Agenda and draft minutes

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Contact: Tessa Mallett  01622 602524

Items
No. Item

38.

The Committee to consider whether all items on the agenda should be web-cast

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that all items on the agenda be webcast.

 

39.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from:

 

·  Councillor D Parvin

·  Councillor Watson

·  Councillor Munford

 

40.

Notification of Substitute Members

Minutes:

The following substitute member was noted:

 

Councillor Vizzard for Councillor Watson.

 

41.

Notification of Visiting Members

Minutes:

There were no visiting members present.

 

42.

Disclosures by Members and Officers

Minutes:

There were no disclosures by member of officers.

 

43.

To consider whether any items should be taken in private because of the possible disclosure of exempt information

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that all items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

 

44.

Minutes of the meeting held on 9 September 2014 pdf icon PDF 56 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 9 September 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

45.

Minutes of the Crime and Disorder Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting 14 October 2014 pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that the minutes of meeting held on 14 October 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

46.

Review of Loneliness and Isolation in the Over 65s of Maidstone Borough pdf icon PDF 41 KB

Interviews with:

 

·  Jo Tonkin, Public Health Specialist, Kent Public Health;

·  Louise Holden, Public Health Workforce Development Programme Manager, Kent County Council;

·  Colin Thompson, Public Health Consultant, Medway Council;

·  Janet Greenroyd, Kent Community Warden Service, Maidstone District Supervisor;

·  Samantha Sheppard, Adult Social Care, Kent County Council;

·  Paul Coles, AgeUK, Maidstone;

·  Sarah Robson, Community Partnerships Manager, Maidstone Borough Council;

·  Sarah Shearsmith, Community Development Team Leader, Maidstone Borough Council.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, including students from Oakwood Park Grammar School and Invicta Grammar School.

 

The Chairman invited the witnesses to introduce themselves and then went on to explain the purpose of the meeting.

 

The review Working Group met on 9 October 2014 to scope the aim and objectives for the review.  The Working Group decided to carry out a review of Loneliness and Isolation in the over 65 age group.  A revised scope for the review was attached to the agenda.

 

Witnesses had been invited to help the committee answer the following questions:

 

·  How big was the issue of loneliness and isolation in the over 65s of Maidstone Borough;

·  What areas was it most prevalent;

·  What was the impact of the issue;

·  What work was being done to combat the issue, and;

·  Where were the gaps in provision.

 

Witnesses attending the meeting were:

 

·  Jo Tonkin, Public Health Specialist, Kent Public Health;

·  Louise Holden, Public Health Workforce Development Programme Manager, Kent County Council;

·  Colin Thompson, Public Health Consultant, Kent County Council;

·  Janet Greenroyd, Kent Community Warden Service, Maidstone District Supervisor;

·  Samantha Sheppard, Adult Social Care, Kent County Council;

·  Paul Coles, AgeUK, Maidstone;

·  Sarah Robson, Community Partnerships Manager, Maidstone Borough Council;

 

Jo Tonkin, Public Health Specialist, Kent Public Health presented her report titled Loneliness and Social Isolation in Adults and Older People in Maidstone (attached to the minutes as Appendix A), which had been presented to the Working Group at their meeting of 9 October 2014.

 

Ms Tonkin explained the definitions for loneliness and social isolation:

 

Social Isolation – an absence of social interactions, social support structures and engagement with wider community activities or structures.  It could be through choice or it could be a result of deteriorating mental capacity, discrimination, or a trigger event such as illness or bereavement.

 

Social Isolation could be measured quantitatively through the number of interactions a person had over a defined period of time. People who were socially isolated were more vulnerable to strokes, heart failure and coronary heart disease and were less likely to follow a treatment plan.

 

Loneliness – was described as more subjective and related to a person’s personal sense of a lack of connection and contact with others and the quality of the contact they had.  Loneliness impacted negatively on a person’s health and wellbeing with lower life satisfaction making them more likely to suffer from alcoholism, suicide and physical ill health.

 

Ms Tonkin explained loneliness and isolation were difficult to measure and map and as such there was no validated data for the Maidstone borough to inform the review.  She went on to explain that nationally it was estimated that 7% of the population were socially isolated.  This statistic, when translated to the population of Maidstone, meant an estimated 8,693 people were possibly socially isolated.

 

Ms Tonkin went on to explain that Medway City Council had developed an experimental Social Isolation Index (SII)using MOSAIC types which referred to the risk factors for social isolation, such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

47.

Future Work Programme and SCRAIP update report pdf icon PDF 41 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED: that

 

·  The updates to the committees Future Work Programme be noted;

·  The updates for SCRAIPs issued by the committee be noted;

·  The information concerning the Questioning and Influencing Skills workshop programmed for 3 December 2014 (Getting the Most Out of Your Meetings) be noted.

 

48.

Duration of meeting

Minutes:

6:30pm to 8:45pm