9
ABERDEEN COMMUNITY HEALTH PARTNERSHIP COMMITTEE
Minute of Meeting
22 June 2011
Town House, Broad Street, Aberdeen
Present: Bill Howatson, Chairperson; and Councillors Donnelly and Robertson (Substituting for Councillor Cormack); Heather Kelman, Heather MacRae, Linda Smith, Fred McBride, Liz Taylor, Anne Anderson, Aileen Brown, Stuart Notman, Pamela Cornwallis, Donald Newnham, Ian Paterson, Sheila Stewart, Dr Stefan Geider and Dr Peter Kiehlmann.
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In Attendance: Julie Fletcher, Sandy Reid, Val Tweedie, Clive Matthews and Mark Masson (Clerk).
WELCOME AND APOLOGIES
1. The Chairperson opened the meeting by welcoming everyone present.
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Cormack and Kiddie; Andy Verreydt and Wheldon Houlsby
The Chairperson advised that Julie Fletcher would be replacing Heather Kelman on an interim basis as CHP General Manager for 20 months from July 2011 onwards, whilst Heather takes up her secondment position.
The Chairperson also regrettably advised that Dr. Stuart Watson would be leaving NHS Grampian on 12th July 2011 due to ill health. He suggested that he write to Stuart on behalf of the Committee thanking him for his contribution to the work of the Committee.
The Chairperson advised that on Friday, 10th June 2011, NHS Grampian Chairman Dr David Cameron and Councillor Martin Greig, Convener of the Grampian Joint Police Board, officially opened Whinhill Medical Centre which was a joint NHS medical practice and police station. He intimated that he and Councillors Cormack and Donnelly had also attended the ceremony.
The Committee resolved:-
(i) to note the information provided; and
(ii) that the Chairperson write to Dr. Stuart Watson thanking him for his contribution to the work of the Committee.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. The Chairperson asked Committee members whether they wished to declare an interest in relation to the items included on the agenda for consideration today.
There were no declarations of interest submitted.
MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING
3. The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 19 April, 2011.
The Committee resolved:-
to approve the minute subject to amending (1) the heading at Article 9(A) to read “Vulnerable Groups/People (Additional Needs)”; and (2) Article 7(B), paragraph 3 to read “Sandy Reid advised that a total of £2.738M had been made available for Aberdeen City”.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS STATEMENT
4. The Committee had before it for consideration, the Committee Business Statement updated following the meeting held on 19 April 2011.
(A) Alcoholism in Elderly People – Item 1 on the Statement
The Clerk advised that a report relating to this item was contained on the agenda for consideration. (Article 7(A) of this minute refers).
The Committee resolved:-
to remove this item from the Committee Business Statement.
(B) Reshaping Care for Older People – Item 2 and Change Fund – Item 5 on the Statement
The Clerk advised that a report relating to both items was contained on the agenda for consideration. (Article 6(A) of this minute refers).
The Committee resolved:-
to remove Item 5 from the Committee Business Statement.
(C) Total Place – Item 4 on the Statement
The Clerk advised that a report relating to this item was expected to be submitted to the Committee meeting on 16th November 2011.
The Committee resolved:-
to note the information provided.
(D) Public Health Forum – Review of Funding Allocations – Item 7 on the Statement
Linda Smith indicated that a report relating to this item would be submitted to the next meeting of the Committee.
The Committee resolved:-
to note that a report relating to this item would be submitted to the next business meeting of the Committee.
CHP COMMITTEE
5. (A) Draft Delivery Plan 2011/12
With reference to Article 9 of the minute of meeting of 16th February 2011, the Committee had before it the CHP Draft Delivery Plan for 2011/12 dated 13th June 2011.
The Committee resolved:-
to note the contents of the Delivery Plan 2011/12
(B) Audit Scotland Review of CHP Committees
The Committee had before it a report by Heather Kelman which outlined the key messages and recommendations from the Audit Scotland review of Community Health Partnerships.
The report (a) advised that the audit specifically examined whether CHP’s were achieving what they were set up to deliver, including their contribution to move care from hospital settings to the community, and improve the health and quality of life of local people; (b) indicated that it also examined the governance and accountability arrangements in place within CHP’s and whether or not resources were being used efficiently; (c) explained that the audit collected data from all CHP’s in Scotland and in addition reviewed different aspects of joint working between health and social care in 6 CHP’s; (d) revealed that the audit report listed 12 recommendations (four for the Scottish Government and eight for NHS Boards and councils), none of which was contradictory to the work undertaken by the CHP Committee; (e) stated that the audit report provided an overview of the varied arrangements for CHP’s across Scotland and highlighted some of the challenges facing CHP’s; and (f) appended the Audit Scotland Review.
The audit report recommended that the Scottish Government, NHS Boards and Councils work together to improve the ability of CHP’s to meet the significant challenges CHP’s were created to address. It was anticipated that the Scottish Government would publish a response to the Audit Report at some point.
It was noted that NHS Grampian would also consider the report at a future Audit Committee meeting and had already requested an action plan from the CHP’s (working together) on how to address the recommendations.
The report recommended:-
that the Committee –
(a) Note the content of the Audit Report and reflect on the relevant issues for Aberdeen City CHP;
(b) Agree to work with NHS Grampian Board, Aberdeen City Council and the Scottish Government to implement any actions arising from the report;
(c) Delay the distribution of the discussion paper on Governance, Leadership and Management within Aberdeen City CHP until after the Scottish Government has responded to the Audit Report. (A copy of our Committee Paper has been shared with the policy lead for CHP’s with a request for guidance on when to issue the discussion paper).
Dr Kiehlmann made reference to a recent Scottish Government meeting with representatives from general practice which he had attended in Edinburgh at which consideration was given to the Audit Scotland Review report. He explained that three principles which were well received in terms of the Aberdeen CHP related to person centred care, specifically the work surrounding the pathway of care for elderly people; dialogue and joint working arrangements with the Social Care and Wellbeing Service and Health; and GP involvement through the work of the cluster groups.
The Committee resolved:-
(i) to approve the recommendations contained within the report and outlined above; and
(ii) to note that Heather Kelman would liaise with Kathleen Bessos, Policy Lead for CHP’s, Scottish Government to identify when the Government’s response to the Audit Scotland report would be made available for circulation.
(C) Aberdeen City CHP Committee Structures
The Committee noted that in terms of the agreement reached at Article 5(B) above, (Recommendation (c) refers), it was agreed that no further discussion on this matter was necessary at this time.
The Committee resolved:-
to delay consideration of the Aberdeen City CHP Structure until receipt of the Scottish Government response to the Audit Scotland Review of CHP Committees.
(D) Scottish Community Care Benchmarking Network
The Committee had before it correspondence from the Scottish Community Care Benchmarking Network (SCCBN) dated June 2011 issued to all CHP’s, which sought a continued subscription to the Network to enable them to continue to undertake benchmarking work.
The correspondence (a) advised that the Scottish Government had provided a further £20,000 subsidy and through careful stewardship of their funds, they have a balance to carry forward from last year; (b) explained that they still required to find approximately £35,000 to provide the benchmarking service and manage the Network, which means setting subscriptions at £1100 per Partnership, split 50/50 between the Local Authority and CHP which equated to £550 each; (c) indicated that calculated on the basis that all 32 Partnerships would continue to subscribe to the Network, this amount would allow the SCCBN to provide an enhanced benchmarking service; and (d) revealed that the subscription would recur on an annual basis and may vary according to the business plan and programme of work agreed by members.
The Committee resolved:-
to continue with the Scottish Community Care Benchmarking Network subscription at a cost of £550 (for the CHP) for the ensuing year.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES (AGEING POPULATION)
6. (A) Reshaping Care for Older People – Change Fund Update
With reference to Article 7 of the minute of the previous meeting of 19th April 2011, the Committee had before it a report by Sandy Reid relating to the Aberdeen City Partnership Change Fund.
The report (a) advised that at its last meeting, the Aberdeen City CHP Committee approved the proposed Implementation Plan, following which submissions were then openly and proactively sought to meet the agreed strategic priorities from across all parts of the Aberdeen Partnership; (b) indicated that these were considered by the Integrated Strategic Management Team (ISMT) at its meeting on 8th June 2011; (c) explained that The Aberdeen Partnership had made good progress in the implementation of the Change Fund; and (d) appended a summary of the bids considered by the ISMT.
Heather Kelman advised that a Communication Plan would be produced to include a regular newsletter and the development of a public accessible website to provide information and progress updates in terms of the work of the projects
The Committee resolved:-
that detailed information on the scope of the projects be circulated at the next formal meeting of the Committee.
ALCOHOL/DRUGS (SUBSTANCE MISUSE)
7. (A) Alcoholism in Elderly People
With reference to Article 8(A) of the minute of the previous meeting of 19th April 2011, the Committee had before it a report by Emmanuel Okpo, NHS Grampian which provided details in relation to alcohol abuse in older people.
The report (a) advised that alcohol misuse was a major public health problem in all age groups. However generally the consumption of alcohol tends to reduce with increasing age with older adults consuming less alcohol than young and middle aged people; (b) indicated that the exact number of elderly people engaging in problematic drinking in Grampian was unknown, however it could be expected that the numbers of elderly people who misuse alcohol would increase in line with the projected increase in the population of those aged 65 years and over; (c) provided information and statistics in relation to alcohol use disorders, drinking patterns in elderly, binge drinking, hazardous and harmful drinking, elderly dependent drinkers, the impact on health and general hospital admission figures; (d) explained that alcohol misuse remained a significant health problem in the elderly because factors associated with ageing puts the elderly at particular risk from harm and the recommended sensible drinking levels may in fact be harmful in this population group; (e) revealed that there was a need for accurate assessment of alcohol use in elderly which should include ongoing assessment and screening for people as they age by all health providers; and (f) advised that there was a need to provide more care and support for elderly people who may develop late onset alcohol problems which requires partnership work across a range of agencies including health, social services and the voluntary sector.
The Committee resolved:-
(i) that the report be submitted to the Aberdeen Drugs Partnership and Older People’s Consultation and Monitoring Group for consideration, requesting that any comments be submitted to the Committee;
(ii) to note that Dr Kiehlmann would liaise with cluster GP’s in terms of the Alcohol Brief Intervention Scheme, specifically with a request that GP’s target elderly people regarding their alcohol intake;
(iii) to request that the Integrated Strategic Management Team consider alcohol misuse in elderly people as part of the active ageing and wellbeing theme contained within the Change Fund.
CROSS CUTTING ISSUES (WHOLE POPULATION)
8. (A) Social Care and Wellbeing Business Plan
The Committee heard Fred McBride provide an update in relation to the Social Care and Wellbeing Service Business Plan.
Mr McBride advised that a positive event to launch the Business Plan was held on 10th May 2011. He explained that the plan was distributed as part of the consultation process and that a review of the action plan would be undertaken annually in consultation with health colleagues.
The Committee resolved:-
to note the information provided.
(B) Local Authority Trading Company
The Committee had before it a briefing paper by Fred McBride which provided details in relation to the Local Authority Trading Company.
The paper (a) advised that in February 2011, Aberdeen City Council agreed that the Social Care and Wellbeing Directorate should assess the feasibility of establishing a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) as a mechanism to enable the Council to achieve efficiencies while improving outcomes for vulnerable people; (b) indicated that an option appraisal had been completed which concluded that the LATC was a viable option; (c) revealed that the plan outlined how approximately 700 staff in Older People’s Services, Occupational therapy and rehabilitation, Learning disability and Learning and Development Services could transfer to the LATC with a service budget of approximately £27m; (d) outlined the benefits of the LATC including value for money, reduction in costs, the workforce securing a stake in their own future, flexible and adaptable services and improved services; and (e) explained that the LATC could be achieved over a ten month period commencing operation in April 2012.
Fred McBride advised that a report to approve the LATC would be submitted to full Council on 29th June 2011 for consideration.
The Committee resolved:-
to note the paper and the information provided.
(C) Community Planning Board
The Committee had before it a report by Heather Kelman which detailed the significant changes in the structures and processes which support community planning in Aberdeen City.