health Programme and the engagement work that has been happening this year. AJ delivered a presentation which will be circulated with the minutes prior to the meeting.
6.2Due to pressures on health services there is a need for change. Funding won’t increase so changes need to be made to use resources effectively. This will mean that there will be specialist care teams based within certain Hospitals. Individuals may have to travel further for specialist care but this will mean that the care will be of a higher standard as care teams will be based all under one roof.
6.3AJ highlighted to the group that by 2020 there could be 30 million pound funding gap if services don’t change.
6.4The Better Health Programme have been engaging with members of the public, stakeholders and providers regarding possible changes through the year. Events have been held across Durham, Darlington and Tees Valley. Feedback has been gathered from individuals and will be used and taken into consideration prior to the formal consultation.
6.5Further engagement has been taking place and the voluntary sector has been involved. Voluntary sector organisations have been engaging with different groups of people such as carers and BME residents. Formal consultation will be taking place in 2017.
6.6A member of the group asked if GP practices will need to expand if they are going to deliver more services within the community. This lead AJ onto the Darlington Blue Print plans and what this will mean for services in the area.
6.7Darlington Blue Print will see ‘Virtual Care’ hubs formed which will mean GP practices aligning with each other and other services such as social care, mental health and the voluntary sector. Care records will need to be shared to help communication between services and this is a priority for the CCG. Urgent Care will be centralised which will provide better support to A&E and will help reduce pressures.
6.8There will be work done to help people self-manage conditions at home. This will mean better prevention and making us of online resources.
6.9A member of the group asked if more people can be cared for at home by family members. This could help to reduce the length of stay in Hospital. / JH
7.ANY OTHER BUSINESS
7.1Jenny Leeming from Alzheimer’s Society brought along new packs which contain information about the Dementia Hub. Packs will be distributed to GP practices and other venues across Darlington.
7.2The next meeting will be in January 2017. A possible date of 11th January has been agreed by the group but this needs to be confirmed by the Dolphin Centre. JH will be circulating dates soon.
8.DATE OF NEXT MEETING
8.111th January 2017, 10:00am-12:00pm, Studio Room, Dolphin Centre