Maidstone Borough Council

Community, Environment and Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Update on the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group Health and Wellbeing Board - what difference is it making to Maidstone?

Report of: Tessa Mallett, Overview & Scrutiny Officer

1.          Introduction

1.1        At their Future Work Programming workshop on 17 June 2014 the Committee agreed to carry out a review of the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group Health and Wellbeing Board (CCG HWB) one year on to find out what difference it is making to the people of Maidstone.

1.2        A Working Group was appointed to develop and scope the review, this is attached at Appendix A. 

1.3        The Kent HWB was established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. With effect from 1 April 2013 it became a committee of Kent County Council.

1.4        The Kent HWB leads and advises on work to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Kent through joined up commissioning across the NHS, social care, public health and other services.

1.5        The Board’s statutory functions are to:

·         Prepare a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy;

·         Encourage integrated working between health and social care commissioners including making arrangements under Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006.

1.6        Prior to April 2013 the Kent HWB operated in a shadow form.

1.7        The Kent HWB established a series of sub-committees known as local health and wellbeing boards, such as the West Kent CCG HWB.

1.8        The West Kent CCG HWB leads and advises on the development of the CCG level Integrated Commissioning Strategy and Plan; ensures effective local engagement and monitors local outcomes. It focuses on improving the health and wellbeing of the people living in the west Kent CCG area through joined up commissioning across the NHS, social care, district councils, public health and other services (that the HWB agrees are directly related to health and wellbeing) in order to secure better health and wellbeing outcomes in their area and better quality of care for all patients and care users.

2     Recommendation

2.1        The Committee are recommended to interview Dr Bob Bowes, Chairman of the West Kent CCG Health and Wellbeing Board and Alison Broom, Chief Executive of Maidstone Borough Council and Board member.

2.2        The Committee may wish to focus its questioning on the following areas to help ensure the evidence gathered, through interviews and discussion, is relevant to the scope of the review:

·         Who is on the Board and what roles do they play?

·         Are there any Registered Social Landlords on the Board?

·         What are the Board’s key objectives for the next three years?

·         What does the Board see as their role as far as Maidstone is concerned?

·         What provision is the Board making for adults and older people?

·         What is the Board planning to do to address social isolation and loneliness in older people of the borough?

·         What difference is the Board making to the people of Maidstone?

3.      Reasons for Recommendation

3.1     The Committee agreed to review the West Kent CCG HWB one year on to establish what difference it has made to the health and wellbeing of the people of Maidstone borough.

3.2     The witnesses invited, Dr Bob Bowes and Alison Broom, are able to provide the information the Committee need in order to establish the difference the West Kent CCG HWB is making.

4.      Impact on Corporate Objectives

4.1        The review will primarily impact on the Council priorities: ‘For Maidstone to be a decent place to live’ and ‘Corporate and Customer Excellence’

5     Relevant Documents and information

5.1        Appendix A – Review Scoping document

5.2        More information  on the West Kent CCG HWB can be found here - http://democracy.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=371