Agenda and minutes

This was received from Simon Bowkett with Amanda Kilroy deputising, Gillian Champion, Tim Golby, Dr Virginia Pearson with Sarah Gibbs deputising.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2017 were taken as read and signed by the Chair as correct.

Dawn Rivers updated the Board on progress with Wellbeing Exeter pilot and the two main elements of community connectors operating in conjunction with GP surgeries, funded by the New Devon CCG and Devon County Council and the community builders funded via Exeter City Council Community Infrastructure Levy monies from April 2018. Both parts of the scheme were to be rolled out across the City as part of the Wellbeing Exeter programme. Wellbeing Exeter had been shortlisted for a National Health Service Journal award.

Sarah Gibbs suggested broadening out the access to self-referral. Jo Yelland highlighted the importance of being clear about the purposes of social prescribing as it meant lots of different things to different people. The Wellbeing Exeter model had a clear purpose to reduce future demand on statutory services and the evaluation was really clear that GP’s were identifying hard to reach individuals who would not self-refer. As the pilot moved into mainstreaming then the steering group would be looking at digital self-help resources as an underpinning platform and would keep under review other referral routes as more is leant about impact and outcomes.

RESOLVED that the position be noted.

Julian Tagg spoke on the background to and work of the City Community Trust, formerly the Exeter City Football in the Community, which had been rebranded to reflect its wider focus to involve more organisations across the city and embrace different social initiatives. It was no longer purely a football based initiative. Its work complemented that of Active Devon and Active Exeter and it was involved in the Exeter and Cranbrook bid to be a Sport England Local Delivery Pilot. A key area was involving young people from all backgrounds and there were currently over a 100 courses in sports participation. Julian Tagg described the successful delivery of the National Citizenship project that the City Community Trust were delivering to young people in Devon.

Members agreed that the City Community Trust was a valuable delivery partner of the Health Board. 

Request from Exeter City Council Executive to share the Task and Finish Group report with the Health Board.

The Chair presented the report of the City Council’s Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group that had concluded its findings and reported to the People Scrutiny Committee in March 2017. It had been recommended that the report be submitted to this Board for information.

Councillor Morse, a Member of the Task and Finish Group, enlarged on its findings and recommendations. She referred to the involvement of the Exeter Dementia Action Alliance in this work and to a visit from representatives of the Alzheimer’s Society who had praised the City Council’s Customer Services in the steps taken to become more dementia friendly. The City Council was now a member of the Alliance and, in addition to encouraging external organisations to join, there remained a number of areas where the Council itself could further improve. Sarah Gibbs welcomed the Council’s work and recommended liaison with a Honiton based scheme (contact Heather Penwarden) involving support for the elderly via the scouts and guides etc. Amanda Kirby also referred to possible input via Active Heath Science and the Design Council.

RESOLVED that the Chair and Jo Yelland examine areas that might require expansion, updating and improving within the City Council’s Alliance Action Plan.

Jo Yelland reported that the Exeter/Cranbrook bid to become a Sport England Local Delivery Partner, one of 118 submitted, was amongst the 19 shortlisted to progress to Stage 2. This submission had been made on 11 September and a further assessment would take place on 4 October. James Bogue from Active Devon was taking a lead role in this work. An on-site assessment would take place on 4 October, the results likely to be announced in December.

The bid was promulgated on meeting the challenges of a City facing rapid growth in population and economy but with widening inequality and pockets of deprivation with an understanding that changing behaviour was key to resolving the challenges. The aspirational vision was now to make Exeter the most active city in England and for Cranbrook to be a Healthy New Town with families active together. Goals were to narrow stubborn health inequalities by getting 10,000 previously inactive people living in the most challenged communities moving more and reducing congestion and improving air quality through more people walking and cyclingin their daily lives.

It was noted that this work would also feed into a future Sports Strategy for the City.

RESOLVED that the position be noted.

Dawn Rivers reported on progress with Sugar Smart Exeter delivered in conjunction with the Exeter Food Network (to be renamed Food Exeter) as part of one of the Board’s priorities of improving the diet of Exeter’s citizens. Sugar Smart was an ambitious campaign aimed at helping towns, cities, counties and boroughs across the UK to raise awareness and reduce consumption of sugar across all age groups. The campaign aimed to promote health alternatives and remove or reduce unhealthy food and drink, particularly targeting those high in sugar. Experience showed that getting commitments from institutions and businesses could help to motivate real change in different settings at a local level and across the country.

The University of Exeter was helping with evaluation at a local level.

It was hoped that concerted action across the country would encourage the Government to introduce appropriate legislation 

More information about the campaign can be found on the national website www.sugarsmartuk.org and the local website www.exeterfoodnetwork.org.uk/sugar-smart

Jo Yelland, referring to the original aims of the Health and Wellbeing Board when established in September 2013, which were:-

·         To ensure the delivery of improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the population of Exeter with a specific focus on reducing inequalities;

·         To concentrate its efforts over the medium-tem to significantly improving the health outcomes in one priority area;

·         To promote integration and partnership working between the City Council, NHS, Devon County Council social care, public health, Police, voluntary services and other local services; and

·         To improve local democratic accountability for health and wellbeing.

Jo Yelland highlighted the success of Active Exeter and how the Board had promoted integration and partnership working by sharing information, knowledge and supported campaigns: which included regular information on Public Health profiles, information and updates on Integrated Care Exeter, support for Smoke Free play areas, sign up to the principles of Sugar Smart City and the promotion of Cosy Homes grants.

Following discussion on the way forward for the Board there was consensus that the Board remained of value and it was agreed to adopt the following four areas as future areas of work for the Board as it sought to increase and develop its cross city co-ordinating role:-

·         maintaining a priority focus on physical activity;

·         providing local oversight of Wellbeing Exeter to embed both social prescribing and community building;

·         co-ordination of the implementation of the Exeter Youth Strategy; and

·         promoting the Exeter Community Strategy and co-ordinating its implementation across the City, and in particular with statutory partners .

Sarah Gibbs remarked that initial Public Health funding of £20,000 for the Board in 2013 had facilitated data collection and which had informed Active Exeter - which itself had helped with the bid for the Sport England Local Delivery pilot and would input into the Sports Strategy. Matt Evans added that the Board and its Members provided valuable support to the work of Active Exeter comparing it with the difficulty he sometimes experienced in rural Devon where the Districts did not possess this mechanism of supporting partnership initiatives. Unlike West Devon, for example, it was recognised that Exeter benefitted from its compact nature. Kirstian Tomblin felt that the Board was a valuable forum helping the County Council address complex social issues.

Amanda Kilroy identified learning opportunities as a potential additional area of focus to address the poor aspirations of certain groups.

The Chair invited Members to put forward any further suggestions for consideration.

RESOLVED that Jo Yelland report further to the next Board meeting on 31 October confirming future priorities for the Board, a revamped terms of reference and suggestions for membership.

31 October 2017

30 January 2018

10 April 2018

10 July 2018

11 September 2018

Future meetings, commencing at 2.00pm, were scheduled for:-

31 October 2017

30 January 2018

10 April 2018

10 July 2018

11 September 2018