This week, the Malvern Hills council held several important meetings. Here are the details:

Health and Wellbeing Board

Date: Tuesday 21 May 2024

The Health and Wellbeing Board focused on several key public health initiatives. The meeting highlighted the achievements of the outgoing Chair, Councillor Karen May, particularly the Stay Connected Pledge and the joint local health and wellbeing strategy. These initiatives have been pivotal in promoting mental health and addressing broader health determinants.

The Public Health Review for 2023-2024, presented by Lisa Macklin, underscored the collaborative nature of public health efforts. Key achievements included:

• High performance in health visiting services.
• Reduced smoking rates during pregnancy.
• Successful MMR vaccination campaigns.
• Community development programs leading to low loneliness rates in Worcester.
• Significant increases in bowel screening rates.

Lisa Macklin emphasized the importance of combining asset-based and deficit-based approaches in public health. Asset-based approaches enhance community strengths, while deficit-based approaches address specific health issues. For example, resistance band programs have successfully reduced falls-related admissions.

The meeting also discussed the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as service delivery interruptions and CO screening issues. Despite these challenges, the public health team achieved notable outcomes, including a decrease in smoking rates at the point of delivery and improved continuity of care for individuals released from prison.

The meeting concluded with a focus on addressing social isolation and loneliness through community-based solutions and public health support for vulnerable populations.

Adult Care and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Date: Monday 20 May 2024

This meeting primarily addressed social care issues, including safeguarding, self-neglect, exploitation strategies, and the management of complex cases. Key points included:

1. Safeguarding and Self-Neglect: Maurice, the new Sea of Honor, highlighted the benefits of a rapid verbal building process in disseminating learning from serious incidents. He stressed the importance of understanding cognitive decline in self-neglect cases.

2. Exploitation Strategy: The council's efforts in improving the exploitation strategy, particularly concerning rough sleeping, were discussed. The inclusion of people with lived experiences in the assurance framework has been positively received.

3. Complex and High-Risk Management (Calm Process): Maurice praised the council for funding the Calm Process, which uses innovative engagement methods to connect with individuals with complex and high-risk lifestyles.

4. Staffing Concerns in Social Care: Maurice raised concerns about future nursing shortages and the impact on adult care services. He suggested that societal attitudes towards nursing and social care professions need to change to attract more people.

5. CQC Inspection and Professional Curiosity: Maurice shared his experience with a CQC inspection, noting the importance of professional curiosity and mental capacity in safeguarding.

6. Multi-Agency Working and Information Sharing: Maurice emphasized the importance of multi-agency collaboration and information sharing in safeguarding.

7. Challenges in Health and Social Care Integration: Maurice discussed the challenges in achieving full integration of health and social care, despite the efforts of the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

8. Future of Social Care: Maurice called for serious leadership and societal change to address the challenges in social care.

9. Direct Payments and Financial Management: The council discussed the need for improvements in managing direct payments for social care.

10. Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Funding: The complexities of CHC funding and the importance of accurate decision-making and collaboration were reviewed.

Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Date: Wednesday 22 May 2024

The notes from this meeting have not yet been summarised.

Planning and Regulatory Committee

Date: Tuesday 21 May 2024

This meeting was cancelled.

Cabinet

Date: Thursday 23 May 2024

This meeting was cancelled.

The discussions this week highlight ongoing efforts to improve public health and social care in Malvern Hills. The emphasis on collaboration, innovative approaches, and addressing systemic challenges are recurring themes that will likely continue to shape council initiatives.