Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence. 

There were no declarations of interest in matters coming before this meeting. 

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2024 be agreed as a correct record. 

RESOLVED:  That all items of business be considered in public. 

The Chair welcomed those present to the meeting.  The Borough, whilst primarily urban, had areas with a more rural aspect in the north and south.  To the north, Harefield felt very much like a village and, to the south, whilst the Heathrow Villages had a countryside feel, they were greatly impacted by the presence of Heathrow Airport.

Mr Keith Spencer, Managing Director at Hillingdon Health and Care Partners (HHCP), advised that the Heathrow Villages provided a perfect example of the issues faced by rural communities, especially with regard to the challenges residents faced in accessing health services.  Of the five Heathrow Villages (Cranford Cross, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Sipson), only Harlington had a GP practice and pharmacy in situ, although all of the villages were covered by GP practices located in other areas.

It was suggested that the work undertaken by the integrated neighbourhoods, a model that aimed to develop local solutions for big health challenges, would be critical to tackling these challenges.  The preferred model was to implement local neighbourhoods and find local solutions to tackle deep rooted health inequalities.  The model involved breaking the health service down into smaller parts that could work with the local communities and engage with residents.  Mr Spencer advised that he had recently been involved in engagement activity with residents from the Heathrow Villages to identify what mattered to them and planned to meet with these residents again.  It would be important to take services to where the residents were and not the other way around.  

Mr Spencer and a number of colleagues had met with residents in Heathrow Villages around 6/7 months ago and had been asked to provide a mobile solution that went around the villages offering health services such as vaccinations and talking therapy services.  A wellbeing bus had been launched on 3 October 2023 as a twelve week pilot.  The wellbeing bus had faced a number of challenges in that it was not appropriate for clinical activity and its open plan layout meant that mental health issues could not be discussed in private, its availability varied from the agreed timings, and attendance was limited on some days.  Most residents using the services of the wellbeing bus were over the age of 65, which suggested that younger, more mobile residents were getting their support from other parts of the community.  Attendance had been higher when vaccinations had been offered on the wellbeing bus. 

Members were advised that residents had been asked to provide feedback – 136 responses had been received.  Of the 34% that said that they could not access the services that they needed, the majority had been from Harlington which already had a GP surgery and pharmacy in situ, so it was unclear what services these respondents felt they needed. 

With regard to feedback, the highest response rates had been received from residents in Harlington, Sipson and Harmondsworth.  It was noted that GP appointments, blood pressure checks, dental services and general support and signposting to the right services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

Consideration was given to the Cabinet Forward Plan.

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Forward Plan be noted.

Consideration was given to the Committee’s Work Programme.  The Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and the Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Health had been invited to attend the Committee’s next meeting on 19 March 2024.  Members would also be considered a report on the Council’s Autism Strategy at that meeting. 

It was noted that the April meeting had been cancelled and rescheduled for 22 May 2024. 

RESOLVED:  That the Work Programme be agreed.