Agenda and minutes

Families, Health and Wellbeing Select Committee - Tuesday, 26th October, 2021 7.00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 6 - Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge UB8 1UW. View directions

Contact: Anisha Teji  Tel: 01895 277655 Email:  ateji@hillingdon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

36.

Apologies for Absence and to report the presence of any substitute Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Judith Cooper and Councillor Paula Rodrigues, with Councillor Steve Tuckwell substituting.

 

Apologies for absence were also received from Councillor Jan Sweeting, with Councillor Scott Farley substituting.

37.

Declarations of Interest in matters coming before this meeting

Minutes:

None.

38.

To receive the minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes from the meeting on 8 September 2021 be approved as an accurate record.

39.

To confirm that the items of business marked as Part I will be considered in Public and that the items marked as Part II will be considered in Private

Minutes:

It was confirmed that there were no Part II items and that all business would therefore be conducted in public.

40.

Review: Assisted Living Technologies pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee had its third witness session as part of its review on Assisted Living Technologies (ALT). Members heard from three service provider organisations as detailed below. Each organisation provided an overview of their products, insight into how their products benefited residents and future planning around assisted living technologies.

 

Tunstall

 

Members first heard from Tunstall which was a technology company that used technology to support people requiring care and health intervention to live independently in their chosen home setting. Solutions enabled independent living by defining new models of care and creating globally connected healthcare solutions. Tunstall’s vision was to give people the freedom to live their lives so that people could stay at home for as long as possible.

 

The Committee heard about the different products available including the Tunstall Go, Connect Wellbeing App and Group Living Solutions. The future involved an emphasis on cognitive care by increasing the level of personalisation in care and health systems.

 

Following Member questions, it was confirmed that only the necessary data was held for users and this was not shared with third parties. In terms of obstacles to using Assisted Living Technologies, there was no specific cohort that encountered obstacles, however generally mental health during and post lockdown had impacted this area significantly. Although there had initially been a weariness of technology, this position had changed during lockdown as many people had become more familiar with IT devices. The pendant worked well as an option for elderly people prone to falls. There were several products available for the future however these were still in the testing stage and the aim was to have equipment that was compatible with all types of other equipment.

 

Buddi

 

Members then heard from Buddi which was a technology company that focussed on providing peace of mind by enabling people to live independently in their own homes for longer.

 

The Committee heard about the different products available including the Buddi Mini, Buddi Clip, Buddi Clip and Connect Wristband and the Buddi Hub.  Members welcomed the different case studies involving other local authorities where products had assisted with travel training. These products had also assisted with dementia and falls risks enabling residents to continue to live in their own homes, whilst  managing risks around seizures.

 

Following Member questions, it was noted that although the battery life for specific products was 24 hours, various alerts could be set up to act as charging reminders. There were alternative options available for services who were prone to losing their devices and an example of this included cello taping the device to zimmer frames. The devices were numbered personally so were easily identifiable and there was also an option to disable tracking information. There were a number of products available for the future that were in the process of being completed.

 

Apello

 

Members lastly heard from Apello which was technology company that had developed products such as a monitored personal emergency alarm to enable people to lead independent and fulfilled lives.

 

The Committee heard  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

41.

Better Care Fund Scheme For People With Learning Disabilities Update pdf icon PDF 294 KB

Minutes:

The Director of Service Delivery – Adult Social Work, the Health and Social Integration Manager, Head of Joint Commissioning, North West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Joint Lead Borough Director CCG presented the report on the Better Care Fund Scheme for People with Learning Disabilities.

 

The Committee was provided with an update on the delivery of the Better Care Fund (BCF) scheme entitled Integrated Care and Support for People with Learning Disabilities and Autism. Officers informed the Committee that improving the health and wellbeing of people with mental health needs, people with learning disabilities and autistic people was one of the priorities within the updated Health and Wellbeing Strategy that was being consulted on. The work necessary to achieve this was being overseen by a transformation board chaired by a senior manager within the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL)

 

Figures about the prevalence of learning disabilities were explained and an outline of the statutory services commissioned by the Council were highlighted.

 

There had been good performance on vaccinations and positive feedback from a new learning disability liaison nurse role working at a hospital. The complex care panels met weekly with a focus on preventing of hospital admissions.

 

The Committee heard that people with learning disabilities facing isolation due the closure of services during the pandemic had been an issue. To provide support during this period and avert crises where possible, both the Council’s Social Work Team and the Community Health Team for People with Learning Disabilities made weekly calls. Feedback suggests that this was appreciated by service users and their families.

 

It was noted that deaths of people with learning disabilities are investigated as part of the Learning Disability Mortality Review programme. The Council is in the early stages of exploring an integration model between health and social care.

 

The good performance on vaccinations and people in settled accommodation was noted and officers highlighted that the impact of the pandemic on the labour market meant that facilitating people into paid employment was more challenging. Officers stated that data was not available about how many people with learning disabilities wanted paid employment but advised that this was an area for further development. Further information was requested on the working age group of people in paid employment.

 

In response to Member questions, it was confirmed that long stay hospitals were robustly reviewed and overall, there was a short-term period of treatment. When a person with learning disabilities was admitted into hospital, care was provided, and discharges were planned taking into account the appropriate support level and settings that could be provided. Further information on the use of Do Not Attempt Resuscitation

(DNAR) forms would be requested from Hillingdon Hospital.

 

It was clarified that an adult care scheme (now known as Shared Lives) involved people providing support in their own homes. The breakdown of the ages of people with learning disabilities the Council support was noted.

 

The Committee heard information in relation to the complex care panel and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

42.

Public Health Update on Initiatives brought in as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Minutes:

The Consultant in Public Health/Deputy Director of Public Health and Corporate Director, Planning, Environment, Education and Community Safety introduced the report on the Initiatives Brought in as a Result of The Covid – 19 Pandemic.

 

An update was provided on the public health initiative introduced as a result of the Covid – 19 pandemic. It was noted that the Council had worked closely with the NHS, voluntary sector and other partners to provide advice, support and assistance to residents, businesses, care homes and schools. The aim of this was to help keep residents safe and minimise the disruption to everyday life from the restrictions that had to be put in place to help protect our health. 

 

The priorities, successes, and challenges were highlighted to the Committee. Although the Covid - 19 pandemic was not over, the main priority was to keep residents safe. The priorities included providing ongoing support, wearing face masks and social distancing in some situations, monitoring and comparing local and national data and managing outbreaks. In terms of successes, there had been an increased partnership working with providers around vaccinations, the communications team had provided timely updates and the work of the call centre for residents and quarantine hotels. The challenges were around resident hesitation to take up vaccination offers, any new variants that emerged and the support around the need to self-isolation.

 

In response to Member enquiries, it was confirmed that there were clear guidelines on what amounted to outbreaks of concerns in schools. Outbreaks were managed by acting quickly, having incident management meetings reviewing infection control measures and invoking appropriate measures, monitoring patterns and working closely with Public Health England. There had been one issue with one school in relation to anti vaccinators and information had been provided to schools on what steps to take.

 

It was reported that there had been an increase in infection rates and these rates were high in cohorts that had not yet received the vaccine.  This tended to be around the school age children, and it was hoped that rates would decrease following the half term period and implementation of the vaccination programme for 12-15 year olds. There were a series of pop-up vaccination hubs in different parts of the Borough including Uxbridge College, pharmacies and Brunel University that aimed to encourage more take up for vaccinations. A schedule for pop up centres would be communicated to Members once this information had been obtained from the Clinical Commissioning Group.

 

The Committee welcomed the thorough report and commended officers for their good work. The ongoing challenges were noted.

 

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the contents of the report.

 

43.

REESPOC'S Review Into Hillingdon's Adult & Community Learning Service - Final Report pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In 2020/21, the (now retired) Residents, Education and Environmental Services Policy Overview Committee (REESPOC) carried out a review into adult and community education within Hillingdon. The final report detailed the information received throughout the review and the Committee’s subsequent findings and recommendations. Following the move to Select Committees in May 2021, the report was submitted to the Families, Health and Wellbeing Select Committee for endorsement to Cabinet.

 

The Select Committee thanked officers for their work and the efforts made to consult Members after REESPOC had retired. Save for a typo to recommendation 5 of the report, Members endorsed and referred the report for submission to Cabinet.

 

RESOLVED: That the Families, Health & Wellbeing Select Committee endorsed and referred the report for submission to Cabinet.

44.

Corporate Parenting Panel minutes pdf icon PDF 53 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes from the Corporate Parenting Panel meeting on 26 July 2021 were noted.

 

RESOLVED: That the Families, Health & Wellbeing Select Committee noted the Corporate Parenting Panel minutes.

 

 

45.

Cabinet Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 52 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the forward plan be noted.

46.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee was informed that the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services Update report had been withdrawn from the work programme for the meeting on 30 November 2021 as this area was outside the Committee’s terms of reference. It was noted that the Update on the new SEN Strategy, and the new Additional Needs Strategy would be provided in January 2022.

 

Members were keen to receive the report on Public Health Integrated Service Contracts.

 

RESOLVED: That the work programme be noted.