Next meeting is 13.11.18. Hove Town Hall
Minutes of meeting held 11 September 2018
- Winter planning: Although it is still warm outside officers across health and social care have been working on the winter plans. This meeting there will be one report on the night shelter facilities and further reports will come to the board as necessary
- The Better Care Fund (BCF): In response to a question the Chairperson stated it ” is a programme spanning both the NHS and local government which seeks to join-up health and care services, so that people can manage their own health and wellbeing, and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. To attract the money a substantial plan has to be submitted based on evidence and impact. Once submitted the money has to be spent on those services and reports on progress made to national bodies. There is a potential claw back of any funds should they be spent on other things.”
“There are a range of services in place to help people in the community. Our primary care provision is the first point for these and then referral can be made to higher levels of support if required. We have this in place for all residents including our homeless community.”
Local Discretionary Social Fund (LDSF):
In response to a question the Chairperson stated “As the Board is aware we recently had a report about Food and Food Poverty to the Board. It was agreed that a report will come back to this Board looking at malnutrition in the city If there is any resident (be they in their own accommodation, vulnerably housed or homeless) that has food and nutrition needs we would urge them or any friend, family, voluntary or community service to make contact through Access Point so a full assessment of Community their eligible needs can be made to ensure that the council is meeting its statutory responsibilities….”
“With regard to the Local Discretionary Social Fund. This is a specific fund that can help people who find themselves in a difficult situation and need emergency help with: • Getting food & groceries • Paying for gas and electricity payments • other things you might need in an emergency. An application can be made online here:
- The number of deaths in supported/ emergency accommodation in the last three years: In response to a question the Chairperson stated there will be a joint report commissioned to go to both this Board and the Housing and New Homes Committee covering the issues you have raised to include:
- Information on deaths
- Support services that are available to those in temporary accommodation
- A review of services users that are currently in Kendall Court plus any additional area that the Housing and New Homes wish to include. BHCC Comment: This report will come back to the November Health and Wellbeing Board.
Housing First – Options for expansion:
Potential options for expanding Housing First to 20 units from the ten already provided in the city
Councillor Page stated that Housing First was a very good scheme but was concerned that it was being rolled out too slowly. The report estimated that 46 people in the city could benefit from Housing First but the report was looking at a maximum of 20 units available.
He asked officers to clarify which option they were recommending to the board. Officer responded that the pace at which Housing First could be scaled up was limited by having to ensure that the necessary support packages in place.
BHCC Comment: Officers were asking to investigate potential options for how to expand Housing First given the housing needs of the city.
Councillors Wealls and Mears both expressed concern that the remit for rough sleeping had been split between several committees. This had led to information and decision being difficult to follow through the various forums and ultimately meant that there was a loss of accountability as no single body had ownership of the issue.
HOMELESS COLD WEATHER PLANNING:
- David Liley stated that he had attended a Sustainability and Transformation Partnership wide workshop on winter planning and he had taken the information in the report and had been able to give assurances that Brighton & Hove had developed a robust plan for providing services in the coming winter
Local Connection – Rough Sleeping:
- To be deemed as having a ‘Local Connection’, a person must fulfil one or more of the following:
- Have lived in Brighton and Hove for at least 6 out of the last 12 months. Sleeping rough here will not count – they must have had a tenancy.
- Have lived in Brighton and Hove for at least 3 out of the last 5 years. Again, sleeping rough will not count and they must have had a tenancy.
- Have close family who are living here and who have lived here for at least the past 5 years. Close family means: (i) mother or father (ii) brother, sister, son or daughter all of which must be over 18 years of age (iii) carer over 18 years of age. Please note: ‘close family’ means just that. If there is no actual ‘relationship’ with the family member already living here, the person applying would not be considered to have a Local Connection under this part.
- Have permanent full-time employment in the city – please note Big Issue vending does not meet this criterion.
- Other special reason, such as growing up and attending school in the area or fleeing domestic violence in an area.
Health and Wellbeing Board Agenda, 13.11.18
Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2017/18
“We remain concerned about the number of people experiencing homelessness in our city. Whilst this does not feature as one of our original priorities, our focus this year shows how responsive the board is to emerging safeguarding threats.”
“Rates of homelessness are high in Brighton & Hove. The council commissions accommodation and support services. In the year from April 2017, 1192 clients were supported by council commissioned support services, and 631 cases were closed. From July 2017 to April 2018, 518 cases remain open.”
“The SAB has helped Healthwatch make a real impact in highlighting difficulties faced by vulnerable people undergoing assessments for benefits, particularly Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Case studies of people who have been severely disadvantaged by insensitive and discriminatory practices have been brought to the attention of the public, press and politicians. That includes local Councillors, MPs and the Minister for Social Security. This work has made a real impact and helped local voluntary and statutory organisations work more closely with some of the private sector organisations who provide these assessment services. This work is not complete and continues into next year. It is a joint challenge to improve quality and safety into a system that seems to be publicly funded but lacking in public accountability.”
“Impact of changes to Universal Credit – In September 2017 we received a report which outlined the effect of changes to Universal Credit on clients. The Brighton and Hove Housing Coalition had concerns about the implications of these changes on adults with care and support needs. BHCC subsequently prepared a statement for the Health and Wellbeing Board highlighting our concerns and asking that they consider their own assurances about the city’s readiness to manage the impending changes, especially for those most vulnerable. We received both a verbal and written response from the Revenue and Benefit lead for Universal Credit providing assurances about the support provided to vulnerable people. We also made an additional request that the city’s community and voluntary sector organisations be reminded to contact local front doors if they came across any potential safeguarding concerns when supporting claimants.
In March 2018 Healthwatch presented a report which highlighted concerns about PIP and ESA assessments. It recommended improved training for assessors, that reasonable adjustments be provided, and that there be scrutiny of mandatory reconsiderations. The SABs role centres on ensuring that the system is there to provide support to vulnerable people and to ensure they are not being abused or neglect. The SAB endorsed these recommendations and the Chair met with local counsellors about the reports concerns. The Chair of the SAB and Healthwatch jointly wrote to ATOS and Maximus urging them to respond to the issues identified.”
- “Last year we reported that we would be undertaking a survey to ask those actively experiencing homelessness their views and opinions of services. This work was superseded in November 2017 when GalvaniseBH undertook a Vulnerability Index Assessment Tool with homeless people. At the time of writing feedback from this activity has not yet been collated. We hope to report on this within next year’s annual report.”
- “Similarly to last year, our focus has again been on coordinating and evaluating the effectiveness of safeguarding responses to the homeless population and people with a personality disorder, thus reducing our capacity to test the local mechanisms which enable people to live independently”
- “A ‘Trailblazer’ social worker has been in post in Health and Adult Social Care since July 2017 (funded for two years). This social worker supports people whose tenancies are under threat, assessing needs under the Care Act and finding solutions to help them maintain their accommodation.”
- “The Quality Assurance Subgroup is overseeing progress on learning from a multi-agency case file audit of a sample of cases regarding homeless individuals who were, at that time, actively in receipt of city services.”
- “The SAB has seen an increase in safeguarding adult review referrals relating to the death and serious harm of adults experiencing homelessness in the city”
BHCC Comment: Very little is said, and nothing of substance, about homelessness or housing linked with health and poverty. Even less about actual work. The report does contain very useful information on demographics and particularly the number of residents with disabilities. The ‘Brighton & Hove Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report 2017/18’ has nothing to say on homelessness and housing.
The ‘Independent Annual Report of the Director of Public Health 2018’ is on “The Art of Good Health” which “focuses on the links between the arts and health and wellbeing.”
Fast Track Cities:
The Health & Wellbeing Board agreed to be part of the International Fast Track Cities initiative. We were the first city in the UK to sign up to this programme. FastTrack Cities aims to build develop and improve existing HIV programmes and resources in high HIV burden cities to support their achievement of the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020
BHCC Comment: The Coalition should examine the potential, if any, implications of this excellent initiative on our work particularly in relation to our work with the LGBT Community Safety Forum and the Rainbow Hub
Brighton General Hospital – Community Health Hub Outline Business Case:
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“The Health & Wellbeing Board are not part of the decision making for any proposals and changes presented at the Board”
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“The potential to develop housing is generally supported, in particular the supply of affordable/key worker housing”
BHCC Comment: The development of this site is currently being examined by the Coalition but would appear not to be an area of work appropriate for raising at this committee. The report contains useful and interesting information
Moving Towards Integration Update:
“An Integrated Care System is where commissioner and provider health and care organisations voluntarily come together with their collective resources to provide integrated services for a defined population”
BHCC Comment: This includes ‘Housing Support’.