Feedback: Health Improvement Forum

Feedback posted on behalf of Jane Howie (HealthNet Rep)

The meeting held on the 6^th of September had a pretty heavy agenda with 14 items on. We only managed to get to finish item 8 and overran by half an hour. Eleanor Green Chaired the meeting. One of the main topics was the SCS (Sustainable Community Strategy). It was a bit confusing because there was talk about phase 3 and I asked for clarity on the phases. Phase 1 was evidence gathering; Phase 2 Consultation and Phase 3 is Bringing it all together, but people did seem a bit vague about this and Imran agreed that calling Phase 2 the ‘first take’ was confusing. The Partnership Delivery Team apparently has taken on board comments made on the draft Critical issues and theme profiles. Feedback will be provided in the near future. I asked to be informed what VCS/HealthNet involvement is to be expected in Phase 3. Two actions are occurring in the next few weeks regarding the SCS all Councillors are attending a conference to discuss each of the themes and presentations are to be made to each of the scrutiny committees.

There was no opportunity to discuss the new commissioning framework, and one of the questions I wanted to put across was for some guidance for HealthNet groups on what commissioners are looking for.

HIF asked, again, for some ‘impact stories’ from groups that it funds. I asked if this information was not apparent from the narrative and supplementary information submitted with the monitoring reports that groups had to provide to (HCFT) SHIP FM. Imran said that the monitoring information is being used at the moment for the basis for a commissioning review. Elizabeth Brookfield said that it is the ‘impact stories are wanted to use to send to the GOYH (Gov Office for Yorkshire and Humberside) and these need to be ‘lively’ individual stories/soundbites, which attract photo opportunities’. So if anyone has something like this let me know and I will pass it on.

There has been an underspend of about £40K. There was much discussion about how to spend this and it was voted on option 1 – to give an extra £10k to pump prime the four new SHIP priorities:

Reducing infant mortality
Reducing alcohol abuse
Improving sexual health and reducing teenage conceptions
Improving mental health

The HIC Scrutiny Committed has chosen alcohol misuse as a main focus to seriously address – like it did with obesity previously. Comments on this are welcomed by Peter Marshall, Bfd Council.