Agenda item

Presentation attached supported by Will Blandamer Executive Director for Health and Adult Care and Kath Wynn Jones NHS ICP

Members of the Committee were reminded that they were expected to have read the report in advance of the meeting.

Will Blandamer, Executive Director of Health and Adult Care, presented an update to the Committee. The presentation was delivered in two parts. The first focused on the national policy framework and the development of the NHS 10-Year Plan, including the three key shifts the NHS is expected to make over the coming years. These included moving care away from hospital settings and into communities, a greater emphasis on prevention and strengths-based support and making better use of technology and innovation. Members also received an update on progress relating to access to services, planned care, urgent care provision, GP support, reductions in outpatient activity and work to reduce elective care waiting times.

The second part of the presentation focused on neighbourhood working. Members were advised of the progress being made in reducing demand on adult social care services through more integrated approaches to support. The presentation outlined the key components of neighbourhood working and the positive outcomes being achieved through closer partnership arrangements across health, social care and community services.

In response to the presentation, Councillor Zaman asked which parts of the health and care system were not currently working effectively together. Will Blandamer advised that there had been varying levels of engagement between organisations at different times, but overall partnership working had developed positively. He highlighted strong support for primary care and noted that the Northern Care Alliance had recently undergone organisational restructuring. He stated that there was now a strong shared narrative across organisations and continued engagement through locality-based arrangements to ensure partners worked effectively together.

Councillor Zaman also asked what measures were used to assess patient experience and performance. Will Blandamer explained that a variety of feedback mechanisms were used across different services and departments rather than a single centralised system. He advised that the overall approach was focused on listening and engagement, with feedback being collected in ways most appropriate to individual services.

Councillor FitzGerald welcomed the discussion and reiterated the importance of complaints and patient feedback as measures of service quality. She suggested that future reports coul seek to include patient experience information where possible to provide greater insight into service performance.

Councillor Ryder asked about the implementation of Virtual Wards in Bury and when the model would become fully operational. In response, Will Blandamer reported that Bury had achieved the highest uptake of Virtual Wards within the Northern Care Alliance footprint and was performing particularly well across Greater Manchester in relation to implementation.

Dr Fines commented on the benefits of the rapid response team and Hospital at Home services from a GP perspective. She stated that these services had significantly changed the way patients were managed in the community and described the offer as an excellent example of how care had improved over recent years.

Councillor Rubinstein asked how organisations could work together to improve economic participation and employment opportunities for residents. Will Blandamer outlined a range of initiatives currently underway, including work led through Adult Social Care, the Bury Employment Service and voluntary sector partners. He highlighted programmes supporting young people with additional needs into work experience and paid employment opportunities, noting that approximately 26–27 individuals had benefited over the previous year. He also commented on the role of the Northern Care Alliance as a supportive employer and partner in this area.

Jon Hobday added that the Working Well programme provided support for people at risk of falling out of employment. He highlighted work relating to musculoskeletal conditions and other health issues, noting that programmes were delivered in partnership with professional services and the voluntary sector to support people to remain in or return to work. He emphasised the importance of recognising the long-term health benefits associated with good-quality employment.

Councillor Boles raised concerns regarding the financial pressures facing both local government and health services. He asked how priorities should be managed where ambitions and objectives came into conflict with financial realities and reduced resources.

Will Blandamer acknowledged the challenges and agreed that both local government and health services were operating within increasingly constrained financial environments. He highlighted examples where unnecessary expenditure had been identified and reduced, including within mental health services where costly out-of-area placements had been significantly reduced through improved discharge arrangements and investment in local provision. He explained that reducing unnecessary expenditure could help create opportunities for reinvestment in frontline services, including primary care, but noted that financial pressures remained significant.

Councillor FitzGerald referred to discussions around budget transfers and the importance of appropriate funding arrangements. She also noted that the Greater Manchester Combined Authority now included representation from the voluntary sector and welcomed the increased focus on that sector’s contribution.

Councillor Green highlighted concerns that women experiencing menopause and perimenopause symptoms could sometimes be incorrectly diagnosed as having mental health conditions. She stated that this could cause significant distress and have implications for women remaining in employment up to retirement age. She asked that the issue be examined further.

The Chair thanked Will Blandamer and colleagues for the presentation and responses to Members’ questions.

It was agreed

• The update be noted

• A briefing paper on the implementation and performance of Virtual Wards in Bury to be circulated to Committee Members.
• A report on menopause and perimenopause, including the impact on health, wellbeing and employment, to be brought to a future meeting.
• Officers to explore opportunities to include patient feedback and patient experience information within future performance reports to the Committee.