Health update for Overview and Scrutiny
“Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Update and way forward”
In July this policy statement was presented to Parliament to identify provide
clarity and identify progress on the previously published “Healthy Lives.
Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England” White Paper.
A reformed public health system will mean that:
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Local authorities (upper tier and unitary) will take on new
responsibilities for public health.
Local authorities will be supported by a new integrated public health
service, Public Health England.
A public health outcomes framework will be published with a stronger
focus on the outcomes the Government wants to achieve in relation to
improving health and reducing health inequalities.
Whilst the new legislative responsibilities are being placed on upper and
unitary local authorities District Council services and functions such as health,
housing, leisure, planning, economic development, community engagement
and transport are cited in the policy statement as key to developing holistic
solutions to health and wellbeing.
Public health responsibilities will transfer fully to local authorities from April
2013. Clarity is still required locally to ensure that District Councils are able to
input into the new County Health and Wellbeing boards and groups that will
be established and to be recognised as key provider of health and wellbeing
services.
North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group (NNCCG)
This group has recently changed its name and was formerly known as North
Norfolk Health Consortium. The NNCCG is a group of 20 local GP Practices
covering all North Norfolk practices and some in Broadland.
In the next 18 months major changes will be taking place in how the
Government organises healthcare in England. This means that local GPs and
practice staff are going to become more involved with designing and
commissioning (or buying) local services, as well as providing them.
In April 2013 Primary Care Trusts are due to be disbanded and many clinical
functions and responsibilities transferred to Clinical Commissioning Groups.
In North Norfolk we have established a good relationship with the NNCCG.
They are represented on the North Norfolk Health Improvement Forum and
we are working closely on several health improvement projects, which link into
core Council services.
North Norfolk Health Improvement Forum
This multi agency Forum was established in May 2011 to enable
organisations to work together on agreed local health priorities and issues to
improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce health inequalities.
The Forum’s core organisations are:
North Norfolk District Council
NHS Norfolk
Norfolk County Council – Adult and Children’s Services
Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Trust
North Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group
VCS Together
Norfolk Community Health and Care
The Forum held its second meeting in September and agreed the focus of 3
main project areas for the first year. These are:
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Information on services
Enabling community groups
Activity Referral
Task and finish groups will be set up to take these forward.
NHS Health Trainers
The new Health Trainer service comprising of 7 NHS staff will be based at
NNDC from October. The location of this service at NNDC will increase
partnership working and cross referral to NNDC leisure, activity and wellbeing
services as well as provide rental and service income.
Ageing Well Programme
North Norfolk District Council successfully applied to take part in this
Programme externally funded programme which is being run by The Young
Foundation.
The Ageing Well programme supports local authorities to prepare for an
ageing society. It provides an opportunity to think creatively about responding
locally to the pressures of an ageing population.
Officers representing Norfolk County Council, NHS Norfolk and North Norfolk
Clinical Commissioning Group will be working with us.
Our chosen area of work is:
The impact and effect that rural isolation has on older people’s physical,
mental, social and economic health and on service provision.
Once we have completed the programme the information, methods and
approaches learnt will be used within our organisations to ensure that
initiatives and services reduce the impact of isolation and positively enhance
health and wellbeing.
Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessments (MWIA)
The Mental Well-being Impact Assessment (MWIA) programme has been
commissioned by the Improvement and Development Agency.
It aims to support 4 local authorities to enhance the impact on wellbeing of a
specific service or policy area, increase understanding of well-being and build
capacity to use MWIA as a strategic tool to support Health and Wellbeing
Boards to improve the well-being of local communities.
Brenda Seymour successfully applied for the Council to take part in this and is
leading this programme which is focusing on the impact of The Sheringham
Little Theatres Youth Programme on mental wellbeing.
Community Gym
The mobile gym service led by Wyn Nurse has supported another community
to bid for Lottery Funding and to establish a community gym. Aylsham
Community Gym officially opens on October 19th. This is the 4th community
gym that the mobile gym service has helped establish. Whilst based outside
our District, the gym supports many of our residents and has been supported
by Broadland District Council.