Agenda item

To receive the draft Northumberland Inequalities Plan 2022 – 2023 and the proposals for system development and enablers, focused areas of action and short, medium and long term indicators of progress.

Members received the draft Northumberland Inequalities Plan 2022-32 and considered the proposals for system development and enablers, focused areas of action and short, medium and long-term indicators of progress.

Gill O’Neill, Interim Deputy Director of Public Health, gave a presentation and raised the following key points:-

·            The journey towards the development of the plan, including the Inequalities Summit in March 2022 and the 12 locality events during June-July 2022.

·            The Inequalities Summit and discussions which took place facilitated by Prof. Chris Bentley and the keynote speaker Cormac Russell.  Delegates from across the system sharing examples of best practice.

·            Key messages and priorities from the Summit

·            Improve our data and insights sharing

·            Upscale community centred approaches as our core delivery model

·            Align our organisations and resources (not just about funding.)

·            Look at everything through an inequalities lens

·            Three questions from Cormac Russell asking what communities do best, what help do they require and what do communities need outside agencies do for them?

·            Twelve Locality Conversations including understanding inequalities to be:  inclusion groups, socio-economic factors, geographical areas as well as protected characteristics.

·            Over 400 stakeholders were involved covering many areas including parish councils, fire & rescue, general practice, housing, VCSE, faith sector and volunteers.

·            Information had been collated and analysed to inform the plan and the next steps.  Each locality would have a newsletter.  A webinar of the event was created as a knowledge resource.  There was overwhelmingly positive feedback although it was noted that it would be building on existing good practice.

·            Northumberland Community Centred Approach to closing the inequalities gap would be based around five principles

·            Looking at everything through an inequalities lens.

·            Voice of residents and better data sharing.

·            Communities’ strengths are considered first.

·            Enhancing our services to ensure equity in access to opportunity.

·            Maximising our civic statutory level responsibilities

·            Detailed lists of challenges, key statistics, approach, actions, inputs, outputs & outcomes 2022-32 and indicators to measure success were provided.

·            All partners were requested to

·            take the plan into their own organisations and refresh their internal plans to incorporate the five themes of a three-year action plan.

·            Present to the Health & Wellbeing Board on an annual basis their continued commitment to the inequalities plan

·            Actively participate in the overview and scrutiny process on an annual basis to demonstrate progress against the inequalities plan.

Members welcomed the report and a number of comments were made:-

·            It was noted that further references to the involvement of the VCSE sector should be made in the report and this would be discussed outside the meeting.

·            It was planned to widen the membership of the Health & Wellbeing Board to include other organisations that were not necessarily health care related – eg business / private sector.

·            It was important the Board Members and their respective organisations committed to the Inequalities Plan.

·            It was hoped that life expectancy of Northumberland residents would increase as a result of the Inequalities Plan.

·            How would this work be followed up and built on to ensure there was meaningful activity for General Practice and community pharmacies?  The Public Health Team would be happy to work alongside practice to ensure the plan’s actions were real and tangible.

·            There would be different starting points for communities as they all had differing needs.  Neighbourhood communities would be built on over the next few years.

RESOLVED

(1)       the proposals for the shorter term supporting and enabling actions be agreed.

(2)       The proposed short, medium and long term indicators be agreed.

(3)       The levels of ambition and Board members’ contribution to the plan be agreed.

(4)       The mechanism to continue to the next stage and development the long term plan be agreed

(5)       Board partners will present the plan at a strategic level within their ow organisation for endorsement and agreement on their contribution,