Agenda and minutes

Members of Prestwich Township Forum are asked to consider if they have an interest in any matters on the agenda and, if so, to formally declare that interest.

Councillor Quinn declared a personal interest in respect of Minute PTF.226 below, Future Urgent Care Provision, as his son is a Registrar within the NHS.

Minutes of the last meeting, held on 30 June 2016 are attached.

It was agreed:

That the Minutes of the last meeting, held on 30 June 2016, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

PC Cheslett and PC Barclay  provided an update on policing matters in respect of Prestwich including providing a verbal statistical breakdown of crimes in the area.

It was reported that the Police had now been issues with mobile tablets which allowed them to spend more time out in the community rather than having to return to the Station to log incidents and complete paperwork.

With regard to the issue of public enquiry counters, members of the public present at the meeting were informed that a questionnaire was provided to have input into the issue.

A presentation will be given at the meeting.

Dr Victoria Moyles and Margaret O'Dwyer, representing NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group gave a presentation on the current work with Stakeholders and engagement with the public to support the configuration of the Urgent Care services in Bury. A review of current service provision had concluded that the system was disjointed, had areas of inequality and supported duplication of some services in Bury.  It was reported that the new model of service provision would not be about saving money but was about public engagement, ensuring that investment in services were being made in the right areas in order to provide a simpler and more         efficient service.  The presentation focused on the following key areas:-

§  An explanation of what constitutes Urgent Care Services;

§  The key reasons why the CCG needs to redesign Urgent Care Services in Bury;

§  The CCG's vision for Urgent Care Services;

§  What national guidance suggests;

§  What the proposed model of service provision 'might' look like and why it would be better for patients;

§  The implications for existing services;

§  How the public can have their say on the proposals.

Questions and comments were invited from the Forum and members of the public present at the meeting and the following issues were raised:-

·         Gill Campbell expressed a number of concerns in relation to issues around equality of access; the unsatisfactory performance of the “111” service; and the importance of face to face clinical diagnosis.

·         A number of those present at the meeting raised the issue of increased pressure on Accident and Emergency (A&E) at local hospitals as a result of the closure of Walk in Centres.

·         Dr Finch reported that the Patients Cabinet, of which he is a member, had not been consulted in advance of the proposals being published.

·         Councillor Shori, Leader of the Council, highlighted the need for genuine public engagement from the very start of the process and expressed concerns about the effect of the proposals in relation to delivering a 7 day NHS.

·         Andrea Simpson highlighted the current pressure on GP Practices in the area and commented that the closure of Walk in Centres would divert patients to GP surgeries and A&E, which was not cost effective.

·         A member of the public highlighted the importance of alternative service provision being fully in place before the potential closure of Walk in Centres and suggested a phased approach be adopted should the proposals be implemented.

It was agreed:

That this Township Forum strongly opposes the plans to shut Prestwich Walk in Centre and have yet to be convinced that it will lead to a better NHS in Bury.

(Note – Although not having voting rights, David Stanley, on behalf of the Advisory Group Members present, requested that their support for the above resolution be recorded).

A presentation will be given at the meeting.

Chris Woodhouse, Improvement Advisor, gave a presentation in respect of neighbourhood working and the development of a Neighbourhood Plan for Prestwich.

Members of the Forum and the public present were asked to focus on what outcomes will improve the lives of residents and consider how this can be achieved.

During discussion of this item, Prestwich being a clean, sustainable environment was highlighted as the most popular of the outcomes and members of the forum and public were invited to consider what conditions they are looking to create or improve; who is likely to benefit; and what might be done, collectively, to achieve this?

It was reported that the priorities and actions suggested would be collated and considered for inclusion in the new neighbourhood plan.

It was agreed:

That Chris Woodhead be thanked for his presentation.

A presentation will be given at the meeting.

Katie Wood, Community Network Officer gave a presentation providing an update on the new features of The Bury Directory which was introduced in Bury in 2014. 

It was reported that the Directory was an online one stop information point incorporating a wide range of resources under one directory.  Contents of the site could be shared on social media, completely optimised for smart phones and tablets. Statistics were showing that hits to the directory were increasing with a projected forecast of 111,160 hits in 2016/2017.  It was reported that the next steps were going to be dedicated to supporting neighbourhoods and would include NHS Choices, consultation groups and You Tube ‘how to’ videos. Community groups would be welcome to join the directory and events being carried out locally could be promoted. Anyone who wished to be included on the site could do this by contacting her or her colleagues within the Social Development Team.

It was agreed:

That Katie Wood be thanked for her presentation.

A period of up to 30 minutes has been set aside for members of the public to ask questions or raise issues of concern relating to the provision of local services.

The Chair invited questions, comments and representations from members of the public present at the meeting. Questions were asked and comments made on the issues detailed below. The Township Forum Co-ordinator undertook to obtain a reply to matters which could not be dealt with at the meeting.

·         Jay Lieberman requested that an update on the Bury New Road improvements be provided at the next meeting of the Forum

Report attached.

The Council has allocated £8,000 to each Township Forum to be allocated through a sub group of the Township forum four times a year in June, September, November and March. A maximum of £250 individual grant is available for formally constituted organisations.

Additionally, a borough-wide allocation of £8,000 is available for “cross-ward” applications for activity that takes place across more than one ward. The “cross-ward” applications are determined by the Council’s Small Grants Panel.

A report setting out details of applications from the latest round of funding was submitted for information.

During discussion of this item, Nigel Devereaux informed those present of plans to develop a Prestwich Community Cinema

It was agreed:

That the report be noted.

Any other business which by reason of special circumstances the Chair agrees may be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business reported