Agenda item

To receive an update on progress on actions within Northumberland Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018-28 Empowering People and Communities Theme and propose amendments to priorities, actions, and indicators to measure progress for the remaining period of the strategy 2023-28

Members received an update on progress on actions within Northumberland Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2018-28 Empowering People and Communities Theme and propose amendments to priorities, actions, and indicators to measure progress for the remaining period of the strategy 2023-28.  The report was presented by Karen McCabe, Senior Public Health Manager (Inequalities).   (A copy of the report and presentation is filed with the signed minutes.)

The following key points were raised:-

•       The theme currently aimed to ensure that ‘people and communities in Northumberland are listened to, involved and supported to maximise their wellbeing and health.

•       Priority areas

•       Ensure that partners, providers, practitioners and the systems they work in promote and encompass a ‘more than medicine’ approach.

•       Provide people and communities with access to networks and activities which will support good health and resilience.

•       Support people to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to be active partners in managing and understanding their own health and healthcare.

•       During the summer a number of workshops had been held bringing together colleagues.  Information had been gathered and was being presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board for discussion.

•       Mid-term progress for national indicators aligned to this theme

•       In comparison for 2018/19, national indicators for 2021/22 showed a worsening position in Northumberland for a number of indicators, however when compared to both the North East and England averages they were not doing as badly.

•       It was noted that 2021/22 was the time when we were emerging from the Covid pandemic, lock down and social isolation and as such was a time when people were feeling less in control and empowered.  Also, the data did not provide granular level detail and masked variance and differences in inequalities across Northumberland’s population.  Collection of data was potentially limited by digital access and literacy levels.

•       Ambition – to move away from culture of preventing illness to promoting wellness. And from a culture of ‘doing to’ people to a culture of ‘doing with’.  More than Medicine approach and five areas for action.

•       Reflections – where Northumberland is now

•       Creating conditions necessary to foster ‘at scale’ transformation and a system wide culture shift towards community-centred, strengths-based approaches.

•       Long-term commitment and trust between partners, ourselves and voluntary sector and development of different ways of working. An example of an enabler which had come into play was the Northumberland Inequalities Plan and County Plan

•       Measuring success – there were multiple systems of data collection and data sets making comparisons at scale difficult.  Progress was being made in this area.

•       Active, not passive language.

•       Landscape, Terminology and Language

•       Desired outcome – All communities in Northumberland are heard, understood, and empowered and have an active role in optimising their wellbeing and health.

•       Principles –

•   Take a strengths-based approach

•   Working collaboratively

•       Priority Areas

•       Work collaboratively to remove barriers, promote and mobilise a local, holistic, whole person approach

•       Equity of access to opportunities supporting resilience, belonging and connectivity

•       Enable development of knowledge skills and confidence to understand health and are choices and their consequences.

•       Lived experience central within policy development and practice.

•       What are we going to do?

•       Be resilient, be inclusive, be community-based, be consistent, be open and made every door ‘the right door’.

•       All partners within the Health & Wellbeing Board and partners across the system had inequality plans and community centred approaches.  It was strongly felt that empowering local communities should not be diluted and should be strengthened. 

•       It was hoped that the other three themes of the JHWS would also take on this approach and work with leads of the other themes and look at metrics within those themes that linked to the healthy life expectancy and inequality take forward and help people deliver within the Empowering People and Communities approach.

A number of comments were made, including:

•       It was important to get the narrative regarding care homes right and not to imply that they were ‘bad’.  There was an increasingly aging population in Northumberland and living in a care home could be transformative for many. 

•       This was acknowledged and the aim was to try and reduce demand to ensure that there was space available for those who really needed them.  There was a tipping point between when it was better for an elderly person to remain in their own home or move to the supportive environment provided by a care home.

•       There were some issues within the domiciliary care sector as it was difficult to meet needs so some were going into care homes.  Attempts were being made to grow that workforce.  This also affected hospital discharges as there was not the support in place to care for a person in their own home.  Care homes were often used as an interim measure, however, there was the risk of a person becoming institutionalised. 

RESOLVED that the proposed amendments outlined in the report be approved.