The Healthier Communities Select Committee met on Thursday, 9 January 2025, to discuss the Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) Annual Report, an update from University Hospital Lewisham, and public health commissioned services. Key decisions included noting the LSAB report, acknowledging challenges with hospital discharges and encouraging collaboration to improve them, and approving the addition of the Lewisham Hospital Migrant Charging Policy to the March 2025 agenda.

Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) Annual Report 2023-24

Professor Keith Brown, Independent Chair of the LSAB, presented the annual report, highlighting an increase in safeguarding enquiries, which was viewed positively as an indicator of community empowerment. The Board conducts three Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) annually, exceeding the national average. Challenges were noted regarding the complexity of self-neglect cases, often linked to declining cognitive ability and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis. The report also touched upon the rise in fraud and scams targeting vulnerable individuals and the ongoing difficulty in recruiting and retaining staff to meet increasing service demands. The committee resolved to note the report.

University Hospital Lewisham Update

Ben Travis, Chief Executive of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, and Tom Hastings, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, provided an update on the Trust's performance. They highlighted that despite national investment, 2025 presented significant financial challenges, limiting opportunities for new service expansion. The Trust has exited national performance monitoring for elective and long waits, with a current waiting list of 66,000 patients and no patients waiting over 104 weeks. Significant progress has been made in reducing staff vacancy and turnover rates. However, Lewisham Hospital's emergency department faces high demand and a shortage of beds, leading to extended patient waiting times in the department, impacting patient experience and safety. The committee resolved to note the presentation and acknowledged the ongoing challenges with hospital discharges, encouraging continued collaboration between the Council and the Trust to improve the discharge process.

Public Health Commissioned Services

Catherine Mbema, Director of Public Health, and Kerry Lonergan, Senior Consultant in Public Health, presented an update on commissioned public health services. Discussions covered the re-procurement of online sexual health interventions, the approaching end of the contract for the 'Up, Up!' culturally tailored weight management service, and plans for a community engagement session to shape its future. The report also detailed Lewisham's long-standing whole-system approach to tackling obesity, initiated in 2016, and ongoing efforts to address inequalities in weight management services. The committee requested to see the 'Food for Purpose' evaluation report for the 'Up, Up!' service and information on teenage pregnancy rates in Lewisham compared to regional and national figures. The committee resolved to note the report.

Select Committee Work Programme

The committee reviewed its work programme for the upcoming year. A key decision was made to add the Lewisham Hospital Migrant Charging Policy to the agenda for the March 2025 meeting.