Issue - meetings

Becoming a Compassionate Borough

Meeting: 22/01/2020 - Policy and Resources Committee (Item 127)

127 Becoming a Compassionate Borough pdf icon PDF 91 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Policy and Information Manager introduced her report and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Heart of Kent Hospice, who was in attendance to answer any questions from Members regarding the Compassionate City Status.

 

The Policy and Information Manager highlighted the following points:

 

·  Applying to Become a Compassionate Borough built on the legacy of Elmer, a Heart of Kent Hospice initiative operating in Maidstone, to raise awareness of dying, death, bereavement and loss across the borough;

·  Compassionate status would only be achieved through adopting the Compassionate City Charter of which there were 13 principles;

·  These principles would build upon, rather than replace, the existing support networks in place within Maidstone;

·  Section 2.7 of the report highlights the places which already have, and those in progress of achieving, Compassionate City Status; 

·  A Joint Action Plan would need to be delivered by partner organisations across the borough, of which some work has already started, as shown in Appendix 2;

·  The project would require support and commitment from across the council, however no extra resources in the form of additional staff would be required, as support will mainly come from the Policy and Information Team through their existing networks and relationships to promote the 13 principles; and

·  The ‘Next Steps’ were outlined in Section 6.

 

Members were asked to endorse the position and for officers to support the action plan.

 

In response to questions from Members, the following answers were given:

 

·  Organisations, such as schools, have welcomed greater attention to the issues of death, dying, bereavement and loss, as it forms part of a wider approach to encourage individuals to talk about these issues and their impact within society;

·  These discussions have enabled individuals to become aware of the options available to them in advanced care planning, such as Living wills;

·  Rather than enforcing the thirteen principles, actions would be taken to actively encourage organisations to meet the requirements of the Charter; and

·  Not every locality can achieve all thirteen principles, but a majority should be achieved to retain Compassionate Status.

 

There were some concerns from the Committee regarding the practicality of adopting Compassionate City Status. Whilst the principles and values that would be formally endorsed were positive values, some members felt that the resources used should go directly into frontline services. It was suggested that it was unrealistic to assume that no additional resources would be needed to support this initiative. The Policy and Information Manager responded that compassion was necessary in being able to deliver better services and recognise the impact of such events on our residents. It was confirmed that implementation of the principles would require the time and energy of officers, but no additional staff would be needed.

 

The CEO of Heart of Kent Hospice also spoke in reference to these concerns. The CEO gave an example of the work that had been carried out in Schools through the Charity’s Elmer initiative. A 120-page learning pack on death, dying and bereavement had been created which could be adapted for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 127