ACN Meeting Minutes Template 10-04

NCoA 14/13

NORFOLK COUNCIL ON AGEING

Minutes of the Norfolk Council on Ageing Meeting held at 10.30am on Wednesday 24 July 2013 in the Training Room, Great House Training Centre, Age UK Norfolk, 300 St Faith’s Road, Old Catton, Norwich, Norfolk NR6 7BJ

Members Present:

/ Dr Peter Forster (Chair of Age UK Norfolk), Ann Anka (School of Social Work, UEA), Ann Baker (South Norfolk Older People’s Forum), Bett Barrett (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Jonathan Bolton (Vice-Chair of Age UK Norfolk), David Button (Age UK Norwich), Judith Brown (Proxy for Jane Evans [West Norfolk Carers]), Dr Graeme Duncan (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Andrew Forrest (Age Concern Great Yarmouth), Beverley Hallpike (Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust), Polly Hauxwell-Baldwin (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Charles Ison (Broadland Older People’s Partnership), Helen Jones (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Pat Kingerlee (U3A Wymondham Group), Aliona Laker (Norfolk Deaf Association), Dr Derek Land (Civil Service Pensioners Alliance [Norfolk]), Ann Leigh (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Rachel McLean (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Emily Millington-Smith MBE (President of Age UK Norfolk), Chris Mowle (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk), Jack Sadler (Norfolk Association of Local Councils), Dr Charlotte Salter (Norwich Medical School, UEA), and Jean Wilson (Norfolk Federation of Women’s Institutes) and Pat Wilson (Norfolk and Norwich Pensioners Association / Norfolk Older People’s Forum)

In Attendance:

/ James Bullion (Norfolk County Council), Anne Bunting (The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind), Lyn Fabre, Linda Gill (Age UK Norfolk), Sally Hoare (Broadland District Council), Kate Kingdon (Age UK Norfolk), Mary Ledgard, Barbara Lock (Age Concern Swaffham and District), Hilary MacDonald (Chief Executive of Age UK Norfolk), Michael Scott (Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust), Paula Skelton (Age UK Norfolk) – minute taker, Peter Walker, Phil Wells (Age UK Norwich) and Cllr Sue Whitaker (Norfolk County Council)

Apologies:

*Denotes Voting Member
/ Trevor Ball* (Vice-President of Age UK Norfolk), Patricia Brooks* (Age UK North Norfolk), Jane Evans* (West Norfolk Carers), Colin Futter* (Norfolk County Council Unison Branch [Retired Members Section]), Andrew Halsey* (Treasurer of Age UK Norfolk), Margaret Hardingham* (Vice-President of Age UK Norfolk), Joyce Hopwood* (Norwich Older People’s Forum), Eamon McGrath (Age UK Norfolk), Jacqueline Middleton* (Age UK Norwich), Vivien Moore* (Age Concern Great Yarmouth), Annie Moseley (Age UK Norfolk), Pamela Redwood (Extend) Richard Watson* (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk) and Carole Williams* (Co-opted Member/Trustee of Age UK Norfolk)

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and the Chief Executive read out

items relating to housekeeping.

Action

1. Minutes of the Norfolk Council on Ageing Meeting held on Wednesday 24 April 2013 (NCoA 10/13)

The minutes of the Norfolk Council on Ageing (NCoA) meeting held on 24 April 2013 had been circulated prior to the meeting and were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

2. Matters arising

2.1 Palliative Care
The Chief Executive reported that she, Sue Spooner and Kate Money (Chair of Age UK Norwich) would be meeting shortly to discuss any actions required around palliative care issues. The Chief Executive undertook to report back to the October 2013 NCoA meeting. / HM
2.2 Liverpool Care Pathway
The Chair referred to a recent report on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) which recommended the phasing out of the LCP and the introduction of a new system of personalised care.

3. Welcome and Introduction to Cllr Sue Whitaker, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, Norfolk County Council

/ Cllr Whitaker thanked the Chair for the opportunity to introduce herself and said that she had been in her new role as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services for eight weeks now.
Cllr Whitaker reported that Norfolk County Council (NCC) was required to make overall savings of £182M, with Adult Social Services required to save £30M from its budget. Cllr Whitaker said that this would inevitably lead to difficult decisions having to be made and may also mean that new and different ways of working might need to be explored.
Cllr Whitaker explained that she had been a County Councillor before and said that she intended to be approachable in her role.
Cllr Whitaker accepted the Chair’s invitation to attend future NCoA meetings.
The Chair thanked Cllr Whitaker for attending the meeting and wished her well in her new role.

4. Board of Trustees Report to the NCoA (NCoA 11/13)

/ The Board of Trustees report to the NCoA had been circulated prior to the meeting.
The Chair reported that four new Trustees had been appointed/co-opted onto the Board of Trustees:
· Polly Hauxwell-Baldwin;
· Anni Hartley-Walder;
· Helen Jones; and
· Ann Leigh.
The Chair reported that four new organisations had been welcomed into membership of the NCoA:
· Norwich Medical School, UEA (University of East Anglia).
· School of Allied Health Professions, UEA.
· School of Social Work, UEA.
· The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn.
The Chair paid a special welcome to representatives of the new member organisations who were attending today’s meeting:
· Dr Charlotte Salter - Norwich Medical School, UEA.
· Ann Anka - School of Social Work, UEA.
It was noted that the representative of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, Gwyneth Wilson, had sent her apologies.
The Chief Executive reported that Zena Aldridge, the new Admiral Nurse, would be giving the five-minute update at the next NCoA meeting to update on her new role.
Mrs J Wilson reported that she had had a useful meeting with Ms Aldridge who had provided an update on her work.
4.1 Update: East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust – Dr Graeme Duncan
Dr Duncan explained that he was a Shadow Governor of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).
Dr Duncan referred to the recent press reports which had presented a negative image of the EEAST and acknowledged that rural areas in particular had not been provided for to a satisfactory level.
Dr Duncan said that the target time for ambulances to arrive with a patient after being called was eight minutes in 75% of cases. The First Responders played a part in helping patients in the community, however they were limited to what medical help they could provide as they were performing their role in a voluntary capacity, although they were quite often retired members of the medical profession.
Dr Duncan said that there were a number of reasons why some targets were not being met which included a lack of resources. The EEAST employed 2,000+ staff and dealt with 500,000 emergency calls per year and patient transportations.
Dr Duncan reported that a lack of vehicles had been identified and 15 new ambulances were now available. Also, the EEAST was now using its resources more effectively. Dr Duncan said he felt that the composition of staff was still not most effective and that the Trust required fewer managers.
Dr Duncan referred to a survey of staff which had been undertaken recently. He said that the results showed that whilst staff morale and job satisfaction levels appeared low, the results showed that staff took great pride in their jobs and the service they provided to the public.
Dr Duncan referred to the pressure that hospital Accident and Emergency departments were experiencing and said that together with an increasingly ageing population, services needed to be integrated in a more effective way.
Dr Duncan responded to two queries:
· The numbers of First Responders who respond to emergency calls in their community.
· The numbers of staff vacancies at the EEAST. Dr Duncan reported that the Trust wished to recruit new staff to the vacancies as quickly as possible.
The Chair thanked Dr Duncan for his update.

5.

/ Strong and Well
/ The Chair started this item by announcing that Mr Bullion would be leaving NCC in the Autumn to take up a new post at Essex County Council. The Chair thanked Mr Bullion for the work he had undertaken on behalf of older people during his time at NCC and his co-operation in dealing with Age UK Norfolk.
Mr Bullion reported that the Strong and Well project aimed to integrate with challenges currently being faced by the NHS.
Mr Bullion reported that the work on Strong and Well project had been delayed as the new administration had wished to review the work to date before continuing to develop it. Funding for the current year had been secured but future funding was not secure because of the discussion around NCC budget planning. A meeting of the Strong and Well Reference Group would be taking place later in the week. Mr Bullion offered to circulate the principles of the project to NCoA members.
Mr Bullion reported that the aim was to allow voluntary groups to support people with low or moderate care needs. This would involve working with colleagues in public health, GP surgeries, hospitals and patients to assess what could be done to prevent people having to go to their GP or hospital. A questionnaire had been devised for a pilot to assess the level of help needed by individuals. This would help inform the development of the project.
Mr Bullion explained that funding for the initiative would not be by a bid process but rather a decision-making process to spend money with various groups. This would link in with information and advice contracts and with Village Agents Schemes. Some funding would be used to purchase and install assistive technology.
Mr Bullion responded to a number of queries regarding:
· Circulation of meeting papers.
· Discussions round the best model for a handyman scheme.
· Confirmation that the project would be evaluated.
· Partners involved in the work which included Housing Associations.
· Specialist knowledge required by providers.
The Chair thanked Mr Bullion for his update and wished him well in his new role.

/ Norfolk Older People’s Strategic Partnership Board – Verbal Report from NCoA Representatives (David Button, Chris Mowle and Carole Williams).
/ Mr Button reported on the last Norfolk Older People’s Strategic Partnership (NOPSP) Board meeting which had had a theme of reducing loneliness and isolation amongst older people and had received a series of presentations on this theme, which he said had been useful. Presentations had been given by Stephen Betts, Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner, the owner of a care home, a carer, Age UK Norwich on intergenerational work and Age UK Norfolk on befriending work.
The Chair thanked Mr Button for his update.
Mrs Gill left the meeting at this point.

/ Joint Health, Social Care and Voluntary Sector Strategic Forum
/ The Chair reported that Mrs Hopwood had sent apologies as she was attending a meeting of the Joint Health, Social Care and Voluntary Sector Strategic Forum that morning.
The Chief Executive provided a verbal report on Mrs Hopwood’s behalf and said that at last meeting the following had been discussed:
· Overview of Norfolk health and social care service directories and how voluntary organisations featured in them. It had been agreed that it would be beneficial if a one form approach could be used to enable organisations to update their data once only.
· Day centre assessed charges had been set up between £0 and £15, although 40% of users had been charged at the zero rate. It was proving difficult to obtain good provider data although some had been received from NCC-run day centres. There had been a number of service users leaving the service when charges were introduced but some of those were now returning, although some were attending for fewer days per week than before.
· Concerns about people not receiving services and the perception of a high level of unmet need, particularly in rural areas.
· A report to be submitted to the NCC Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Panel on the impact of cuts on the voluntary sector.
· Contact would be made with the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner to discuss future voluntary sector involvement and engagement at a strategic level.
/ A short break took place at this point.

/ Presentation: Michael Scott, Chief Executive of Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust: Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust – An Introduction
/ The Chair introduced Mr Scott who thanked him for the opportunity to talk to NCoA members about the work of the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCHC).
Mr Scott started his presentation by saying that it was likely that members knew about the services the NCHC provided but not necessarily the name of the Trust. Mr Scott explained the work of the Trust:
• Norfolk’s main community based NHS Trust.
• Offers alternative to acute care, offering patients care in or near their homes wherever possible to keep them well and independent.
• Works closely with a number of partners – commissioners, GPs, acute hospitals, social care, NCC – to keep services running smoothly.
• Known locally and nationally as pioneering and leaders in key areas such as Health Visitor early implementers, Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation and Children’s Community Nursing and Therapy (CN&T).
• High levels of patient satisfaction – nine out of 10 patients using the Trust’s biggest service say they are ‘satisfied’ with the care they receive. Mr Scott explained that a patient or a member of staff attended each Board meeting and at the beginning of meetings, the Board members read all comments received about the Trust’s services.
Mr Scott reported on a number of statistics which demonstrated the wide range of services provided by the Trust and the number of contacts that its staff had with patients around the county eg the Community Nursing Team had around 108,000 face-to-face contacts with patients every month and the Trust provided more than 70 different services.
Mr Scott spoke about the Trust’s work with Norman Lamb MP, Minister of State for Care and Support, to ensure the integration of health and social services takes place. As part of the Trust’s commitment to integration, it had coterminous boundaries with the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Groups) geographical areas in Norfolk.
Mr Scott reported on the pioneering work being undertaken by the Trust:
• Health Visitor early implementers - selected by the Department of Health as one of 20 health visitor services nationally – and one of two in the East of England region.
• Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation – the Trust has a Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation service at Colman Hospital which was recently granted Level One status by NHS England.
• CN&T – recently commissioned to deliver an expanded Children’s CN&T service.
• Together with colleagues in the county, the Trust has submitted a bid to become an ‘Integration Pioneer’, supporting an initiative launched by Mr Lamb.
Mr Scott reported that the NCHC was currently applying for Trust status and had 12,000 members. Mr Scott invited NCoA members to consider becoming Trust members and information on Trust membership was available for members to take away. Mr Scott said that by becoming a Trust member, there were other areas that members could become involved in.
Mr Scott referred to the successful audits of standards undertaken in wards at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and said that a similar style of audits was being used by NHCH including in people’s homes. Mr Scott invited NCoA members to contact the Chief Executive of Age UK Norfolk if they would be interested in undertaking inspections on behalf of NCHC.
Mr Scott responded to a number of queries:
· Undertaking surveys to ascertain patients’ satisfaction for the services provided eg “Would you recommend us to a family or friend?”. A discussion took place about different methods of undertaking such surveys and it was noted that providing feedback could be easier for patients who were reluctant to make a formal complaint about their care. Also, capturing comments was more difficult when services were being provided in the community.
· There were currently no plans to provide services through a social enterprise as the feedback received was that this was not what people wanted.
· The Trust’s annual general meeting and health fair which Mr Scott encouraged members to attend.
· How the Trust’s activities are funded.
· The success of employing community matrons and the corresponding fall in calls to 999 and decreased hospital admissions.
· Large impersonal hospitals versus community-based care.
The Chair thanked Mr Scott for his presentation and wished the Trust well in its work.