Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from David Crampsey, Dr. Ammara Hughes, Vanessa Odlin and Jess McGregor.

No declarations were made.

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you are seated in the Chamber, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

Any other announcements

The Chair announced that the meeting was being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and could be viewed on the website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts were archived and could be made available upon request. Those who had asked to address the meeting were deemed to be consenting to having their contributions recorded and broadcast and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.

Requests to speak at the Board meeting on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no deputations.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 18 September 2024.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 18^th September 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

There was no such business.

Report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing.

This report provides an update on health protection issues and epidemiology in Camden. 

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Health & Wellbeing.

Camden has developed a Healthy Weight Acceleration Plan this year in response to the health and wellbeing crisis linked to population levels of overweight and obesity.  The Plan is overseen by a multi-agency leadership group from across the Council, NHS, Schools, and VCS organisations.  The Health & Wellbeing Board is the key oversight group for this Plan, in line with its role in previous years overseeing action on healthy weight. This is due to the Board’s health and care leadership role and its ability to further drive cross-organisation action across Camden. 

This report updates the Board on the scope, ambition, and progress for the Plan in its first year.  The Plan has five workstreams, focusing on: Early Years; Schools; Organisations & Place Shaping, Weight Management Services; and Population Groups with greater needs.  Significant progress has been made.  The systems approach that Camden is taking has been commended by the regional Office for Health Improvement & Disparities. 

Annual progress on the Healthy Weight Acceleration Plan will be reported to the Board, alongside future plans. 

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing. After an introduction by the Assistant Director of Public Health the Board discussed the report.

The Camden School Nursing Service ran a small healthy living programme and was in discussions to expand its reach beyond children in the National Child Measurement Programme. School nursing was also involved in the Look After You Campaign, aiming to raise awareness among older teenagers.

Last year, community pharmacies took part in the NHS England Keep Moving campaign, referring people to weight loss services, which had a positive impact. There was a need to better integrate services like school nursing and community pharmacies to improve these efforts.

Many services, such as those in children's centres, worked with families, offering an opportunity to support not just individual patients but entire families. The goal was to create a simpler, more integrated approach where a single contact could trigger support for the whole family. However, simplifying this process remained a challenge, one that would need further discussion.

There was growing interest in addressing weight management, especially in outpatient settings where height, weight, and BMI were regularly checked. While underweight children were often addressed, overweight children were not as frequently identified, highlighting the need for better training for healthcare assistants and a more holistic approach.

Another idea explored was creating an "active waiting list" for patients waiting for secondary care, where this waiting time could be used for brief interventions like encouraging weight loss or smoking cessation. Talks with UCLH were ongoing to explore this further. Annual health checks for mental health patients, including those with severe mental illness, also provided an opportunity for integrated weight management.

The Integrated Care System launched a programme called Longer Lives, focussing on supporting people with severe mental illness and improving their physical well-being, with weight management as a key part. As the programme moved into its planning phase, it was important to connect with others, especially borough partnerships, to ensure coordination and maximise impact.

In North Central London (NCL), efforts were made to address health inequalities, such as a project in Somers Town that provided physical activity, nutrition advice, and support, particularly for the Bengali community in central Camden.

There was also potential to strengthen the Family Hubs programme by adding social prescribing, which could help encourage healthy eating and physical activity for families. The idea of patient activation was emphasised, especially for patients on waiting lists, encouraging them see this as an active period for self-care.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing.

Look After YOU is a health campaign looking to promote access for young people to GP, primary care, sexual health and mental health services. It was coproduced by Camden Council and ‘Camden Youth: Tell Them’, a group of Camden young people aged 16 to 23.

This update is for information, to raise awareness and seek support for the campaign. It is also to support a discussion of how we can ensure better awareness is translating to optimal experience for young people with health services and in turn, improved outcomes.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Health and Wellbeing. The report was introduced by the Public Health Consultant and the Health and Wellbeing Communications and Engagement Lead.

In their discussion of the report, the Board made the following key comments:

·       Members were keen to work together on this and welcomed the campaign.

·       The Board suggested that the resources in the campaign could be the first place young people turn to for healthcare support. It was clear, relatable, and engaging, and could be expanded beyond Camden and shared with neighbouring boroughs.

·       Members suggested that specific guidance be provided for young people in different areas of Camden, so they knew where to go for care.

·       The Board discussed the transition from child to adult services, especially for those aged 14-25. There was interest in supporting young people during this phase, particularly in adult social care, and in exploring additional support like floating care.

·       Schools had responded positively to the campaign, and there was a plan to explore embedding it into the curriculum. Focus groups would be used to evaluate how well the campaign messages were working in schools.

·       The Board acknowledged that many parents had asked for advice on additional needs, attention problems, or mental health concerns. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) could help, and the group agreed more could be done to clarify support.

·       Members discussed the transition from child to adult services, especially for those aged 14-25. There was interest in supporting young people during this phase, particularly in adult social care, and in exploring additional support like floating care.

·       The Board highlighted adolescence as an important time for establishing good health habits and emphasised the need for a stronger focus on adolescent health, especially for those managing long-term conditions.

·       Members recognised community pharmacies as an important resource for health advice, especially for sexual health and conditions like asthma. It was important to make sure health information was clear and accessible, particularly for young people.

·       A suggestion was made to address the growing concern of steroid use in young men, particularly influenced by social media. The Board agreed it should be considered for future campaigns.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Place (West), North Central London Integrated Care Board.

This paper provides an overview of community pharmacy provision across Camden and an update on service developments in this sector. There is great opportunity to showcase community pharmacy services, promote collaboration and challenge Camden’s health and care partnership on how community pharmacy services can be best utilised and integrated to deliver effective care.

Community pharmacy is an integral part of the NHS. Embedding its clinical services and recognising its reach into other care settings is essential in ensuring clinically safe and effective patient care. Expansion of clinical services in community pharmacy creates a significant opportunity to enhance access to primary care and integrate community pharmacy alongside other health and social care services for the population of Camden.

In recent time, there has been significant progress in the roll out of new and expanded enhanced services including the nationally commissioned Pharmacy First service, aimed at supporting residents to access advice and treatment for minor illnesses and defined clinical pathways in a pharmacy setting, rather than GP surgeries or urgent treatment centres. 

In addition to this, NCL ICB (North Central London Integrated Care Board) has commissioned a pan-NCL scheme to supply a range of over-the-counter medicines to those unable to pay for them. This is intended to narrow inequalities in access, help mitigate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and work to ensure efforts to increase use of pharmacy are effective.

Community pharmacy services have strong potential to integrate with developing neighbourhood working, through emphasising collaboration and partnership between primary and secondary care, local authority, community organisations and residents.

This report is being presented to update the Board on the evolution and development of community pharmacy services, and the opportunities that arise from use of these services by our population. We ask the Board to consider the role of the community pharmacy workforce and innovation in the context of our emerging neighbourhoods development, and in consideration of the Board’s commitments around tackling health inequity.

Further detail is provided in the slide deck at Appendix 1.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Place (West), North Central London Integrated Care Board, who, along with the Community Pharmacy representative introduced the report.

The Board discussed medication adherence as a key factor in managing long-term conditions and that it led to significant reductions in healthcare costs. Community pharmacists played a crucial role in supporting medication adherence, especially in conditions like diabetes, where cost savings were quickly realised.

A Member shared a statistic that 30-40% of prescribed medications were not taken as directed, often because patients did not understand the medications' purpose. A brief intervention with patients to ensure they understood how to use their medications had a significant positive impact.

The importance of community pharmacies was discussed, with a suggestion that pharmacies could handle more cases currently seen by GPs or A&E departments. However, public awareness of community pharmacy services remained low. It was suggested that a small campaign could help address this knowledge gap and encourage people to consider pharmacies as a first point of contact for certain conditions.

There was concern that many people were unaware of the Pharmacy First service, which allowed patients to walk into a pharmacy for treatment of specific conditions. GP referrals to pharmacies were also underused, with data showing very low referral numbers. This gap was attributed to silos in the healthcare system, making it difficult to fully integrate pharmacies into the care pathway.

There was strong interest in working with community pharmacies to improve engagement with people who had learning disabilities or autism. It was noted that pharmacies were willing to engage in this and that the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) could help facilitate this.

It was acknowledged that while community pharmacies were an underused resource, there were ongoing efforts to improve communication between pharmacies and other healthcare providers, such as GPs and hospitals. However, IT challenges and data-sharing issues still needed to be addressed to enable more seamless referrals and collaboration.

It was recognised that community pharmacies were an important asset within neighbourhoods and should have been more involved in local planning, especially with the development of primary care networks. It was suggested that community pharmacies be more actively included in neighbourhood-based teams and the local Care Partnership Board to better integrate their services into the wider healthcare system.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director Adults & Health.

Reducing loneliness and social isolation through effective promotion of community connectedness and friendships is a strategic priority for the Camden Health and Wellbeing Board. This report provides an update on progress made in this area since the topic was last discussed by the Board in 2023 and aims to stimulate discussion on how best we can meet the needs of residents and continue to build a collaborative partnership to tackle social isolation.

Consideration was given to the Executive Director Adults and Health. The report was introduced by the Deputy Director of Health and Wellbeing and the Public Health Strategist.

In their discussion, the Board made the following comments:

·       There was discussion about elderly women, particularly widows, becoming socially isolated after losing their spouses. A previous initiative involved setting up a walking group for widows, which had been running successfully for almost 20 years. The idea was raised to create similar groups for elderly women and explore ways to understand their needs.

·       A Member spoke about cuckooing and the need to provide simple, accessible resources, such as QR codes, to help people identify relevant services in their area.

·       Members identified the need for more collaboration with children's services to address loneliness in younger people and parents, particularly through youth services and schools.

·       The Board discussed the mental health transformation focus on connecting people with local groups and communities. There was also a discussion about the role of employment in combating loneliness, emphasising social connections made through work.

·       Waiting rooms were identified as potential spaces for supporting lonely individuals.

·       The Board noted the need for adult social care to be more involved in addressing loneliness, with specific mention of care workers building relationships with isolated residents. There was also potential for linking day services to community-building initiatives, especially for individuals with learning disabilities.

·       Members spoke about work with young people transitioning out of CAMHS services, particularly peer support projects, which could play a role in addressing loneliness in younger individuals.

·       There was a suggestion to link district nurses with local community centres to connect patients experiencing loneliness. It was also noted that people may be more likely to engage in activities where they can give rather than just receive, as it provides a sense of purpose.

·       Age UK and Camden Carers were recommended as valuable partners in addressing loneliness, as they work directly with those at risk. Age UK’s befriending service and their experience with people who had overcome loneliness through volunteering were highlighted as examples of good practice.

·       The Board discussed involving commissioners more closely in the initiative, with a focus on understanding the link between loneliness and other factors such as mental health, debt, and social isolation. The Board also noted the need to involve providers in ongoing training and webinars.

RESOLVED –

THAT The report be noted.

Report of the Director of Public Health.

The Health and Wellbeing Board’s work programme is developed by Board members and partners, with oversight from the Chair of the Board and support from Camden strategy officers. The future programme is intended to be a working document and will be reviewed and agreed by the Board at every meeting. The Board is asked to note the draft programme and suggest items for inclusion at future meetings.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

There was no such business.