This meeting of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee included a scheduled update from the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, a report on a new partnership scheme to deliver localised services, and reports on preparations for winter pressures on the NHS and on the provision of accommodation for vulnerable residents.

Camden Neighbourhoods Programme

The most significant item on the agenda was a report on the Camden Neighbourhoods Programme, described as a strategic priority for Camden’s borough partnership. The report pack provided to attendees stated that it was jointly led by the London Borough of Camden and NHS partners and that it would allow council and NHS services to develop new approaches to working together to provide a more seamless experience for people with care and support needs.

The report pack stated that the programme has been piloted in the East Neighbourhood, which includes Kentish Town. One of the elements of the scheme being tested was the co-location of council and NHS staff in the Kentish Town Health Centre. It was stated that this had been operational since September 2024 and included Adult Social Care, District Nursing, Physical Therapies, Mental Health, GP and social prescribing and Drug and Alcohol support workers. The report stated that this new Integrated Neighbourhood Team was intended to improve working practices and was being evaluated to assess its impact on staff, the residents they support and on demand for services.

Another element of the programme being tested was the co-location of Housing, Community Safety, Repairs, Estate Management, Adult Social Care, and mental health workers at the Holmes Road Depot. The report pack included anecdotes describing how the closer working relationships between staff in different teams had improved their experience at work, and enabled them to resolve residents’ issues more quickly. The report pack stated that the scheme would continue to be tested in 2025 with new interventions designed to improve the health of residents in Kentish Town.

The report also described the intention to connect the work in the East Neighbourhood with existing provision in Family Hubs and Children’s Centres, and with activities delivered by Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations. As part of this, the council’s Participation team had organised walking tours, a summit for local organisations and regular meetings.

Update of the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care

The meeting included a scheduled update from Councillor Anna Wright, the Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care. The report pack included a summary of waiting lists for adult social care, stated to have risen slightly since December, and stated that completing timely carers assessments and reviews remain a key priority.

The report pack also described work that is underway to increase uptake of cancer screening amongst people with learning disabilities, the launch of a new Transitional Safeguarding Forum and a project being run by an organisation called Fora to consider new perspectives about how we offer care and support to residents in their homes.

There was also an update on the development of the Borough Partnership Carers Board, described as co-chaired by carers and including senior leaders from Camden Borough Partnership organisations and intended to drive delivery of the Carers Action Plan that was launched in July 2024.

A new Million Hearts and Minds campaign, intended to improve heart health, was discussed. The report pack stated that the campaign is being run across London and is in its early stages of development with a communications campaign expected from Summer 2025.

A new adolescent health campaign called “Look After You” was also discussed. The report stated that it was developed by Camden Youth Tell Them, and that it aims to signpost [young people aged 11-25] to the right health care. The report pack included this quote from Camden Youth Tell Them:

“We know that there are so many services to help under 25s in Camden – we met with them to develop our campaign – but that young people don’t always know about them. Young people can also be put off getting health care because they feel embarrassed, are worried about costs or their parents finding out. We hope that Look after YOU not only helps Camden young people to easily find the free healthcare they need, when they need it, but that they feel comfortable and confident using these services.”

Finally, the report pack included a summary of progress on the five workstreams of the Healthy Weight Acceleration Plan, which focus on early years; schools; organisations and place shaping; weight management services; and population groups with greater needs.

Winter Preparedness

This report included an update on health protection activities being undertaken in Camden in preparation for the winter season. The report stated that Public Health coordinate stakeholders on health protection issues via the Camden Health Protection Group and that they monitor vaccine uptake and coordinate on immunisation promotion via the Camden Immunisation Group.

The report pack described how the council has been working with care providers to encourage the uptake of winter vaccinations amongst care home workers, including arranging for the UCLH immunisation team to provide additional sessions located closer to care homes.

The report stated that flu and COVID-19 vaccines have been promoted to Camden residents through the council's routine communications channels, and that catch-up clinics have been provided via Family Hubs and children’s centres. In addition, the council was stated to have purchased 300 flu vouchers for council staff who are not eligible for NHS flu vaccines.

The report pack also stated that Adult Social Care hospital teams are fully staffed, and that the department continues to work closely with health partners to ensure safe discharge. It stated that there was good capacity in the care workforce, and that reablement services are now well established and offer good capacity across Camden.

Overview of the Supporting People, Connecting Communities Accommodation Plan

This report provided an overview of the Supporting People, Connecting Communities Accommodation Plan. The report stated that the plan reaches far beyond a resident’s physical home and that it is about the communities where people live, now and in the future, and how housing and a good home contribute to Adult Social Care prevention and wellbeing outcomes. The report pack included this quote describing the vision for the plan, taken from a report by the Social Care Institute for Excellence:

‘We all want to live in a place we call home, with people and things we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing the things that matter most’

The report pack stated that data projections indicate that by 2035 there will be an increase in the number of residents in Camden who need to draw on care and support. It discussed the increasing need to provide supported living and residential places for people with learning disabilities and people with mental health needs.

Five ambitions for the plan were included in the report pack:

1. Embed early help and prevention to delay or prevent the need for specialised services.
2. Enable people to stay in their own home for as long as possible with high quality, person-centred care and technology-enabled lives.
3. Develop sufficient homes for the future that people want to live in.
4. Support people to remain or become active members of their community and local neighbourhood, with a focus on reducing loneliness and recognising the diversity of Camden’s Communities.
5. Ensure residents draw on the care and support they want, alongside practitioners who focus on their strengths, ensuring their wellbeing is maximised.

The report pack stated that the plan will be delivered over a 10-year period and listed the following priority projects: transformation of care and support at home; new build programme; transformation of sheltered housing; transforming mental health and adult pathways; expanding existing services; transformation of major adaptations; and further implementation of Camden's Wellbeing Model.

It was stated that the Accommodation Plan had made good progress in 2024, with successes including inclusion of Adult Social Care within the revised Camden Local Plan, joint working between Housing, Adult Social Care and Children and Learning when considering accommodation, the expansion of the Shared Lives offer to support residents recovering from a Mental Health crisis, and the initiation of the redesign of the Mental Health Supported Living pathway. The report also listed a number of challenges to the delivery of the plan including inflationary pressures and the challenging financial environment, major Registered Providers leaving the market and constrained revenue funding.

The report also included a section on the redesign of the Mental Health Supported Living Pathway, which provides accommodation-based support for up to 199 people with serious mental illness. It stated that a 38% increase in referrals in 2023/24 compared to the previous year has led to a need to redesign the pathway, and that all contracts are being extended until 31 March 2026 to allow time for this to happen.

The report pack stated that officers have been engaging with residents, family carers and staff to identify priorities for the redesign and that initial engagement has identified a range of areas for officers to consider including better meeting the needs of women, autism-informed provision, bespoke support for younger people and a focus on culturally appropriate care.

Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee Work Programme and Action Tracker

The report pack also included a report on the committee's work programme for 2024-25, which listed the items scheduled to be discussed during future meetings and tracked the progress of actions from previous meetings.

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the development of an adult early help offer and an update on the healthy weight action plan and progress of the Food Mission during the meeting on 11 February 2025.

A number of items were listed for potential inclusion in the work programme, including: Community Pharmacies, the NCL ICB Dental Transformation and Dental Services update, Community Champions, a follow up to Screening Panel recommendations, Healthwatch’s annual report and priorities, hoarding and cuckooing, unwarranted variation by GP surgeries and pharmacies, the Women’s Health Hub, transition from children to adult services, duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, men’s health, good work and employment, suicide prevention, an evaluation of the Cash Transfers in Pregnancy Pilot, a Start Well Consultation update, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust Merger, and Health Equity and Primary Care Research.